Design of Methodological Platform to Support the Integration of Standardized Quality Management Systems Applicable in the Mining Industry

Abstract

Although quality management systems are discussed in the professional field, methodological recommendations guiding modification processes related to the integration or conversion of standardized quality management systems are absent in both scientific and professional circles. The presented paper reflects on these facts and offers an instance of the development and application of a new methodology that would help in decision-making processes in companies. Although the authors' methodology is presented in the context of educational institutions, given the aim of ISO 9001 and the need for changes in the sectors related to ensuring increasingly high-quality processes in companies, this methodology can also be applied in the mining industry, the manufacturing sector and service sector. The Slovak Accreditation Agency for Higher Education (SAAHE) issued new quality standards for Slovak universities in 2020 (SAAS 2020). The previous accreditation rules determined requirements and criteria for quality management system (QMS) implementation, maintenance and improvement. Therefore, some Slovak universities implemented ISO 9001 in the past. It is necessary to convert their QMS from ISO 9001 to SAAS 2020. The main objectives of this paper are: to identify selected common requirements of both standards, to define three basic dimensions of QMS conversion, to use vector analysis for quantifying conversion relevance (CR) and conversion strength (CS) and to recommend which requirement should be preserved or converted. Conversion is vector AB, where initial position A = (Ax, Ay, Az) represents ISO 9001 and the new position B = (Bx, By, Bz) represents SAAS 2020.