WAQ project Charter
Title:
The quality club
Leader:
Annette Geirnaert(Flemish quality management center Belgium)
Contributors:
Laurel Nelson-Rowe, Ron Atkinson, Chuck Aubrey, Antra Truksane, Fernando Reis, Imran Ahmad Rana, Tiia Tammaru, Sarita Nagpal, Johanne Maletto, Nguyen Thi Hong Ha
Description of the project:
QUALITY CLUB
Thanks to the efforts of the different quality centers in the world quality management is no longer a meaningless term in large companies. This tends is to be somewhat more difficult with smaller companies. Not that they are not interested in quality management, quite to the contrary. Often, small and medium-sized companies simply lack the manpower, time, structure and vision, so as to be able to work with this in an efficient manner. ISO 9000 and similar standards create a too high introduction threshold, which scares off small and medium-sized companies. Because small and medium-sized companies do certainly not deny the importance of quality management, we have decided to lend a helping hand.
QUALITY CLUB : Customer focus
The focus is on the customer.
The Quality Club would like to bring together all those managers, who make the customer their point of departure, for quality improvements in their company. The motive is a continuous improvement and the desire, to meet the wishes of the customer as much as possible. The evaluation or supervision by the consumer (by way of evaluation forms) becomes an instrument, for improving the services to the customer and warranting the continuous availability of the best possible service.
QUALITY CLUB : The functioning of the club
How does the Quality club function?
The companies who wish to become a member of the Quality Club submit an application with the Flemish Quality Management Centre.
This application consists of an improvement plan and a procedure for complaints management.
The improvement plan enables the company to identify, describe and provide data on problem situations, and then to use this information for a solution. The customer provides the information, on which an improvement plan is based. The improvements that are realised through this procedure, are of benefit to the customer. It is therefore important to get to know your customers in detail, so that his precise expectations are known.
The complaints management procedure is established, so that we can handle complaints as efficiently as possible and can prevent their occurrence in the future.
An independent jury, which is appointed by the Flemish Quality Management Centre, in relation to the respective commercial sector, evaluates the application of the candidate member. Taking the overall advice of the jury into account, you can immediately proceed to adapt your improvement plan. At the end of the first year, the Quality club evaluates the company. After this, a new application (including a new improvement plan) must be submitted, and the whole procedure begins anew.
Status of Project:
Just starting up. We will send the old guide in English to the countries interested. They can amend the guide. We are also in Belgium reviewing these guidelines and we will put all the remarks together so that we end up with a good document for all the countries. Then the countries should get a person in charge of the project.
The projectleader in Belgium is Barbara Van de Lemmer.
Indicators of success
To have by the end of the year a good guidebook for all participating countries
To have by the end of the year a person in charge of the project in every country
In 2009 we can start up the prospection in the different countries. We can put our existing brochure in Dutch at your disposal for translation.
In 2009 new targets will be put on paper
Issues or questions which need discussion:
Can we enter a request for subsidies of this project. Can we find sponsors for the international department of this club.
We will approach the EU for funds. If any one has names of possible sponsors please send them to us.(we will make a proposal)
Future milestones:
To establish an agreement in your board to start the project
To start prospecting