Quality management systems development based on a production systems taxonomy

Purpose – This paper aims to propose a method for the development of quality management systems (QMS) that allows the consultant that undertakes the support of the organisation to take advantage of a corporate memory. The consultant develops a new QMS based on a preliminary draft that is created using suitable reference processes from a library, selected according to the features of the organisation's production system. Design/methodology/approach – The method adopts a taxonomy of production systems, based on a set of features (e.g. degree of the products’ customisation, form of purchasing, etc.) and creates a library of reference processes that satisfy the requirements of the standard and are suitable for each particular type of production system. Findings – The QMS developed according to the proposed method satisfy both the requirements of the standard ISO 9001 and the needs of the organisation in which the QMS is installed in the biggest possible degree. The duration and cost of the project for the new QMS is reduced and the effort is oriented towards the process adaptation and improvement. Research limitations/implications – The proposed approach is general and can be applied to several types of industries. However, the proposed taxonomy is applicable to manufacturing companies. For other types of organisations specific taxonomies should be developed. Originality/value – The originality of the paper stems from the development of a QMS based on reference processes rather than the modelling and reviewing of as-is processes.