Quality Management

QM – Quality Manual

Scope

This Quality Manual (QM) constitutes the IALA World-Wide Academy (the Academy) Quality Management System (QMS).

Its purpose is to ensure the quality of the Academy´s products and services for:

marine aids to navigation related education & training, capacity building and research & development.

The QMS incorporates the the Academy Training Management System (TMS) and describes what is needed to ensure that the Academy meets its stakeholders’ requirements.

Quality Statement and Policy

Quality statement:

We shall strive to ensure:

  • that we understand our stakeholders’ expectations and that our products and services meet their requirements;
  • that the Academy is perceived as meeting or exceeding international practices within its domain; and
  • that our quality management system is continuously improved.

Quality policy:

A number of Key Quality Objectives and Key Performance Indicators (KPI´s) have been identified.

The quality policy (quality statement and quality objectives) forms an integral part of the ethos of the Academy and its governing Board.

All staff members shall be committed fully to its implementation and should strive to improve continually its products and services to meet stakeholder expectations and maximise customer satisfaction.

The Academy is fully committed to achieving its goals and objectives and to fulfilling the education and training needs of course participants.

Products and Services

This QMS encompasses the following types of products and services:

Education training

Capacity building

R&D and other

  • List of topics in need of research
  • Contribution to the IALA Annual Report
  • Responses to external queries

The Academy and its context

The Academy is the vehicle by which IALA delivers education, training and capacity building. It is an integral, but independently funded,part of the IALA Secretariat and its aims and objectives are set out in IALA’s Basic Documents.

The strategic goal of the Academy is set out in its Master Plan, which also describes its functions, main activities and objectives.

The Academy is administered by a Dean, supported by a Board, under the overall authority of the Secretary-General [1]. The Board meets meet biannually, normally in March and October and Board reports shall be submitted to the Council for endorsement.

The Academy has identified a number of internal and external issues, as well as a number of interested parties that are relevant to its purpose, strategic direction and its ability to achieve the intended result(s) of this Quality Management System.

Information about the listed internal and external issues as well as the list of interested parties shall be monitored and reviewed regularly.

Leadership

The Dean shall exercise leadership over all aspects of the Academy’s activities, including quality, taking strategic direction and other matters of principle from his fellow Board Members. He shall take all decisions on operational matters and keep his small team of three staff informed fully of their tasks and responsibilities.

In order to get the best out of his people, the Dean shall conduct formal job assessment reviews with all staff members annually and should always be open to suggestions from them to improve the quality and effectiveness of the Academy’s activities so that customer satisfaction can be enhanced.

The Academy’s strategic goal, mission, aims and objectives shall be published in its Master Plan. This should be reviewed regularly and shall be approved by the Board and endorsed by Council. A shortened version of the Master Plan shall be available for download from the Academy page of the IALA website.

Resources, knowledge and competences

The Academy is mostly funded through direct and indirect sponsorship. The Dean shall maintain a close liaison with the principal sponsors and, working with other Board Members, shall investigate alternative sponsorship opportunities. Loss of sponsorship shall be addressed in the Risk Register.

The Academy is an integral part of the IALA Secretariat and is located in the IALA Headquarters building. An agreement of services to be provided by the Operations and Technical and the Administration and Finance Departments is coordinated by the Dean in consultation with the Secretary-General.

IALA Technical Committees are a source of deep marine aids to navigation knowledge of value to the work of the Academy. The Academy shall therefore maintain a close liaison with the four standing IALA Technical Committees. The Programme Manager shall act as the liaison officer to these Committees and keep them updated on the Academy’s activities. In turn the Committees are expected to work with the Academy concerning the drafting and revision of IALA model courses.

Competences (education, training, or experience) required to perform a specific type of work for the Academy were determined at the time that staff members were contracted. The need for new or improved competences is continuously assessed by the Dean and discussed with staff members during formal job assessment annual reviews.

Operations and processes

The Academy’s operations form its products and services (deliverables). The planned operational activity for Academy staff shall be published in its Action Plan. This shall be maintained by the Programme Manager who shall review and update it as often as is necessary and at least every few months.

Each type of product or service is produced and delivered through a set of activities forming a process. Those Academy’s processes deemed to be of importance for achieving quality objectives and ensuring customer satisfaction are described in this Quality Management System. Each process shall be uniquely identifiable and shall have an “owner” who shall be responsible for its drafting and review. Reviews shall be conducted when appropriate but at least annually.

All processes shall be approved by the Dean before they are adopted into the Quality Management System.

Performance Monitoring and Non-Conformities

All members of the Academy’s staff should strive to improve continually its products and services to maximise customer satisfaction. The Academy shall improve its products and services through a formal process of analysing non-conformities to its agreed processes. This process shall generate the appropriate preventative action to rectify and improve its service.

Details can be found in QMP – Dealing with Non-Conformance

Communication

The Academy will inform relevant stakeholders of the existence of the Quality and Training Management System. This will be done as a news item from the Dean on the Academy website once an internal audit has been conducted with a satisfactory result.

Risk management

The Academy shall identify and mitigate all risks to its activities. By adopting a risk-based approach, the Academy shall be proactive rather than reactive. This pro-active approach shall include active consideration of the potential risks set out in the Academy’s Risk Register. The Risk Register shall be reviewed and updated by the Dean as soon as a new risk is identified.

The Dean shall present the Risk register to the Board at each Board Meeting.

Management review

The Quality Management System shall be reviewed at regular intervals with a view of ensuring its continued suitability, adequity, effectiveness and strategic alignment.

External audits of the QMS/TM shall be conducted at intervals determined during the Management review

Details can be found in QMP – Management Review

Normative references

  • IALA Basic Documents
  • ISO 9001:2015 Quality management systems – Requirements
  • ISO 2990:2010 Learning services for non-formal education and training – Basic requirements for service providers
  • IALA Guideline G1100 – the Accreditation and Approval Process for AtoN Personnel training

The following sections of ISO 9001:2015 have been determined as not applicable to the Academy QMS:

  • 7.1.5.2 Measurement traceability

Terms and definitions

  • shall indicates a requirement;
  • should indicates a recommendation;
  • may indicates a permission;
  • can indicates a possibility or a capability.
  • Quality is the quality of products and services includes not only their intended function and performance, but also their perceived value and benefit to the customer.
  • Customer is any person or organization that could or does receive an Academy product or a service that is intended for or required by this person or organization.
  • Stakeholder is any person or organization that can affect, be affected by, or perceive itself to be affected by a decision or activity of the Academy.
  • Deliverable is an item which is a part of a product or service to be delivered to a customer.
  • Nonconformity is non-fulfilment of a requirement.
  • Requirement is a need or expectation that is stated, generally implied or obligatory (requirements can be generated by interested parties or the Academy itself).


Omar Frits Eriksson
Dean, IALA World-Wide Academy

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  1. In accordance with the IALA Council decision in December 2015