Quality Management in User Coordination

HZB’s User Coordination Department (WI-ACO) is principally responsible for the administrative coordination of all in-house scientific infrastructure, including the Synchrotron Light Source, “BESSY II”, as well as HZB’s “CoreLabs”. These facilities tally up a total of approximately 3000 User visits per year and cater to an international client base. 
WI-ACO was awarded DIN EN ISO 9001:2015 (hereinafter ISO 9001) certification in 2017, following an extensive audit by TÜV Süd GmbH. WI-ACO currently implements the ISO 9001 Quality Management System (QMS) for all its local (i.e. departmental) processes. 
Established in 1987, ISO 9001 is today one of the most internationally recognised standards for Quality Management. With over a million certified organisations worldwide, the benefits of ISO 9001 are widespread and overarching. WI-ACO sees ISO 9001 as a vital tool in providing Users with better process efficiency and transparency; we strive for the continual improvement of our products and services. 

 

Quality Management System

The QMS at WI-ACO was developed in two stages. The initial system, “QMS-2016” was set up based on the principles of Total Quality Management (TQM) (left side of the above diagram). The current “QMS- 2017” follows the seven Quality Management Principles of DIN EN ISO 9001:2015 (right side, in red).

The Definition of Quality

Quality Management at WI-ACO is defined by a number of requirements. The inputs are primarily influenced by Stakeholders, especially Users and Funding Partners. From a coordination perspective, the main criteria that impact on Quality Management (QM) are internals such as Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), legislation and departmental know-how. The satisfaction of the User is key; this is fed down and reflected in the 53 sub-chapters of ISO 9001.

Main Working Tools

The seven Quality Management Principles of ISO 9001 are the cornerstone of WI-ACO’s QMS.

¹ KPI Key Performance Indices

WI-ACO Process Map

The operative processes of the User Coordination Department are part of the wider HZB process landscape.

Main Core Process

The flow chart shows WI-ACO’s main interaction points with the Users, from the begin of the proposal submission process through to beamtime allocation, as well as in terms of feedback and reporting.

KPI - Key Performance Indices

WI-ACO employs the PDCA Cycle (Plan-Do Check-Act) as its main tool in striving for continual improvement. PDCA Cycles are anchored within the structure of ISO 9001 and feature in all processes of the User Coordination Department (e.g. by using KPIs for Controlling).

PDCA Cycles

Improvement by PDCA Cycles