Quality Management Systems Design Overview

Principles

Definition

Quality management systems design is an academic concept and methodological approach focused on the systematic structuring and implementation of organizational processes and procedures to achieve and maintain desired quality levels. This domain investigates the principles, frameworks, and techniques for establishing robust systems that integrate quality planning, assurance, control, and improvement activities across an organization, aiming to enhance performance, ensure consistency, and meet stakeholder requirements.

Ontological type

Core Frameworks

Design Methodologies

Process Modeling

Key developments

Key Figures

ISO Institutionalization era

Danny Samson[1] of The University of Melbourne[3] and UNSW Sydney[4] played a central role in shaping ISO-driven institutionalization of Total Quality Management during the 1993–2001 era. His key contributions include empirical analyses such as W2099054346[7], W2154785801[8], and W2027360273[9], which collectively validated specific TQM practices and underpinned the legitimacy of ISO-driven governance and performance measurement. Manus Rungtusanatham[2] of University of Wisconsin–Madison[5] and University of Minnesota[6] contributed to the era through empirical modeling of quality management. His sole paper, A Path Analytic Model of a Theory of Quality Management Underlying the Deming Management Method: Preliminary Empirical Findings[10] (1995), offered a path-analytic framework linking Deming-inspired ideas to measurable quality outcomes, providing a rigorous empirical basis for TQM implementation and informing ISO-related decision-support and governance tools.

QMS Design Mediation era

Augustus E. Osseo‐Asare [1] engaged with the University of Derby [3] and the University of Sunderland [4] during this era. His work on the need for education and training in the use of the EFQM model for quality management in UK higher education institutions [5] highlighted how structured education could translate quality frameworks into organizational practice, a core concern for QMS design in this period. David Longbottom [2] affiliated with the University of Derby [3] contributed to QMS design mediation by foregrounding education and training in EFQM use during the era. His work on the EFQM education paper [5] is important for the era because it established a precedent for translating frameworks into practice through targeted training and certification pathways within QMS design.

Digital Quality 4.0 era

Evangelos Psomas [1] is a leading scholar in Digital Quality 4.0, with affiliations spanning the University of Ioannina [3] and the University of Patras [4] during this era. His work highlights the impact of soft and hard TQM elements on quality management results [5], the structural relationships between TQM factors and organizational performance [6], and the impact of total quality management on service company performance: evidence from Spain [7], illustrating how integrated quality practices translate into measurable performance in data-enabled QMS environments. Ronald D. Snee [2] is another influential contributor in this era. His Lean Six Sigma – getting better all the time [8] demonstrates how disciplined problem-solving and continuous improvement align with the Digital Quality 4.0 agenda, fostering data-driven improvements across industries. This emphasis on Lean Six Sigma, as discussed by Snee [2] in Lean Six Sigma – getting better all the time [8], underscores the importance of data-driven, systemic improvement for quality governance in Digital Quality 4.0.