Introduction
All Government funded services are to be managed within the ISO 9001 Quality Management System (ISO 9001). ISO 9001 works by improving the satisfaction of customers by improving the management of how the product or service is developed and delivered.
The product is improved by continuously improving the management of its development and delivery. This is done by identifying the root causes of non-compliance, designing solutions for the root causes and auditing to confirm whether the actions were effective and identify any required improvements. Since ISO 9001 is the highest international quality management standard, all Government funded services are expected improve.
Implementation Plan
1. Prepare a draft ISO 9001 Quality Management System (ISO 9001) for a typical Barbados Government department.
2. Meet with the relevant Unions to discuss the draft quality management system with the intention of identifying and reaching agreement on any improvements.
3. Upgrade the Draft as agreed.
4. Meet with the Social Partnership to discuss the implementation of the system throughout all Government departments, and identify any further improvements.
5. Encourage the private sector to adopt ISO 9001 and provide them with technical assistance through the BIDC.
6. Technical staff in the Barbados Industrial Development Corporation (BIDC), Barbados National Standards Institution (BNSI), Barbados Accreditation Council (BAC), and the Barbados Audit Office (BAO) are to be trained as internal ISO 9001 auditors. They will also be trained to assist Government departments to adapt the draft ISO 9001 to their specific services.
7. Meet with all Permanent Secretaries and their assistants to explain ISO 9001 and provide them with the plan, tools and assistance for implementing it within the departments under their control.
8. All Permanent Secretaries and their assistants are to be trained as internal auditors, during one week of training.
9. ISO 9001 documents are to be adapted to each Government department within 3 months of the Permanent Secretaries’ internal auditor training. The ISO 9001 quality management system is to be fully implemented 3 months later.
10. Technical staff at the BIDC, BNSI, BAC, and BAO to receive further training as external ISO 9001 auditors.
11. Each Government department to be audited annually, or more frequently as necessary, in order to check compliance. All reports are to be sent to the Auditor General at the BAO.
12. The Auditor General shall make relevant staff recommendations to the Personnel Administration Division. The Chief Personnel Officer shall, after making the relevant enquires, respond to the Auditor General detailing the scheduled actions to be taken on each recommendation. Within 3 months, the Chief Personnel Officer shall report to the Auditor General on the effectiveness of each action.