Quality system management indicators

摘要

The purpose of this study is to discuss aspects related to the National Quality Awards of some countries, with special mention given to the Brazilian National Quality Award, the Malcolm Baldrige award (United States) and the Deming Prize (Japan). The result of the research (Barbara de Oliveira, 1997) is conclusive: "competing in one of the NQAs, even though it does not reach the finals, is advantageous for the company". Just by the fact of applying for it, undergoing the process of exams and audits, the company competing for the award has access to one of the most detailed reports, drafted by the examiners of NQAs, on the strong and weak points of the company, with indications of potential areas of improvements: a complete diagnosis on the company at a low cost. Winning the award is, for sure, even more advantageous. The NQA approaches can, therefore, be considered as genuine tools of managerial administration, comparable to a complete and integrated Guaranteed Quality System by which it is possible to discover the company's weak and strong points, to identify and prioritize the important work and to diagnose and correct flaws and problems in the processes and production lines.