A Quality Management System (QMS) is a method to manage an organisation (e.g. company) and therefore synonymous to Good Management.

Quality Management Systems assure, that the quality of processes and procedures is constantly checked and improved. The goal of a QMS is the constant improvement of the performance.

Quality Management Systems are basically independent from the industrial sector, type of business or from the size and structure of the organisation. The system describes the methodology and delivers the tools, everything else must be adopted/customized.

Quality Management System serve to document that an organisation is capable to work and deliver in a client oriented and legally correct way.

Most frequently applied Quality Management Systems are:

• EN ISO 9001:2008
• TQM - Total-Quality-Management
• EFQM-Model of European Foundation for Quality Management (The Excellence Model)
• Six Sigma - Business management strategy
• For the pharmaceutical industry Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) is a must
• For all preclinical safety tests (drug development) and for all chemical safety testing that is required according to guidelines it is unavoidable to follow the rules of GLP and certify the laboratory (GLP).