ISO 9001 Quality Management Systems through the Lens of Organizational Culture

Both managers and scholars have convictions about the organizational approaches that best support organizational performance of the respective organizations and its Quality Management Systems. After a literature review of ISO 9001 Quality Management Systems (including the changes introduced by the 2015 edition), Organizational Culture theories are addressed and input from a CEO´s focus group was gathered. The importance of organizational culture for the success of Quality Management Systems and the achievement of the organizational desired results is highlighted. The article advances a proposal to analyze ISO 9001 International Standard through the lens of organizational culture theories identifying a stronger open systems approach (influence of the environment, dynamic perspective, need for survival) of the 2015 ISO 9001 edition when compared with the 2008 one. This provides additional knowledge both to scholars and practitioners for a better understanding of the culture issues that can maximize ISO 9001 Quality Management Systems 2015 edition contributions to organizational enduring success

21st century quality: Looking into the “Crystal ball”

The discussion of possible scenarios for the future of Quality is on the priority list of major Quality Practitioners Societies. EOQ – European Organization for Quality (EOQ, 2014) main team for its 58th EOQ-Congress held June 2014 in Göteborg was “Managing Challenges in Quality Leadership” and ASQ - American Society for Quality (ASQ, 2015) appointed “the Future of Quality” for Quality Progress Magazine November 2015 issue. In addition, the ISO 9001:2008 revision process carried by ISO/TC 176 aims to assure that ISO 9001:2015 International Standard remains stable for the next 10 years (ISO, 2014) contributing to an increased discussion on the future of quality. The purpose of this research is to review available Quality Management approaches and outline, adding an academic perspective, expected developments for Quality within the 21st Century. This paper follows a qualitative approach, although data from international organizations is used. A literature review has been undertaken on quality management past and potential future trends. Based on these findings a model is proposed for organization quality management development and propositions for the future of quality management are advanced. Firstly, a state of the art of existing Quality Management approaches is presented, for example, like Total Quality Management (TQM) and Quality Gurus, ISO 9000 International Standards Series (with an outline of the expected changes for ISO 9001:2015), Six Sigma and Business Excellence Models.Secondly, building on theoretical and managerial approaches, a two dimensional matrix – Quality Engineering (QE - technical aspects of quality) and Quality Management (QM: soft aspects of quality) - is presented, outlining five proposed characterizations of Quality maturity levels and giving insights for applications and future developments. Literature review highlights that QM and QE may be addressing similar quality issues but their approaches are different in terms of scope breadth and intensity and they ought to complement and reciprocally reinforce one another. The challenges organizations face within the 21st century have stronger uncertainty, complexity, and differentiation. Two main propositions are advanced as relevant for 21st Century Quality: - QM importance for the sustainable success of organizations will increase and they should be aware of the larger ecosystem to be managed for improvement, possibly leading to the emergence of a new Quality paradigm, The Civilizacional Excellence paradigm. - QE should get more attention from QM and the Quality professionals will have to: a) Master and apply in wider contexts and in additional depth the Quality Tools (basic, intermediate and advanced); b) Have the soft skills needed for its success; c) Be results oriented and better understand and demonstrate the relationships between approaches and results These propositions challenge both scholars and practitioners for a sustained and supported discussion on the future of Quality. “All things are ready, if our mind be so.” (Shakespeare, Henry V, circa 1599)

Machine Learning para deteção de padrões e previsão de ocorrências criminais

The increase of the world population, especially in large urban centers, has resulted in new challenges such as the management of natural resources and infrastructures as well as the optimization of services to promote the quality of citizens’ life. One of the biggest and most important challenges is the management of public safety, since, in addition to being a factor of interest to both the general population and the authorities, it is also an area that influences other essential indicators in a city such as tourism and employment. Public Safety has impact on the economic growth and social development of a community. This dissertation proposes a solution for the prediction of criminal occurrences in a city based on historical data of incidents and demographic data. The entire life cycle of the model’s learning process will be presented to provide an organization with predictive capability: start with the data collection from its original source, the treatment and transformations applied to them, the choice and the evaluation and implementation of the Machine Learning model up to the application layer. Classification models will be implemented to predict criminal risk for a given time interval and location, as well as regression models to predict the number of crimes. Machine Learning algorithms, such as Random Forest, Neural Networks, K-Nearest Neighbors and Logistic Regression will be used to predict occurrences, and their performance will be compared according to the data processing and transformation used. The results of the chosen model show that the use of Machine Learning techniques helps to anticipate criminal occurrences, which contributed to the reinforcement of public security. Finally, the models will be implemented on a platform that provides an API to enable other entities to request for predictions in real-time. An application will also be presented where it is possible to show criminal occurrences predictions visually.O aumento da população mundial, especialmente nos grandes centros urbanos, tem resultado em novos desafios tais como a gestão de recursos naturais, gestão de infraestruturas, bem como a otimização dos serviços para promover a qualidade de vida dos cidadãos. Um dos maiores e mais importantes desafios é a gestão da segurança pública. Para além de ser um fator de interesse quer da população em geral quer das autoridades, também é um domínio que influencia outros indicadores essenciais numa cidade como o turismo e o emprego. A segurança pública reflete-se no crescimento económico e no desenvolvimento social de uma comunidade. Nesta dissertação é proposta uma solução para previsão de ocorrências criminais numa cidade baseada em dados de histórico de incidentes e dados demográficos. Será apresentado todo o ciclo de vida do processo de aprendizagem do modelo para dotar uma organização da capacidade preditiva: desde a recolha dos dados da sua fonte de origem, o tratamento e transformações aplicadas aos mesmos, escolha, avaliação e implementação do modelo de Machine Learning até à camada de aplicação. Serão implementados modelos de classificação para previsão do risco criminal para um dado intervalo temporal e localização, e modelos de regressão para previsão do número de crimes. Irão ser utilizados algoritmos de Machine Learning como Random Forest, Redes Neuronais, K-Nearest Neighbors e Regressão Logística para a aprendizagem do modelo de previsão de ocorrências onde serão comparados os seus desempenhos de acordo com o tratamento e transformação dos dados utilizados. Os resultados do modelo escolhido evidenciam que a utilização de técnicas de Machine Learning auxiliam a antecipação de ocorrências criminais, o que contribuiu para o reforço da segurança pública. Por fim, irá ser procedida a implementação dos modelos numa plataforma que fornece uma API para que entidades externas possam solicitar previsões em tempo real. Será também apresentada a aplicação onde é possível mostrar visualmente as previsões de ocorrências criminais.Mestrado em Engenharia Informátic

Impact of Supplier Management Strategies on the Organizational Performance of ISO 9001 Certified Organizations

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to discuss the impact of Supplier orientation and the resulting Supply Chain Management (SCM) approach, on the organizational performance of ISO 9001 Quality Management Systems certified organizations. Methodology/Approach: Following a literature review, a full structural conceptual model was proposed. An online survey was administered to managers of Portuguese organizations with certified ISO 9001 Quality Management Systems. Descriptive Statistics and Structural Model Equations were used to validate the proposed conceptual model. Findings: There are positive relationships between Organization Strategy and Supplier Orientation, between Supplier Orientation and Stakeholders Satisfaction, and between Stakeholders Satisfaction and Organizational Performance Orientation, supporting ISO 9001:2015. These findings provide insights that supplier orientation, mediated by stakeholder satisfaction, is an essential tool for organizational competitive sustainable advantage. Research Limitation/implication: The analysis was based on managers of ISO 9001 certified organizations perceptions, so additional studies with actual data and longitudinal studies should be useful for further validation. Originality/Value of paper: The importance of the overall organizational ecosystem is highlighted with potential impact on the more than 1 Million ISO 9001 organizations certified worldwide and in their suppliers

Real-time scheduling of parallel tasks in the Linux Kernel

This paper proposes a global multiprocessor scheduling algorithm for the Linux kernel that combines the global EDF scheduler with a priority-aware work-stealing load balancing scheme, enabling parallel real-time tasks to be executed on more than one processor at a given time instant. We state that some priority inversion may actually be acceptable, provided it helps reduce contention, communication, synchronisation and coordination between parallel threads, while still guaranteeing the expected system’s predictability. Experimental results demonstrate the low scheduling overhead of the proposed approach comparatively to an existing real-time deadline-oriented scheduling class for the Linux kernel

Empirical Research of the ISO 9001:2015 Transition Process in Portugal: Motivations, Benefits, and Success Factors

An empirical study of more than 300 Portuguese organisations ISO 9001 certified, or in certification process, encompassing a wide range of activities sectors, was carried out. As of May 2017, 19% of the respondents already have ISO 9001:2015 certification and all the remaining one’s plan to complete the process in time. The principal reported benefits are risk-based thinking, mapping of the organisational context, and stakeholder identification. Simultaneously those were the issues that required more attention and effort to be mastered and implemented. Additionally, there is evidence that ISO 9001:2015 enhances both internal and external organisational issues and generates benefits for all the researched dimensions. Based on the respondents’ responses, organisations who claimed that external motivations were the primary drivers to ISO 9001:2015 implementation systematically rate higher all the benefits when compared with the rating ascribed by those organisations who claimed internal motivations. Moreover, it is possible to conclude that the perceived benefits from ISO 9001:2015 implementation and certification seem to be strongly influenced by two primary dimensions: the (smaller) organisation size and the (lesser) international presence.The authors would like to acknowledge the contribution of the respondents. CIDEM Centro de Investigação e Desenvolvimento em Engenharia Mecânica R&D unit is funded by the FCT – Portuguese Foundation for the Development of Science and Technology, Ministry of Science, Technology, and Higher Education, under the Project UID/EMS/0615/2016. This study had the financial support of FCT Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia of Portugal under the project UID/CEC/00319/2013. Pedro Domingues is supported by FCT Post-Doc Grant Reference SFRH/BPD/103322/2014.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

In search of Six Sigma in Portuguese SMEs

This exploratory research aims to study the reasons for the low implementation level of Six Sigma within Portuguese Small and Medium Enterprises. The results suggest that ISO 9001 certification, and Lean Management, are still regarded as enough for company success. The descriptive analysis and the statistical tests performed led to the conclusion that there are no significant differences for the motivations not to implement Six Sigma between small and medium companies. The qualitative research with focus groups highlighted that SMEs aiming for fast improvement results focus more on Lean Management and Kaizen, by using Five S methodology, visual management at shop floor level and basic quality tools. However, there are different views concerning Six Sigma applicability and value for SMEs, suggesting the need for further in-depth research. Within this context, the edition of ISO 9001:2015 International Standard with an increased emphasis on process approach and the achievement of the quality management system objectives is a relevant opportunity for using Six Sigma to streamline processes and enhance customer satisfaction and business results.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A PSP e a gestão de adeptos: fatores chave para o sucesso no caso paradigmático do futebol

O futebol assume, indiscutivelmente, um lugar de destaque no panorama internacional. A sua crescente importância social, económica e cultural aliada a uma extraordinária capacidade mobilizadora, tornam-no no espetáculo desportivo de eleição das sociedades ocidentais contemporâneas. Intimamente ligados a esta modalidade estão os seus consumidores diretos, os adeptos, que encontram no futebol uma fonte de identificação social e um refúgio viável para a explosão de tensões e emoções acumuladas no seu quotidiano. O facto de, por vezes, ocorrerem atos de violência, obriga a que a Polícia assuma um papel decisivo na função crítica que é a gestão de massas adeptas, sobretudo devido à sua capacidade de criar um grupo coeso e hostil a partir de um aglomerado fragmentado de indivíduos. Com a realização do Euro 2004, os modelos de atuação da Polícia de Segurança Pública ao nível da gestão das massas e do policiamento desportivo alteraram-se substancialmente, tendo sido amplamente elogiados pela comunidade internacional. Por conseguinte, dez anos após a realização deste grande evento, procuramos através de um estudo qualitativo identificar os fatores chave que estão na base de uma eficiente gestão de adeptos, com especial enfoque no caso paradigmático do futebol. Os resultados da análise sugerem uma aproximação entre o que a literatura considera como “boas práticas” e aquilo que são as práticas e os mecanismos desenvolvidos pela Polícia de Segurança Pública. Foram também identificados aspetos passíveis de serem melhorados, sobretudo a nível da corresponsabilização de todos os intervenientes no espetáculo desportivo e da aplicação de interdições de acesso a recintos desportivos.Football holds, undoubtedly, a prominent place on the international scene. Its growing social, economic and cultural significance, combined with a great mobilizing capacity, makes it the election sport in contemporary society. Closely connected to this sport are its direct consumers, the supporters, who find in football a source of social identification and a viable haven for the explosion of accumulated tensions and emotions in their daily lives. The occasional violence acts require that the police play a key role managing those supporters, mainly due to its ability to create a cohesive and hostile group that brings together fragmented individuals. In Euro 2004, Polícia de Segurança Pública operational models for crowd management and policing changed significantly, and they were widely praised by the international community. Therefore, ten years after that sports event, a qualitative research was developed in which we try to identify the key factors that underpin an effective fan management, with special focus on football paradigmatic case. The results of this study suggest a link between what some authors consider "good practices" and the practices and mechanisms that were developed by Polícia de Segurança Pública. We also identified some aspects that can be improved, especially regarding the co-responsibility of all stakeholders in a sports event and the application of banning orders

Desenvolver a aptidão musical : a influência da família

Relatório de estágio profissional apresentado à Escola Superior de Artes Aplicadas do Instituto Politécnico de Castelo Branco para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Ensino da Música.O presente relatório foi elaborado como parte integrante da unidade curricular de Prática de Ensino Supervisionada, do ciclo de estudos conducente ao grau de mestre em Ensino de Música. Organiza-se como um relato circunstanciado e crítico do estágio de natureza profissional, desenvolvido no decorrer do ano letivo de 2013/2014. Integra um estudo de investigação orientado e construído na unidade curricular de Projeto do Ensino Artístico, refletindo a integração e a aplicação dos conhecimentos adquiridos ao longo do curso. O relatório divide-se em duas partes: na primeira apresentam-se matérias do dossiê de estágio, refletindo as experiências vivenciadas durante a prática de ensino supervisionada, tais como, planificações das aulas lecionadas, caracterizações das turmas, do meio escolar, atividades extracurriculares, comentários e considerações finais. Na segunda parte do relatório é apresentado um estudo de investigação que aborda um tema controverso, como é a questão da aptidão e do talento musical. O objetivo deste estudo é procurar causas que poderão ajudar a compreender a falta de musicalidade encontrada em alguns alunos da classe de conjunto da Academia de Música de Elvas, onde se realizou a investigação. A metodologia de trabalho, de índole qualitativa, passou pelo levantamento, recolha e cruzamento de dados sobre testes de aptidão musical, para os comparar com os resultados obtidos pelos alunos da turma alvo. No final deste estudo, consideramos que houve uma forte correspondência entre os testes de aptidão e os resultados obtidos pelos alunos, e que, o meio em que cada aluno se insere pode ser um fator determinante para a falta de condições ao desenvolvimento musical.Abstract: This report was prepared as part of the subject of Supervised Teaching Practice of the cycle of studies leading to the master's degree in Music Education and is organized as a detailed and critical account of the professional stage, developed throughout the academic year 2013/2014. It includes a research study oriented and built in the subject of Arts Teaching Project, reflecting the integration and application of knowledge acquired throughout the course. The report is divided into two parts. In the first there are materials from the Stage File reflecting the experiences lived during the supervised teaching practice, such as the lesson plans of all the classes, the characterizations of the classes and the school environment, extracurricular activities, comments and concluding remarks. In the second part of the report a research study is presented. It will address a very controversial topic, which is the issue of the musical ability and talent. The objective of this study is to investigate the causes that might explain the lack of musicality found in some students of the whole class ensemble of Elvas Academy of Music where the investigation will be conducted. The methodology, which was qualitative in nature went through the survey, collection and linking of data on musical aptitude tests to compare them with the results obtained by students in the target class. At the end of this study, we considered that there was a strong correlation between the aptitude tests and the results obtained by the students, and that the environment in which each student is inserted can be a determining factor for the lack of conditions to the musical development

QFD as a tool to improve negotiation process, product quality, and market success, in an automotive industry battery components supplier

30th International Conference on Flexible Automation and Intelligent Manufacturing (FAIM2021) 15-18 June 2021, Athens, GreeceThe automotive industry faces major megatrends such as climate change and emissions control, digital transformation, and increased customer power, resulting in more intensive competition, and higher sophisticated vehicles. The application of QFD (Quality Function Deployment) can be particularly valuable to link customer expectations with the technical characteristics of the product. In the case of products, such as batteries for electric vehicles, where technology is not yet mature, and the technical requirements (e.g., autonomy) are continuously more demanding, this is particularly relevant. The QFD customer-oriented product development technique is applied to a cover of a battery pack, to improve the negotiation process with the car manufacturer, the automotive industry battery components supplier company and its suppliers, to ensure market success once the product is released. The application of the HoQ revealed that Product Design and Tolerancing are the main technical requirements with the most impact over the battery cover development, followed the Leakage ratio. This research confirms that the voice of the customer could be quite generic, and it is critical that these requirements are translated into engineering requirements, which, in turn, can be translated into items that can be measured quantitatively and actionable within the company. The application of the affinity diagram was found to be quite valuable to address the significant amount of subjective information, and it is also relevant that OEMs have a desire to standardize the electric vehicle platforms at least on fewer and general sizes, hinting the need for more collaborative team approaches.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio