Abstract Organization is a chain of internal suppliers and customers, who are

collectively

responsible

to

deliver

finished

products

to

end

customer.

The supplier-customer process relationship is used for understanding quality. The

relationship is illustrated with two examples for understanding that quality is the

fulfilment of the needs and expectations of internal and end customers. ISO 9001

quality management system (QMS) is introduced for fulfilling the needs and

expectations of customers consistently.

1.1

Introduction

Organizations commit quality and business objectives for satisfying customers and

other interested parties. The two objectives are not independent but complement

each other for achieving them. Achieving both the objectives makes organizations

grow spirally and the organizations become successful with sustained growth.

A quality management system (QMS) should be established for achieving sustained

growth. Understanding quality is essential for establishing the QMS of organization

and it is derived from the process relationship between suppliers and customers.

1.2

Relating Internal and End Customers

Organization outputs products and end customers use the products. Products could
be hardware or software or services or a combination of them. The term, product,

implying hardware, software, and services, is used throughout the book.

Finished products relate organization and end customers. Organization imple-

ments a set of processes for delivering products to customers. Internal suppliers and

customers exist within the organization and the internal processes relate them. The

internal customer-supplier concept is regarded by some as one of the most powerful

aspects to emerge from total quality management [1]. Internal customer-supplier

© Springer International Publishing AG 2017

D. Natarajan, ISO 9001 Quality Management Systems,

Management and Industrial Engineering, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-54383-3_1

relationship is explained for delivering RF Filters to end customers, using the

simplified process flow diagram, shown in Fig. 1.1. The coordination of production

processes by planning is not shown in the flow diagram to keep it simple.

Seven internal processes are shown in Fig. 1.1 for the organization involved in

the design and manufacturing of RF Filters. The owner of a process is defined as

internal supplier, who delivers semi-finished products to the owner of the next

process. Those who receive inputs from internal suppliers are internal customers.

For example, the owner of machining process (internal supplier) delivers

mechanical parts to the next internal customer, Electro-plating. In general, process

owner becomes internal customer for the previous process and the same owner

becomes internal supplier to the next process. It could be visualized that organi-

zation is a chain of internal suppliers and customers, who are collectively

responsible to deliver finished products satisfying the requirements of end

customers.

1.3

Understanding Quality
The customer’s perception of quality on products varies between customers and it

could also vary for the same product of organization. Hence, it would be difficult to

evolve a generic definition of quality. Understanding quality is more relevant than

defining it. The philosophical description of quality [2] is appropriate for under-

standing quality and some of the descriptions are:

• The pursuit of perfect that never ends,

• Quality is the fulfilment of needs,

• Quality is the degree of feeling happiness,

• Quality is the way of life.