One of the definitions of a “principle” is that it is a basic belief,
theory or rule that has a major influence on the way in which
something is done. “Quality management principles” are a set
of fundamental beliefs, norms, rules and values that are accepted
as true and can be used as a basis for quality management.
The QMPs can be used as a foundation to guide an organization’s
performance improvement. They were developed and updated
by international experts of ISO/TC 176, which is responsible for
developing and maintaining ISO’s quality management standards.
This document provides for each QMP:
• Statement: Description of the principle
• Rationale : Explanation of why the principle is important
for the organization
• Key benefits: Examples of benefits associated with the principle
• Actions you can take: Examples of typical actions to improve
the organization’s performance when applying the principle
The seven quality management principles are:
QMP 1 - Customer focus
QMP 2 - Leadership
QMP 3 - Engagement of people
QMP 4 - Process approach
QMP 5 - Improvement
QMP 6 - Evidence-based decision making
QMP 7 - Relationship management
These principles are not listed in priority order. The relative importance
of each principle will vary from organization to organization and can
be expected to change over time.
This document introduces seven
quality management principles (QMPs).
ISO 9000, ISO 9001 and related
ISO quality management standards
are based on these seven QMPs