This guide explains Quality Assurance and the ISO 9000 standard and how they concern you.
The Quality Assurance Manual can be downloaded and briefly but clearly describes our business process.
It also includes a short recap of the definitions of the vocabulary specific to our profession and/or to the standard.
1° INTRODUCTION
Quality Assurance
Guarantees the Company gives in order to ensure the quality of its products and services.
The ISO 9000 standard
This is an international standard, recognised by more than 100 countries worldwide, which lays down requirements in matters of Quality Assurance.
THE CERTIFICATE IS NOT DEFINITIVE WE CAN LOOSE IT
OBJECTIVE OF QUALITY ASSURANCE CERTIFICATION
TO PROOVE THAT THE BUSINESS IS ORGANISED AND IS WORKING TO OBTAIN QUALITY PRODUCTS AND SERVICES
2° RESPONSIBILITY FOR QUALITY ASSURANCE
Each of us is responsible for our own quality. To meet our quality requirements, we must each:
- know what to do
- know how to do it
- measure our performance
- take corrective measures
Quality is everyone’s responsibility
Quality is not simply the end result of the implementation of good organisation
3° MOTIVATIONS FOR QUALITY ASSURANCE
CUSTOMERS FIRST AND FOREMOST!
Our Company’s existence depends on our Customers. To satisfy their requirements must be our main objective. We can succeed in this by introducing quality into everything we do.
The ISO 9000 standard helps us.
4° RESPONSIBILITY FOR QUALITY ASSURANCE
Internally:
- Step 1: UNDERSTANDING PROCSSES
To write detailed procedures you have to describe what really happens in your processes. In this way you will increase your understanding of problems and latent weaknesses from the outset and so you can start to put them right.
- Step 2: SYSTEMATIC PROBLEM HANDLING
Everything is put in place to prevent the same problems from appearing a second or even third time. These problems may be detected internally as well as being highlighted by our Customers. From now on, you will lose less time in dealing with them.
Externally:
- Step 3: IMPROVEMENT OF OUR BRAND IMAGE
With our Customers (Policy holders, Brokers) and Insurance Companies by improving the quality of our products and services and taking better care of their needs.
The certificate is another factor in retaining our policies and in obtaining new ones…
5° REQUIREMENTS OF THE STANDARD
ISO 9000 consists of 20 chapters which lay down the requirements of a whole series of important activities which occur after the taking out of the policy binding us to the Customer to the management of claims, checking receipts, our purchases etc.
Management Responsibilities
The management must demonstrate its unambiguous and continuous commitment to Quality, set Quality objectives, define the organisation and undertake to maintain the System.
It must nominate a Quality Assurance Manager (QAM) for these tasks.It affect management most of all!
Policy review
What do we owe our customers?
There must be a clear and specific commitment to meet the expectations of our Policyholders (a shared commitment), as well as the ability to keep to this commitment.
Control of documents and information
Everything of importance with respect to quality must be formalized in writing. Good documents (most recent version) must be available in a proper place.
Purchases
In order to purchase our computer system specific conditions of contract must be defined.
Suppliers and Subcontractors (Lawyers, Claims Adjusters) who we choose must assure us of the quality of their services: they must be assessed.
Control of processes
We have to describe how we underwrite our concerns and how we produce premiums or how we manage a claim. This is the core of our business.
Training
I must have the necessary knowledge and qualifications to carry out my work. Training must be identified, evaluated and recorded.
Three requirements merit special attention as they enable the whole system we have developed to keep going
They are:- control of non-conforming products
- corrective and preventative actions
- internal audits.
Control of non-conforming products
Corrective and preventative actions
From time to time the process can create non-conforming products (or services). Our Customers may also complain!
It is our responsibility:
- to identify non-conformities when they arise;
- to help detect the cause of the problem;
- to take measures to prevent the Customer from encountering the problem;
- to take measures to prevent it happening again.
Before taking corrective action, ask the following questions:
- will they solve the problem?
- will it provide a permanent solution to the problem?
If the answer to one of these two points is negative, then the corrective action is not effective. You have not found the main cause.
For example, is a room is flooded by water from a running tap:
- Treat the non-conformity (curative action) = turn the tap off, then drain off the water.
- Corrective action = implement a procedure so that the tap has been turned off stays off.
Internal audits
The whole system needs to be audited at regular intervals.
What is an audit?
An audit is a technique that compares differences between:
- what we have written and what we do;
- what we have written and the Standard
In summary
Quality assurance is being able to provide evidence that we are continually working as we have specified.
The principle of the approach is therefore…..
- Write what we do
- Do what we have written
- Record what we have done
- Correct the differences
- and see how we can improve
6° QUALITY ASSURANCE DOCUMENTATION
These documents are often presented in the form of a pyramid, the top corresponding to general documents and the bottom to much more precise documents.
- THE STANDARD
- QAM
- PROCEDURES
- COURSES OF ACTION
- DETAILED DESCRIPTIONS, SLIPS
- LISTS, TABLES
- RECORDS
All the measures taken by the Company to ensure the quality of its services is summarised in what we usually called the QAM for QUALITY ASSURANCE MANUAL.
Q.A.M (Quality Assurance Manual)
This is a kind of summary of how we meet the requirements of the standard.
With the aim of always giving our customers more confidence in us by continually improving
The Quality Assurance Manual can be downloaded and briefly but clearly describes our business process.
It also included a brief recap of the definitions of the vocabulary specific to our profession and/or to the standard.
