Quality Management and Process Indicators

Abstract

This chapter introduces the problem of constructing a quality management system, i.e., a system aimed at suitably driving and controlling an organization. To this purpose, it is essential to (1) identify the most characteristic processes of the organization of interest; and (2) monitor and evaluate them regularly. This demonstrates the important role played by indicators even at a “normative” level. This chapter clarifies these general concepts, referring to recent international standards about quality-management principles and methods. It then shows a preliminary classification of indicators and a description of their general characteristics. Finally, an overview of the main state-of-art research fronts on indicators is provided.