BULETINUL INSTITUTULUI POLITEHNIC IAŞI

TOMUL LIV (LIVIII), FASC. 5, 2008

ELECTROTEHNICĂ, ENERGETICĂ, ELECTRONICĂ

EXPERT SYSTEMS FOR QUALITY SERVICE MANAGEMENT

AND MAINTAINANCE
BY
*DANIEL CIUREA and *RĂZVAN RUSEI

Abstract. Quality and satisfying the clients represent subjects of great interest,
the quality standards offering an answer to this acknowledgement and having as
purpose the encouragement of companies and other organizations in managing
the quality of their performed services more efficiently. Creating and
maintaining quality within organizations depend on the manager’s and
employers’ vision of quality management for the purpose of guaranteeing the
understanding and the accomplishment of the clients’ demands [1]

Keywords: Management, Project, Service.

1. Introduction

Leading a process consists in "transforming information into decision".

Here, in conditions of maxim economic efficiency, the action of all departments
is unitary led towards the achievement of the final objectives of the productive
activity. Having the market study as a starting, one can perceive the product
achievement manner in concordance with the possibilities (availabilities) of the
production system. Thus, we can talk about “the quality of information about
quality” and about the quality management triangle which globally represents
the relation among product – market – process, at individual/company level the
relation among the operational resources – human resources – and quality
control, and at contractual level the relation among quality – quantity – and
delivery term.
Regardless of the market they work in, most successful companies have
something in common. They all have very clear directions in what they do best
and in what others should do for them. But, while the external European service
market is growing up, Romania deals with a very complex and unprecedented
transformation, generated by globalization and industrialization factors and by
the redefinition of business values. That’s why clients confront with an
overwhelming multitude of services, suppliers, options, models and proposal.
Under these conditions the suppliers of goods and services from Romania
have to adjust to the actual situation through adopting a quality management
system in accordance with the SR EN ISO 9001:2001 standard internationally
 DANIEL CIUREA and RĂZVAN RUSEI

recognized. The implementation and certification of the quality management

system confers credibility to the companies and value against the other market
competitors.
Therefore, a poll made by Dun and Bradstree points out the fact that
72,3% of the certified companies report a major competitive advantage (gaining
new businesses), 33% report a demand increase from clients while 69,3% of the
uncertified companies report the fact that they have lost many clients over the
certified companies.

2. Developing a personal strategy in order to adjust EN ISO 9001:2000 to

the organization’s necessities

Adjusting a QMS, its research and implementation into an organization,

irrespective of its area of expertise, its size or the ongoing processes, is a high
level management decision and is founded on a few very important reasons [4].
The criteria which lie at the basis of such a decision are: the necessity of
applying a strategic politic in the quality area, in a time scale, developing an
investment which aims at a better organization, managing and developing
processes having auspicious consequences regarding the products/services
quality, the essential reduction of quality costs and making the organization
profitable on the whole, maintaining the existent client trust and gaining new
clients and potential business partners, improving the fulfilment degree of
products conformity, the necessity of reaching the quality management standard
demands and at last but not least the desire of surviving a bitter and bitter
competition.
Moreover, the communication between employees and teamwork is
developing due to this system and the work place atmosphere is improving –
one of the strongest motivation that make employees loyal [2].
In many organizations’ opinion, the disadvantage of applying ISO 9001
consists in the bureaucratic operations that quality control supposes and in
creating unwanted structures in the organization’s diagram, in the context where
the benefits would be minor or disputable, especially when working with
traditional clients. Therefore, the biggest problem identified is the standard
implementation method in such a manner that it would very little affect the
organization way of working. At this stage, an external consultant can play an
important part, he can help the organisation implement and certify its
management system in accordance with the SR EN ISO 9001:2001 demands
[8].
Therefore, an organisation goes through many stages in implementing a
quality management system: diagnosis analysis, personnel training, realizing the
QMS specific documentation, internal audit and management analysis. After
going through these stages during a six month period, the organisation is
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prepared for the certification audit.

The client organisation allocates resources for the whole period of time
with a view to implementing QMS. The allocated resources divide between two
categories: human resource and material resource.
All along the implementation the external consultant represents the person
who: identifies the organisation’s necessities, demands and objectives as they
are presented by the top management; evaluates the identified necessities,
demands and objectives in comparison with the relevant demands of the client
organisation, the conformity with the relevant standards, the conformity with
the legal and statutory demands, current management and working methods,
establishing the difference between the current situation of the organization and
the identified objectives to be fulfilled; identifies the ongoing processes within
the organization and realizes a scheme for their succession and interaction;
evaluates the efficiency and the efficacy of management system processes in
order to stimulate the organisation to look for improvement opportunities;
assisted by the Quality Management Responsible, he identifies the training
necessities in order to allow the organization to maintain the quality
management system and so on..
Once the implementation strategy and the responsibilities of the involved
persons are established, the client organization goes to the next step – the
implementation step according to the standard’s demands and also to the
strategy adopted by top management.

3. Implementing QMS in accordance with SR EN ISO 9001:2001 by an

external consultant

Having established the roles within the project team clearly, the
consultant can use a series of instruments helpful during the implementation,
which help him to strictly plan the implementation steps and to establish the
responsibilities of each team member. The consultant can use the application
Microsoft Project or any other software which can help him monitor the time
and the degree of carrying out the activities.
By accomplishing the diagnosis analysis, he identifies the major problems
in the organisation, and then, he establishes, through a report, the period of time
of each step of the project. Microsoft Project places at user’s disposal the
necessary instruments in order to realize such a programming, and, in this way,
the project’s architecture can be shown as in figure 1.
 DANIEL CIUREA and RĂZVAN RUSEI

Fig. 1.- Time distribution within the project depending on the importance of the activities

For the study case, we took into consideration the time allocated at the
beginning of the collaboration between the client organisation and the consultant
in order not to exceed this period. We know from the beginning that the used
resources are distributed depending on the activities over allocation. This fact is
well illustrated through figure 2.

Fig. 2.- Resources distribution within the project depending on the importance of the
activities

During the development of the implementation period, the consultant

must comply with the deadlines established at the beginning of the contract and
must furnish documents for each project stage.

4. Monitoring QMS during and after the implementation

If the organization uses a computational program which can be accessed

through internet, the management system can be monitored by top management
from any place there is internet access. QPR ScoreCard is a management
software solution adequate for implementing the Balanced ScoreCard and the
performant strategic management. With the help of QPR ScoreCard, the
organizations plan, implement, communicate and successfully involve the
employees in reaching the organization’s strategy and objectives. The software
permanently shows the organization’s situation in real time. The remote internet
access offers the possibility of knowing at any moment the developed activities
within the organization and their results at the end. Each involved person in the
implementation and maintaining QMS has access to the information furnished
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by the software depending on their access level. Thus, we distinguish more

processes and activities that have to be monitored.
Management responsibility. The organization (firm, company) has to
detail the Politic and the quality Objectives, which derive from the firms
objectives. The company defines its Diagram, including responsibilities aiming
at quality, by naming the competent authority in the quality control area and
personnel responsibility of all hierarchic levels concerning the quality
verification and monitoring as in figure 3.

Fig. 3- Dividing information within the organization [10]

With the software’s help, the organization plans, implements,

communicates and successfully involves employees in reaching the
organization’s strategy and objectives. Automatic publishing brings
personalized strategic objectives to each employee even from the beginning of
the implementation [3].
The software allows employees of all levels to identify their
responsibilities and their targets, so that the strategy becomes easier to
understand as shown in figure 4.

Fig. 4- Responsibilities and target identification [10]

Contract stipulated aspects refer to the organization’s way of proving that

both offers and demands (contractually finished) are well conceived and
researched. A time analysis of the evolution of the registered contracts is
necessary in order to examine their finalisation from the client’s exigence point
 DANIEL CIUREA and RĂZVAN RUSEI

of view.
Quality assuring system refers to the way that the quality management
system was conceived, researched, planned and implemented. The correct
interpretation of this stage represents a key point for the action’s success. There
is an adequate commercial software dedicated to elaborating qualitative
documentation, to conceiving inspections and verifications for the product,
service or personal level. Through this software, each employee connected to a
computer has the possibility of visualising the work instructions of the process
in which he is involved. Each employee is permanently connected to a modulus
of the program only and he can access work instructions and many other process
information just through a click.
Projection control (design) refers to the strategy of establishing and
perfecting control procedures and projection verification in order to obtain the
proposed results and has the following components: planning the products and
design development; organizational interfacing, initiating the design operation;
results capitalization; results verification; re-evaluating the projection
possibilities; concept validation and modification. A distinct projection for
packages, specifications and service is made in trade companies. Of a great
interest to BLC products is the design introduction of data resulted from the
defective analysis that came from the justified customer complaints about the
technical parameters or product liability.
Documentation control refers to the organization’s manner of elaborating,
issuing, approving, correcting and/or annulling the documentation referring to
quality assurance. This is the step when the competent structures, the
responsible persons and the independent supervisor structure are defined for
each mentioned step and the place of the respective documentations are named.
Product supply and control to different providers. Generally, any
company must make sure that the ordered products/services amount to the
requested quality level. With that end in view the company draws up an
evaluation and control methodology for their direct or indirect suppliers and
specifies the current quality data of the received products. When drawing up the
quality pursuing documentation for different suppliers, we use specialized
software, capable of indicting the suppliers list, the covered audit operations,
and the suppliers’ quality parameters.
Own products identification (and source recognition). This procedure
looks like a known fact within production or sale but in fact it is not simple at
all. The company must be in any moment capable of identifying the product
precisely, the technological course or the sales course before putting into
operation (including installation, guarantee or post guarantee revision) and so
on.
Processes control. This is a stage when limits must be established
because the technical process control can influence quality directly, involving
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the operational documentation aiming at feasibility, manner, frequency and

check points all along the technological flow and the maintenance strategy of
the equipments. As for the processes that can’t be checked by component parts
or by inspection and direct testing of the products flow, it is recommended that
quality should be pursued by continuously monitoring the process parameters
aiming at their steadiness.
Testing and measuring equipment. The company must assure control,
metrological calibration and maintenance for the measurement and control
equipments by following 3 steps: identifying the equipment and the
calibration/maintenance procedures; the proper calibration and metrological
verification; registering the performed operations, their frequency, who
performed the operation and their costs.
Unconform product control or The decisions regarding the quality
control results and the corrective and preventive actions. Referring to this
aspect, the organization must have a clear strategy in order to interpret without
double meaning the testing/inspection operation results (for instance: it goes
further – it doesn’t go further and checking therefore the product) and the action
regarding the product’s that don’t correspond to the imposed quality. The
actions that must be undertaken are immediately (of corrective nature) and
progressive (of preventive nature) and they refer to the aggregate product-
procedure-operation-equipment.
Reports’ control with a view to quality. The organization must have a
personal system for collecting, filling in, bringing up to date, registering and
processing data resulted from the delivered products/services reports. The action
is not only a bureaucratic one, but it pursues the efficient use of data information
with a view to reducing the future expenses and technical efforts.
Intern quality audit. The organization must systematically develop, plan
and draw up audit documentation for all sectors where the continuous
verification of quality system efficiency is imposed. The audit itself can be
quantified by the following 4 stages: planned, partially completed, completed
and closed (when all corrective and preventive feed-back actions have been
closed).
Staff training. Every quality system is based on the staff efficiency whose
performances (including the understanding of the quality phenomenon) must be
evaluated, registered and improved. Moreover, the company must always
provide motivation, teamwork, management capacity, work environment,
communication abilities, responsibility and loyalty. [4,5,7].
 DANIEL CIUREA and RĂZVAN RUSEI

5. Conclusions

By implementing and certificating a quality management system, the

organizations first obtain an advantage towards the competitors, and then the
possibility of penetrating new market places which were not accessible until
then. At the same time, the management holds a permanent control over the
carried on activities, finds out in any moment the stage of the activities and of
the obtained results, coordinates and leads the entire activity in an organized
manner, according to the quality management principles and creates a internal
framework favourable to the improvement of the developed processes.
*“Gh. Asachi” Technical University, Faculty of Electrotechnics, Department of
Electrical Measurements and Materials, Iaşi, Romania;

REFERENCES
1. Grigoruţă Maria Viorica, Quality and non quality management within service organizations
2. Gabriel Spiţă TÜV Rheinland Romania business manager, www.gff.ro
3. http://www.qpr.com/romanian/qprscorecard.html
4. Suciu Petre, Implementing and certificating quality management systems in conformity with
SR EN ISO 9001:2001 for organizations and with SR EN ISO/CEI 17025:2001 for testing
laboratories
5. Melinda Macho, Quality assurance in accordance with ISO 9001
6. Andreea Fortuna Schiopu, Staff motivation in the context of total quality management
7. Everett E Adam Jr, Ronald J Ebert “Production and Operation management”, Ed.Teora
2001
8. Emil Maxim, Quality management – synthesis, Iaşi 2005
9. International Organization for Standardisation, ISO 9001:2000, Quality management
systems - Requirements. 2000, International Organization for Standardisation: Geneva,
Switzerland
10. http://www.qpr.com/Brochures/QPRScoreCardBrochure.pdf

EXPERT SYSTEMS FOR QUALITY SERVICE MANAGEMENT AND MAINTAINANCE

(Summary)

The present work details the importance of implementing a quality management system
within an organization with the help of computational instruments and an external consultant.
Implementing and monitoring the management system happens by following each developed
process and by monitoring the activity with the help of adequate software.