1.0 CUSTOMER FOCUS
This category examined the effectiveness of Top Management in determining and meeting customer needs and expectations, with the aim of enhancing customer satisfaction. |
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Points available |
Score |
| 1.1 |
Statutory and Regulatory requirements
How does Top Management ensure all statutory and regulatory requirements that apply to its products, processes and services are identified and included in the Business Management System?
Assessment:
There are no statutory or regulatory requirements that apply to the operations of Paradigm Software. This factor of the organisation is continuously assessed internally and externally to ensure ongoing compliance |
50 points |
50 |
| 1.2 |
Knowledge and Management of Customer Requirements
How does the organisation manage expected and desired degree of customer satisfaction and how does the organisation seek to establish effective long-term business relationships.
Assessment:
Via ongoing user group meetings, help desk functions and a supporting process. These requirements are managed and organised in a systemic manner |
50 points |
50 |
| 1.3 |
Complaint Resolution
Describe how the organisation handles complaints, manages resolutions, and utilises complaint information to prevent a recurrence of problems.
Assessment
The culture as I experienced during the assessment, lives and breaths continual improvement through various strategies and measurement analysis tools that ensure all complaints are measured based on risk factors and managed according to these. There is an “intelligent” yet simple system in place to manage this function of the organisation. A high level of pro-activity is evident alongside a readiness for re-activeness should it be required. |
50 points |
50 |
| 1.4 |
Customer Satisfaction
Describe how the organisation measures customer satisfaction, and how it uses the information gathered to improve customer service levels.
Assessment:
It is via their customer satisfaction surveys, User Group meetings that they determine the level of customer satisfaction. This is measured and assessed and used as a tool to analysis their Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) and reported in their monthly reports (otherwise known as “management review” according to the standard). |
50 points |
50 |
2.0 LEADERSHIP
In this category, the role of Top Management is examined to establish its effectiveness in developing and maintaining unity of purpose and direction within the organisation and meeting the needs and expectations of interested parties throughout industry and the community. |
| 2.1 |
Top Management Leadership
How well do the CEO and Senior Executives set strategic direction and demonstrate leadership in the quality principles approach to business. What level of understanding is there by all levels in the organisation, of its mission, vision and strategic direction?
Assessment
Leadership is a strong point of Paradigm. There is a living culture that says - Quality, No Blame, All for One, and One for All. This was evident in the overall organisational Macro and Micro “Organisational Performance Indicators (KPI’s). At no time did these indicators have an individual attached to them. The performance is measured at team level, and working towards meeting joint Macro and Micro objectives. They are set out in a sophisticated and effective manner that demonstrate successful leadership |
80 points |
80 |
| 2.2 |
Needs and expectations of interested party’s
How does the organisation relate to the community as a good corporate citizen being aware of community needs, respect for the environment, ethical business practice and legislative requirements?
Assessment:
The Directors wife who is the company accountant does volunteer work for a sheltered workshop, and an employee of Paradigm is involved in a Business Ethics group and represents Paradigm. They are a semi-paperless office and what paper is used, is recycled and re-used. Paradigm has a ‘no overtime policy’ to ensure they manage fatigue and also have a policy that they recruit locally to eliminate impacts with regards to travel (fatigue, work-life balance, use of natural resources). The Macro Business objectives clearly demonstrate these. |
40 points |
40 |
| 2.3 |
Managing for Quality
How does the organisation's identify quality values and how are they integrated into the everyday life of the organisation.
Assessment:
Paradigm develops software that supports organisations to develop systems to meet standard requirements. The culture lives and breaths “Quality”. This is the core business of this organisation. |
80 points |
80 |
3.0 INVOLVEMENT OF PEOPLE
The involvement of people category examines the organisation's ability to recognise that their people at all levels are the essence of their organisation and its effectiveness in fully involving people and enabling their abilities to be used for the organisation’s benefit. |
| 3.1 |
People Planning
What are the organisation's workforce plans and how do they support the goals and objectives identified in the System Approach to Management?
Assessment:
Through a process that is called work-output ratio, they are able to conduct an analysis of efficiencies that ensures that there is an effective elimination of waste and duplication. |
20 points |
20 |
| 3.2 |
Employee Involvement
What are the organisation’s successes in promoting policies and objectives that increase staff awareness, motivation and involvement?
Assessment:
Via monthly reports, Macro and Micro objectives and targets and a holistic approach to leadership strategies, there is enough substantial evidence to support my conclusion in saying that there is a high level of employee involvement. |
60 points |
60 |
| 3.3 |
Education and Training
What Education and Training is provided by the organisation for it’s' people (both in-house and external) in support of the organisation’s objectives and employees personal development. What measures are in place to ensure effectiveness of the process?
Assessment:
Majority have tertiary qualification. Being that it is a software developing organisation; the nature of this particular industry is that it continuously changes, and ongoing upgrading of “software language”. The training strategies used meet the requirements of their function and competencies are developed and assessed and maintained within the Quality Management System. |
20 points |
20 |
4.0 PROCESS APPROACH
This category examines the ability of the organisation to create a process approach to its business activities and to manage that approach for effective and efficient growth. |
| 4.1 |
Understanding of Core Business Processes
What is the organisation’s determination process for identifying their Core Business Processes, ie those planned and systematic functions needed to provide adequate customer confidence?
Assessment:
Through what they call a BRAD “Business Risk Assessment (“D” was added onto the end to make it a more useable acronym), they were able to flush out their Core Business Processes. This comprises of Processes and Work Instructions and is effectively implemented. |
30 points |
30 |
| 4.2 |
Maintenance of QA System
How effectively does the organisation has implement corrective actions raised by its Certification Body since Initial Certification, and what improvements have been obtained as a result.
Assessment:
Paradigm demonstrates a living and breathing culture of “Quality”. That is indication enough to conclude that the maintenance of the QA system has become second nature. The system is mature, managed and maintained effectively and efficiently. |
30 points |
30 |
| 4.3 |
Quality Control
What are the improvements in quality control systems and to the extent has non-conforming product or service been reduced as a result of commitment to the QM system.
Assessment:
Via effective trends analysis they are able to manage this function effectively and efficiently. |
40 points |
40 |
5.0 SYSTEM APPROACH TO MANAGEMENT
The System Approach to Management category examines how organisations identify, understand and manage interrelated processes as a system. It examines the organisation’s efficiencies and effectiveness in achieving its objectives |
| 5.1 |
Strategic Quality Planning Process
What are the organisation's Strategic Quality Planning Process for managing customer satisfaction and the continual improvement process to improve its position in the marketplace?
Assessment:
Via User Group meetings and other processes that are in place there is substantial evidence to demonstrate an effective Strategic Planning Process |
40 points |
40 |
| 5.2 |
Managing Quality Objectives and Goals
How do the principal Quality priorities of the organisation relate to the objectives and goals identified in the quality planning process?
Assessment:
As per Macro and Micro Objectives and Targets Process, this function is managed efficiently and effectively. |
30 points |
30 |
| 5.3 |
Integrating all business processes into the Organisational Structure
What is the extent to which ‘quality’ has become a way of life for the organisation, and how it has been integrated with other organisational requirements including auditing, continual improvement, OH&S, Environment, Risk, Finance, etc?
Assessment:
Integrating business processes is the Core function of Paradigm Software. |
30 points |
30 |
6.0 INNOVATION AND CONTINUAL IMPOROVEMENT
In this category, the Examination addresses the organisation's ability to anticipate change and take the necessary actions to maintain and advance its position in the marketplace. It also examines whether the organisation measures its performance on its continual improvement outcomes |
| 6.1 |
Innovation
Describe how new, innovative concepts are identified, developed and implemented. What data, information or source has stimulated innovative breakthroughs in the improvement process?
Assessment:
There is a high level of customer involvement and various measurement and analysis tools that support the effective level of innovation and continual improvement. There is a strong sense of “Customer Empowerment” with regards to innovation and product delelopment. |
50 points |
50 |
| 6.2 |
Continual Improvement
Outline the organisation's strategy to maintain a real visible commitment to continual improvement. Describe how the process increases the effectiveness and efficiency of the organisation and focuses on prevention and improvement based on trends and analysis.
Assessment:
As Above |
50 points |
50 |
7.0 FACTUAL APPROACH TO MANAGEMENT
The Factual approach to management category examines Top Management’s ability to make effective decisions that are based on the analysis of data and information |
| 7.1 |
Measuring and Monitoring System Performance
Describe, with examples, the methods used to identify areas for improvement in the Business Management Systems performance eg. Satisfaction Surveys, internal audits, financial measurements and self-assessment
Assessment:
As Above |
50 points |
50 |
| 7.2 |
Measuring and Monitoring Customer Satisfaction
Describe with examples, the methods used to collect, analyse and utilise customer related information for improving the organisation’s performance.
Assessment:
As Above |
50 points |
50 |
8.0 MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL SUPPLIER RELATIONSHIPS
The mutually beneficial supplier relationships category examines the extent that the organisation has recognised that its suppliers and itself are interdependent and through strengthening this relationship they enhance the ability for both organisations to create value. |
| 8.1 |
Use of Key Supplier Performance Indicators
What are the organisation’s Key Supplier Performance Indicators and how are trends in Quality improvement based upon their use identified?
Assessment:
Minimal supplier activity, and what activity there is has minimum impact on the organisations activities. |
60 points |
60 |
| 8.2 |
Product and Service Quality
What is the extent to which the expectations of all major stakeholders quantitatively demonstrated and communicated?
Assessment:
As Above |
20 points |
20 |
| 8.3 |
Needs and Expectation
What Improvement gains have been made by suppliers in meeting your organisation's needs and expectations?
Assessment:
Due to the nature of the business and the internal expertise, for some years now have not needed to purchase any software from suppliers – as a Porter’s competitive analysis would demonstrate, they have effectively eliminated “The bargaining Power of Suppliers” all together.
As for consumables, i.e.; stationary etc…these have minimal impact on the business activities. |
20 points |
20 |
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Encouragement overall:
It would be an impossibility to offer any expert encouragement to this organisation having only been exposed to their operations for as little as four hours, and what I experienced in this short time, need little or no further encouragement. I have deliberately ignored this section of the report and have opted to write an overall assessment and brief encouragement section at the end. And one would have to appreciate that as an assessor, I was assessing excellence in the management, implementation and continual improvement of a Quality Organisation. Paradigm meets and exceeds the levels of excellence required by the assessment tools. This is an organisation that is sustained through creating software that supports quality systems. Paradigm is now working on Paradigm III that will move the boundaries again which demonstrates a high level of innovation and globalisation. The Director of Paradigm Software has extensive experience within this industry and Quality Management Systems overall and is supported by a team that is cohesive and empowered. The only Encouragement I have to offer is, keep up the great work!
It was inspiring to have experienced such a high level of dedication and excellence. |
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