Did you know that there are two ways of managing quality systems? Both are object-oriented and are driven to offer certain results. No, it’s not about automated quality management vs traditional, it’s about software-driven QMS vs traditional QMS. So, does that mean automated QMS and software-driven quality management systems are different? Yes! While automated and software-driven are closely related, but they are not exactly the same. 

Automated quality management systems are all software-driven, but not all software-driven QMS are just working under automation. Both carry one key similarity: improving efficiency and effectiveness in quality management systems. Software-driven QMS is more extensive which we will discuss below. So let’s start understanding quality management system with their traditional and software-driven approach styles!

What is a Traditional Quality Management System? 

Traditional quality management helps to improve products and services continuously. In order to satisfy their customers, they need quality to enhance their performance and sustainability. Companies can develop traditional ways of quality management to become a long-term plan to improve the company structure. 

With additional quality management, the company defines its quality standard and determines whether a particular product is accessible. The traditional quality control involves basic quality tools that are cost-effective i.e., inspection-based, reactive, top-down approach, statistical process control, department responsibility, solving problems case by case, employee-based, and corrective actions.

What is Software-driven Quality Management?

Software-driven QMS is a modern way of approach that aims to provide quality management with core functionality, data management, and automated anomaly detection. 

It is completely integrated with CaseWhere Cloud, and software-driven quality combines functionalities from our existing suite of applications with new capabilities. To provide forms without a cloud-based quality management application that is accessible from anywhere, scalable to any form, and that makes complaints easy by assisting with facets in managing accounting practices. Software-driven quality embeds itself for all staff as a proactive management tool that facilitates an interactive system of quality management. 

Built-in risk processes allow you to assess the probability and impact of risk in businesses should it occur SQL quality is designed with a dynamic workflow incorporating 5 modules such as design, operate, operate overview, monitor, and evaluate. 

Difference between Traditional QMS and Software-Driven QMS

• The quality of software has improved significantly over the past two decades. One reason is that companies have used new technologies in their software development process such as object-oriented development, CASE tools, etc. 
• The traditional approach of quality management is way more product-oriented and it is mainly based upon the post-production scenario. 

• The growing importance of software-driven quality management and the adoption of quality management techniques from manufacturing can be observed from its comprehensive digital approach.
• Traditional quality management used to serve well under monopolistic situations where both the organization and market were treated as a black box. That means no one is expecting anything from each other neither the organization nor the market.

• Software quality differs from the concept of quality generally used in manufacturing mainly for these reasons- The software specification should reflect the characteristics of the product that the customer wants. 
• Traditional management focuses on short-term profit and stock price. It has no clear strategic position in the target sector. 

• However, in terms of a software-driven approach, the development organization may also have requirements such as maintainability that are not included in the specification. Certain software quality attributes such as maintainability, usability, and reliability cannot be exactly specified and measured.
• Many times in traditional management, organizations do cost-cutting while tolerating high levels of wastage. Due to the traditional management approach, the situation of the organization changes such as customer dissatisfaction, and employee dissatisfaction, and investors expect more extra. In this type of approach, we are not focused on what the customer wants from us and doing unnecessary things because of this sales go down, and at the same time investors expect more from the business.

Now the market has changed and it is not like a monopolistic market. Nowadays there are lots of competitors in the market. Customer expectations are increasing, and employee expectations are increasing day by day. The investor expects more to fulfill in all situations. They cannot use a traditional management system, as we need quality management like a system for the entire organization.

What Makes QMS a Game-Changer Across Industries?

In this fast-paced world, you can only have quality control by first having the quality assurance and the quality management system in place. As more people had to work together to produce results best practices were needed to ensure the quality results and these best practices were nothing but the quality management system. A quality management system’s major elements include quality control and quality assurance. These are the two pillars on which quality management is based. 

ISO 9001 is a document that describes the QMS. So if you meet all your requirements of ISO 9001 that means you have successfully implemented QMS in your organisation. There are more QMS standards and each of these standards provides a different framework for building a quality management system but they all share the same goal of improving the quality of products and services.

Quality management system is a set of interconnected elements which are like quality policy, procedures manual, work, instructions, and records that direct and control the organization and consistently meet customer requirements and enhance their satisfaction. It simplifies the organizational structure. 

The QMS system is used to improve processes, productivity, customer satisfaction, and documentation, motivate employees, create a culture of quality consistent products, reduce costs and last but not least improve compliance.

What is the Role of a Quality Management System?

The role of the ISO 9001 Quality Management System (QMS) requires an organization to be deliberate in their planning actions and that includes what are the goals of the organizations.

According to ISO, ISO 901 certification can lead to a 20% increase in productivity and a 50% reduction in errors. ISO 9001 delivers a range of tangible and intangible benefits that can mainly impact an organization’s bottom line, customer loyalty, and long-term success.  ISO 9001 requires an organization to have measures of process effectiveness. It also requires an organization to strive for continual improvement. 

Conclusion 

In conclusion, we can say that the software-driven approach is much more flexible than traditional QMS. The traditional (conventional) approach can make you wait a bit longer to get results as it is done manually and all the data is stored in forms or papers, which is why the level of errors might increase. But if we talk about automated or software-driven QMS, it is done through the CaseWhere cloud which increases the workflow compared to the traditional way of doing quality management. The goal of a software-driven quality management system is to improve its efficiency and effectiveness, provide more flexibility, eliminate error and waste, and create transparency in overall management.