HCT QMS Quality Manual Essay

Introduction

Abu Dhabi Men’s College (ADMC) is an institution under the control of the Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT) which comprises two directorates, namely central and academic services. The academic division is in charge of several colleges, including ADMC that is headed by a dean who reports to the deputy vice-chancellor. In addition, the academic division formulates committees that work on certain tasks. Each subsidiary college is under the control of a campus director who is in charge of administrative roles and community-based activities. The quality manual is a document that guides the college into the business department, particularly in ADMC.

High-quality services are provided for the students as a result of the department’s adherence to the quality manual. The manual is in line with ISO 9001: 2008 international management and leadership standards. The international standards allow the department to organize and review the governing rules and regulations. In turn, the department formulates processes compatible with international standards. The standardization of the department has led to its rapid growth. As a result, the implementation of the quality manual has enhanced multi-cultural interaction within the UAE.

Conclusively, standardization of the institution plays a vital role in appealing to the global market. Furthermore, its products are more reputable as opposed to other institutions that are non-compliant with the international standards.ADMC Business Department Quality Policy Compared With the ISO9001:2008 Requirements

ADMC Business Department Quality Policy

There are three areas addressed by business department quality policy. These include the continuous quality improvement, student-centered delivery and effectiveness of the policies as well as other processes that policy assists in their realization. The continuous quality improvement aims at:

• Insuring that the academic programs offered by the business department meet the student’s satisfaction as well as the local demand in the market.
• Implementing a manual that is formal, comprehensive and comply with the ISO 9001:2008 internal standard requirements.
• Insuring compliance of all the processes with the requirements of ACBSP.
• Insuring good maintenance of academic and administrative standards of quality by monitoring actively, reviewing and implementing preventive and corrective action appropriately.
• Insuring annual quality objectives of all staff members and faculty are measurable and realistic as well as regularly monitoring and reviewing the staff performance. 

It also provides student-centered delivery education by:

• Insuring equal and fair treatment of all students and provision of the same opportunities for learning.
• Insuring delivery of all assigned courses by faculty members and holding classes as scheduled.
• Insuring delivery of solid theoretical background in all subjects while the materials relate to practical examples locally and internationally.
• Insuring feedback given to students is constructive and transparent throughout the process of learning, while informing them of their progress within the program and courses.
• Insuring accessibility of learning materials and course information that are available online to all students through learning management system. Moreover, there should be proper exposure of students to latest tools of educational technology.
• Insuring accessibility of faculty members to all students, especially when they need additional support in learning.
• Insuring an opportunity to all students to pass all academic disciplines in case there were circumstances that prevented assessment.

Efficiency priorities are required to:

• Insure permanent availability of physical resources in accordance with the ADMC requirements and course.
• Insure proper preservation of teaching resources and better organization of all teaching faculties by electronically sharing course assessment folders. Moreover, the folders must contain marking schemes, records of attendance, different grades of student sample works, all assessment and records of delivery that professors consider relevant.
• Insure regular evaluation and monitoring of efficiency and quality of physical, human and financial resources.
• Insure high qualification and motivation of staff members and faculty to continuously perform their tasks via regular training, international recruitment, as well as professional development.

How ADMC Meets the Requirements of the Standard

The business department is characterized by:

• Meeting the HTC quality improvement system requirements.
• Meeting the ADMC senior management expectations.
• Meeting the accreditation bodies and the program certification standards.
• Complying with the ISO 90001:2008 quality management system.

The quality policy promotes:

• Efficient and transparent student-centered working and environment of learning.
• Excellent and continuous improvement in departmental performance as well as research, professional development, teaching and development in the community.
• Valued both the teamwork and individual performance in the department.

A New Quality Policy for the ADMC Business Department 

The ISO 9001:2008 compliant with business department quality manual considers all administrative and academic regulations of HTC and the faculty business. Moreover, it combines them with the adherence to academic accreditation standards as well as the ACBSP international accreditation requirements located in the United States. Apparently, this is done while insuring all the ISO 9001:2008 requirements of leadership standards and international management are met. The combination of all institutional and external regulations with the ISO 9001:2008 requirements adds best practices to the collective wisdom. The quality manual provides comprehensive guidelines for all teachers and assists in effective orientation to a new faculty.

ADMC Business Department Quality Objectives

ADCM business department objectives include:

• Demonstration of care with regard to the welfare of students.
• Insurance of consistent delivery of superior education programs.
• Improvement of the efficiency and quality of programs.
• Attainment of a competitive edge and the opportunity to be recognized as the most innovative department.

How Each ADCM Objective Meets the ISO 9001:2008 Requirements

The business department adopted the quality manual compliant with the ISO 9001:2008. The teachers from different countries delivered a strategic decision which led to rapid growth of the department and programs. The implementation of standard quality management system insured high quality consistent delivery in the multicultural and multinational environment.

Besides the development of the comprehensive quality manual, the business department has developed its quality management system electronically. Hereby, all the controlled documents and records are stored in an electronic system. The system is also useful in training faculties joining the business department

In the business department, customers are the students who enrolled in the academic program. Apparently, the customer’s focus in the ISO 9001:2008 becomes the student’s focus in the business department. The new quality manual has assisted the business department in improving the learning experience and consistent delivery framework, thereby increasing the student’s level of satisfaction. Moreover, better working environment has resulted from the standardization of leadership processes and the managements as well as learning and teaching processes.

A key educational theory concept of HTC is student-centered teaching and learning. Moreover, among the important goals of HTC educational philosophy is the facilitation of different learning styles and customization of different learning experiences. It is also significant for teachers to provide practical education by the use of content theory applicable to real life locally and internationally. Thus, this will insure that the department delivers what the students need in the workplace.

New SMART Quality Objectives for the ADMC Business Department

The introduction of smart performance indicators has made the business department more efficient in new faculty training and orientation. Moreover, help have been offered to the department to assist in setting measurable quality objectives and goals annually that trigger the improvement of quality. The standardization has led to consistent delivery throughout the diverse faculty population. It has also precipitated the development of effective monitoring system of management. In addition, business department students have benefited by receiving high quality of education.

The ADMC Business Department Quality Manual – The Teaching Process

Policy Statement

Policy statements are statements that prevent a company from being misunderstood and consequently sued due to crude behavior. There are two policy statements that constitute the process, namely responsibility and authority, and management representative of quality. First and foremost, the management has to insure well-detailed communication systems in terms of responsibilities and authorities within various business departments. Secondly, the management appoints an individual on its behalf to safeguard the quality, and they ought to have an internal auditor certificate during the appointment. The certificate may equally be obtained within 12 months.

Process Maps 

Fig. Organizational chart of the business department

The organizational chart shows four levels in the hierarchy. The chart describes the business department at the functional level. The fact that the department is small means that more than two tasks are assigned to the same person. The department is headed by a chair who is assisted by three personnel under his control. Furthermore, the department head is responsible for the overall operations in line with ADMC.

Fig. Regulatory units.

Opinion

In regard to the two processes, there is a level of improvement in the students’ level of satisfaction. The reason is in high-quality modes of teaching as a result of key process standardization. Apparently, this benefit accrues from the demonstration of commitment in line with education, welfare and development of students. Moreover, the efficient framework for continued development is enhanced by superior programs offered consistently. In order to increase the student’s satisfaction, a delivery path needs to aim for improved quality. HCT’s main component is student-based teaching experiences. In fact, the application of the theory into practical work enhances learning. Finally, continuous culture improvement is gained through recognition of competitiveness.

The figure representing regulatory units depicts the chair’s responsibility in the HTC/AMC policies as well as rules and regulations necessary for effective performance of tasks. Through regular meetings with the professor, academic and administrative matters are well provided. 

In regard to the management representative of quality, responsibilities include:

• Reassurance that processes needed for the quality manual are established, implemented, and maintained.
• A report to business department management on the effectiveness of the quality manual and quality management system, with recommendations for improvement.
• The increase of student awareness and HCT requirements throughout the business department.

  Redesign of the Process to Better Suit the Customer 

Fig. Process based QMS.

In regard to the model, the purpose of the quality manual is to reinforce uniformity in the quality systems. The quality management has three intertwined aspects:

• The customers’ expectations come first, and confidentiality is vital in maintaining quality.
• The interests of the organization are taken into account through the improvement of quality at the optimum cost.
• Improvement of standards in the production sector to enhance variety of the commodity and improve performance of the firm.

However, there are various steps involved in the standardization of the organization that include:

• Identification of the processes needed in the quality management system and their application throughout the organization.
• Sequence determination and the relationship between the customers and the processes.
• Determination of criteria and the methods needed to insure that the processes are effectively controlled and operated.
• Provision of the available information and resources needed in monitoring the operations in relation to these processes.
• Monitoring, measurement and analysis of these processes.
• Implementation of the necessary actions in line with the achievement of the planned results and continual improvement of these processes.

In relation to the quality manual, it is a vital process as it combines processes, methods, people and tools needed in the improvement of the system and elements of the company’s products. Therefore, it insures that the commodities delivered to the customer are of high quality and meet their needs. It also raises the issue of the business in regard to the environmental conditions surrounding it.

Steps that Must Be Taken by the Organization to Achieve Certification

The ISO 9000 family handles aspects of quality management and contains some standards. These standards focus on the tools and guidance for the organization that is in need of meeting customer’s requirement as well as the consistent improvement of quality.

The ISO 9000 standards include:

• The ISO 9000: 2005 that covers the essential concepts and language.
• The ISO 9000:20059 which covers the efficient quality management.
• The ISO 9001:2008 that imposes requirements on quality management system.

An organization must prepare and understand the ISO 9001 certification requirements. Apparently, this will insure that they achieve their certification within the few months, depending on the size and complexity of the organization. However, it is fundamental to have people internally or externally with prior experience of quality management systems implementation as well as ISO 9001 accreditation. The first assessment is usually ready once the ground work and the ISO 9001 quality manual are completed. The assessor checks the quality management systems that are written and compares them with what is actually being done. The assessor can make recommendations for any needed change. In case there were any changes recommended and introduced, then the organization is ready for actual auditing. The auditing of the organization with regard to ISO 9001 standards is conducted by an independent third party, namely an accredited certification body.

The organization should have clearly written objectives and outline its benefits gained after achieving the ISO 9001 standards. Moreover, the quality management systems must be put in place in every area of business. Measurements are required to check whether the quality policies are followed to the letter. Nevertheless, the staff should be aware of their expectations and their responsibility in achieving the ISO 9001 certification. The organization quality system, policies and procedures required by ISO 9001 certification, should be described in a documented system.

The documentation defines the following:     

• Structure of the organization.
• The information to be recorded and who should do it.
• Employees’ responsibility.
• Organizational lines of communication.
• Required actions.
• Maintenance of continuity as staff change.

One person within the organization should be made responsible for implementing the ISO 9001. Moreover, the person should be at senior management level to be involved in decision making and necessarily taking action.

Definition of System

Organization requires input from all the departments’ so as to define the quality managements systems. The following are required:

• Proper definition of customers for each department. For instance, end users are for sales and marketing departments
• Each areas activities are documented
• Reviewing of ISO 9001 standards to make sure all requirements have been met
• Identification of areas with problems and rectification

Documentation Management

The importance of proper record keeping and correct documentation should be communicated to all staff members. Nonetheless, documents should be controlled to insure the latest version is being used in ISO 9001 auditing. A robust system is mostly used in replacing the old version as well as numbering system for version control. Thus, the new version should be distributed to different departments. In fact, proper identification of records is needed to know which records comply with the ISO 9001 auditing and the ones required for running the business successfully.

Preventive and Corrective Measures

A definite process is crucial for identifying and fixing the problem in case the process inevitably goes wrong and insuring the problem will not reoccur. Moreover, proper records of the actions taken to rectify the problem should be kept. Conversely, potential areas of problems and a system set to minimize the effect before it happens should be identified.

Auditing Quality ISO Regularly 9001 

It is crucial to regularly audit the internal quality. In fact, this can be done by an independent person within the organization. Hereby, the auditor checks the procedures in the quality manual to insure they are followed as well as rectify identified problems. The procedure is required to outline how the audits are planned, conducted and recorded. 

Advice to the Organization for Choosing Their Accreditation Body

In order to operate in the global market, one needs to have certification that is viewed as being compliant with the set standards and regulatory requirements by the establishment. In addition, it improves the internal business environment. In fact, the recognition of a qualified organization to undertake certification can be a tedious and tricky procedure. Therefore, one needs to search for an institution that is interested in competence and reliable services in line with international standards.

The selection of a certified body requires one to consider staff qualifications, training and their competence monitoring. Moreover, adherence to the set standards enhances international preference as opposed to the body that is not certified. A certified body is more appealing to the global market if it offers services that conform to the standards. An accredited body reduces paper work and, thus, increases efficiency of business.

Training

Staff should be trained to insure that they have all the skills needed for performing their duties. Moreover, proper training helps staff members to keep proper records of the training education and past experiences. It will assist in identification of staff’s capabilities. Thus, future training requirements can be done together with necessary skills that may be of use as the business grows. Training helps to identify any gap in experience in case a new product is to be manufactured or equipment is installed.

 

Related essays