As a quality assurance professional, I have been involved in the implementation of quality management systems in a few organisations and I understand the importance of it for SOEs in Namibia, especially the ISO 9001 Standard. The ISO 9001 standard provides a framework for implementing a QMS that can help organisations improve their quality, efficiency and customer satisfaction. The benefits of QMS implementation for SOEs cannot be overemphasised.
What is ISO 9001?
ISO 9001 is an international standard that sets out the requirements for a quality management system. The standard provides a framework for organisations to manage and improve their quality processes, ensuring that they meet customer requirements and comply with statutory and regulatory requirements. It is implemented by having a set of policies, processes, and procedures and by using a systematic approach to managing quality, providing a way to identify and address quality issues, continually improve processes, and enhance customer satisfaction.
A couple of SOEs have achieved certification and maintained it, while there is another couple that has tried to implement and failed due to poor planning, inadequate training, and a lack of commitment from management.
Importance
SOEs are established to achieve specific goals for the government and society at large. These may be to promote strategic sectors in accordance with their respective mandates such as telecommunication, energy or transport. At times the government would want to make provision for public goods and services such as water, housing and education. The motive may also be to control natural resources like oil, gas and minerals in order to own these resources and channel benefits to the larger public.
This means that they have a critical role to play in driving economic growth, development and social welfare. However, these enterprises often face significant challenges that hinder their performance, such as bureaucratic procedures, lack of accountability, and inefficiencies. The standard specifies that employee performance and effectiveness of policies need to be continually monitored and measured.
By implementing QMS, SOEs can ensure that they meet the needs of their customers and interested parties while complying to statutory and regulatory requirements as per the products and services they provide. Several Namibian SOEs have adapted QMS based on the ISO 9001 standard and have since observed more efficiencies in their processes, giving them competitive advantage in global markets.
Benefits
QMS implementation offers a plethora of potential benefits for SOEs in Namibia. Firstly, QMS implementation enhances customer satisfaction. At its core, ISO 9001 is all about meeting customer needs and expectations and through its implementation, SOEs can ensure that the needs of their customers and other interested parties are met while adhering to national legal requirements. Customer satisfaction results in repeat business and positive word-of-mouth referrals.
Secondly, QMS implementation supports continual improvement. The ISO 9001 standard requires organisations to continually improve their processes, products, and services. By implementing QMS, SOEs can identify areas for improvement and develop plans to address them. This can lead to increased efficiency, reduced waste of resources, and improved effectiveness.
Lastly, QMS implementation improves employee performance. The ISO 9001 requires organisations to provide the necessary resources and training to employees to ensure that they can carry out their roles effectively. By implementing QMS, SOEs can ensure that their employees are adequately trained and have the necessary resources to perform assigned roles effectively and efficiently. This can lead to increased employee satisfaction, motivation, and productivity.
Challenges
The challenges of implementing QMS in SOEs include resistance to change (this is how we have been doing it for the past 20 years), lack of resources, lack of competent personnel, limited or lack of understanding of QMS and lack of support from top management. To overcome these challenges, it is essential to secure the necessary resources and support from top management, involve employees at all levels in the QMS implementation process, and streamline bureaucratic procedures to ensure that they are aligned with the QMS.
Namibia
In Namibia, QMS implementation can improve the agriculture, mining, and manufacturing industries throughout their value chains. For instance, in the agriculture industry, QMS implementation can help farmers produce high-quality products that meet customer needs and expectations. It can help to ensure that products meet regulatory standards, are of high quality, meet international standards, are produced sustainably, meet food safety standards. This can lead to increased demand for Namibian agricultural products, which can boost the economy.
In the mining industry, QMS implementation can help mining companies improve safety in their operations, reduce waste, and increase efficiency, while reducing environmental impact. This can lead to increased profitability and improved working conditions for employees. QMS implementation can help to ensure that products are extracted safely, efficiently, and sustainably.
In the manufacturing industry, QMS implementation can help manufacturers produce high-quality products that meet customer needs and expectations. This can lead to increased demand for Namibian manufactured products, which will boost the economy.
Since implementation of standards is a voluntary practice, they are mainly implemented in the private sector such as agricultural production, food manufacturing and processing as well as safety standards in the mining industry. This has resulted in Namibian certified businesses to access global markets with ease.
Adequate implementation can resolve failures and maintain improvement in SOEs through corrective and preventive actions. Corrective actions are taken to address non-conformities, while preventive actions are taken to prevent non-conformities from reoccurring. By implementing corrective and preventive actions, SOEs can resolve failures and maintain improvement in their QMS. However, it is crucial to ensure that QMS implementation is adequately planned, implemented, and monitored to ensure its effectiveness.
Step by step
There are several steps to implement QMS based on ISO 9001 in SOEs. Firstly, it is crucial to gain top management commitment and support for QMS implementation. Secondly, the organisation should conduct a gap analysis to identify areas where improvements are needed. Thirdly, the organisation should develop a QMS implementation plan, including policies, procedures, and training. Fourthly, the organisation should implement the QMS and monitor its effectiveness. Finally, the organisation should seek ISO 9001 certification to demonstrate its commitment to quality. If certification is deemed too costly, organisations may decide to benefit from its implementation and not necessarily get certified.
All in all
The creation of SOEs reflects the balance between the role of the government and the market in the economy, and the trade-offs between efficiency, equity, and accountability. SOEs can be effective tools for achieving certain goals, but they also face challenges such as political interference, inefficiency, and corruption, which can undermine their performance and legitimacy. QMS implementation based on ISO 9001 is essential for SOEs in Namibia because it will gauge significant benefits for several industries. SOEs do not necessarily need to be certified, but they may implement the requirements of the standard in order to improve operational efficiencies. This will drive Namibian industries to become more competitive to meet global standards, and contribute to the country’s economic development.
In the words of the International Organisation for Standardisation “Great things happen when the world agrees”.
*Celestino Ferreira is the total quality management officer at the Namibian Agronomic Board, the opinions expressed here are his own and do not necessarily reflect the views of his employer.