Recommended Reading | Reflections on How Quality Management System Certification Promotes Quality Improvement in Small and Micro Enterprises

　　1. Certification promotes quality improvement as a historical mission and social responsibility of certification bodies

　　According to statistics, small and micro enterprises contribute over 50% of the national tax revenue annually, over 60% of the national GDP, over 70% of national innovation achievements, over 80% of urban employment positions, and over 90% of the total market entities. This shows that small and micro enterprises in China have gradually become a vital force for national economic and social development, and inevitably an important part of the national "quality improvement" strategy that cannot be ignored.

　　At present, most small and micro enterprises in China are concentrated in wholesale, retail, leasing, business services, manufacturing, and other industries. Their risk resistance and quality management capabilities are relatively weak, and the quality of their products directly affects the stability of the industrial chain, supply chain, employment rate, economic development, and normal social operation. Therefore, supporting the development of small and micro enterprises and driving regional economic growth is an inevitable requirement and important approach for building a quality development pattern and constructing a quality-strong nation.

　　On September 5, 2017, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council issued the "Guiding Opinions on Carrying out Quality Improvement Actions," clearly stating: focusing on improving development quality and efficiency, placing the quality-strong nation strategy in a more prominent position, carrying out quality improvement actions, strengthening comprehensive quality supervision, comprehensively improving quality levels, accelerating the cultivation of new international competitive advantages, and laying a quality foundation for achieving the "Two Centenary Goals" is the guiding ideology and important task for quality improvement at all levels and regions.

　　Governments at all levels nationwide have introduced 265 incentive policies related to quality improvement. 127 certification bodies have carried out quality management system certification activities to help improve quality in 5,639 small and micro enterprises across 36 industries, providing targeted assistance to address enterprises' quality management weaknesses. After assessment, 95.88% of enterprises showed significant improvement.

　　Of course, small and micro enterprises face many difficulties and unresolved issues in understanding and meeting quality management system requirements due to limitations such as lack of knowledge and talent in quality management systems. Therefore, fully leveraging certification bodies' technical and human advantages—characterized by strong professional skills, service awareness, and social responsibility recognition—aligning quality management system standards closely with enterprise management and operations, identifying key points and weaknesses, and achieving precise assistance is essential. By actively cultivating "replicable and promotable" benchmark enterprises, helping one enterprise benefits many, driving regional development, and promoting healthy regional economic growth has become an unshirkable historical mission and social responsibility of certification bodies.

　　2. Key points of quality management system certification audits for small and micro enterprises

　　Small and micro enterprises have weaknesses such as few personnel, incomplete systems, unclear and insufficiently detailed goal setting and division of responsibilities, simple product and service processes, lack of detailed management, and relatively casual enterprise management operations. All these directly affect product and service quality as well as enterprise development. Considering these characteristics, the following aspects should be focused on during quality management system certification audits for small and micro enterprises:

　　1) Establishing a quality management concept

　　In a fierce market environment, small and micro enterprises must focus on product quality management and service awareness cultivation and improvement to survive and develop better. Therefore, the certification audit process should emphasize helping enterprises establish and optimize quality management concepts, strengthen process control awareness, and use management thinking to improve product quality and service quality, thereby increasing market share and achieving better survival and development space.

　　2) Strengthening the role of enterprise leadership

　　Practice in enterprise management proves that "leadership" is the core and soul of enterprise management. Leaders act as the "helmsman" and "navigator" for enterprises to gain future strategic advantages and achieve long-term success. The strategic vision and comprehensive quality of enterprise leaders to some extent determine the long-term development and even survival of the enterprise.

　　Therefore, strengthening the role of enterprise leadership, improving decision-making and execution capabilities in quality management, and making good strategic positioning and long-term decisions are important factors for enterprise survival, development, and effective operation of the quality management system. These are also key focuses of certification audit work.

　　3) Stimulating intrinsic motivation of enterprises

　　Stimulating intrinsic motivation is another important factor for small and micro enterprises to achieve goals and succeed. Establishing self-improvement, self-correction, and reasonable incentive mechanisms, ensuring smooth communication channels, fully utilizing the talents and innovative ideas of all employees, and stimulating the initiative and innovation enthusiasm of all members are necessary to achieve enterprise goals.

　　Therefore, quality management system auditors should focus on and assist in establishing, improving, and implementing effective employee incentive mechanisms during audits to help enterprises continuously improve quality management levels and quality control capabilities, promote continuous improvement, and sustain development.

　　4) Clear goals and responsibilities

　　Clear goals and responsibilities are among the most basic methods to improve the quality management effectiveness of small and micro enterprises. Quality management system certification should help enterprises scientifically set development goals that meet long-term development plans and focus on long-term expected results, while also considering short-term efficiency and the phased characteristics and requirements of current development.

　　When the overall goals and directions of an enterprise are clear, breaking down goals to each stage, department, and even each employee makes goal execution more effective. Practice shows that clearly defining job responsibilities and authorities is an effective method and solid foundation for stimulating intrinsic motivation.

　　Therefore, quality management system certification should help small and micro enterprises build a quality culture from the core values level, clarify responsibilities and authorities for each position, ensure every employee has responsibilities and goals, and make sure every employee understands how to contribute to achieving goals. At the same time, it should emphasize the consequences and impacts of nonconformity with quality management system requirements. By fully mobilizing employees' enthusiasm, it promotes enterprise quality improvement.

　　5) Focus on key process control, emphasizing the determination, monitoring, and implementation effectiveness of key control points and key control parameters

　　Production process control and process management are important concepts and basic methods in modern enterprise management. Strategic management, policy and objective management, and core process management all require process management for implementation. The core and most important content of production process management and control is the management and control of key processes, including but not limited to: selection of key process methods; establishment of key control points; determination of key control parameters; measurement methods and indicators of key performance; related influencing factors (people, machines, materials, methods, environment). Whether key processes are effectively controlled directly affects product quality and relates to the survival of the enterprise.

　　However, inadequate and unstable process control, unreasonable setting of key control points, unscientific and inconsistent key control parameters, and non-standard equipment operation remain common problems in many small and micro enterprises. Therefore, quality management system certification audits must focus on enterprise production process settings, key processes, key control points and parameters, and equipment operation control, and earnestly help enterprises improve process settings, clarify key processes, determine key control points and parameters, standardize equipment operation, ensure process outputs meet process requirements, thereby improving product quality and promoting enterprise development.

　　3. Determining key assistance points to promote quality improvement in small and micro enterprises

　　Quality management system certification to promote enterprise quality improvement is a process based on on-site visits, observation, communication, and dialogue, carrying out comprehensive evidence collection, careful thinking, and systematic analysis, gradually advancing step by step; it is a process combining focus and breadth, highlighting key points, applying appropriate measures, and achieving obvious effects; it is a process of overall evaluation of key process control through audits, identifying typical problems, determining key assistance points, formulating assistance plans, clarifying assistance measures, implementing focused assistance, and promoting gradual improvement of enterprise product quality.

　　The focus points for assistance should be determined based on a comprehensive analysis of the following factors:

　　Prominent issues in the process of enterprise quality improvement;

　　The enterprise's ability to correct and improve prominent issues (including: human resources, capital, equipment, information, technology, etc.);

　　The certification body's ability to help enterprises implement improvements (including: information, professional technology, time, space, human resources, etc.);

　　Effect evaluation (including: methods, milestones, criteria, results, etc.).

　　4. Formulation and implementation of the assistance plan

　　Focus on the key issues of quality development in small and micro enterprises, provide practical and feasible technical solutions, and develop certification standards and certification rules suitable for small and micro enterprises based on different industry characteristics; on the basis of process sorting, establish and improve a quality management system suitable for the enterprise's own characteristics according to its business features.

　　According to the actual needs of the improvement action targets, organize appropriate training, develop easy-to-understand and diverse training courses, organize expert teams, and conduct training through various online and offline methods. Through training, promote small and micro enterprises to enhance quality awareness, understand quality management concepts, comprehend quality management tools and methods, and cultivate enterprise "quality stewards." Alternatively, develop targeted specialized courses for different positions and conduct training in tiers.

　　Through preliminary research, select expert teams, use quality management tools and methods to sort out core quality management processes, identify key links, help enterprises optimize and restructure production processes, improve key technologies, enhance technical levels, and guide enterprises to formulate practical improvement solutions, implementing a "one enterprise, one policy" approach.

　　Promoting enterprise quality improvement through quality management system certification is a tough, complex, and long process, and also a reform and innovation task put forward by the Party and the country in the new era. This requires solid professional technical accumulation, a hardworking and meticulous work style, endurance and practical spirit, as well as keen insight, innovative thinking, and strategic vision.

　　Therefore, this requires us to continuously explore, objectively analyze, accumulate experience, dare to innovate, and be fact-based when facing one vibrant small and micro enterprise after another, to steadily carry out the "certification-assisted quality improvement work," and contribute to realizing the beautiful blueprint of building a quality-strong country.