The NQI PEP program is the implementation process for NQI Criteria, covering four levels of implementation, from foundation work through to full integration/sustainability.

Each of the four PEP levels is covered by certification from the National Quality Institute, to give recognition to an organization as it moves along the journey to excellence. NQI PEP certification is also available to departments and areas within an organization, giving recognition (thereby assisting momentum) to a part or parts of the organization that are moving forward with a focus on excellence, as reflected in NQI Criteria.

Completion of self-assessment against the criteria and preparation of application to NQI PEP helps confirm and solidify the organizations strengths, and setting progressive PEP targets and gaining NQI recognition for each step, helps retain a “focus” on excellence.

For organizations that have achieved ISO9000 registration, participating in the NQI Progressive Excellence Program will enhance their improvement journey. It will help maintain the good focus they have achieved on quality and serve to re-energize the organization with new targets for excellence.



The Principles that permeate ISO Standards and Guidance documents are synergistic with those that permeate NQI Excellence Frameworks:



The pathway for a strategic quality improvement approach that gets desired results has a focus on measurement and control, but this is not the whole story. Implementation of NQI-PEP Certification compliments the focus on quality (notably measurement and control aspects reinforced by ISO Registration) to ensure that total quality is within the fabric of how an organization is managed:





The key focus of NQI-PEP Level One is on the approach being taken toward a strategic improvement system.

The key focus of NQI-PEP Level Two is the setting of priorities for improvement (goals) and stability of the system through a focus on quality assurance.

The key focus of NQI-PEP Level Three is the achievement of strategic improvement goals, methods/approaches to sustain management commitment (to excellence), and proactive approaches/methods for continuous improvement of the system.

The key focus of NQI-PEP Level Four is trend data analysis on all areas of NQI Criteria, showing sustainability in positive outcomes.

There is interdependency between a focus on assurance and excellence as reflected in NQI Criteria. The ability to improve a system is at the outset dependent on its stability. It is not possible to improve an unstable system. Stability, depending on specifications, does not mean that the processes within a system are good or bad; it is simply a reflection that, through a focus on assurance, such processes are stable. The accumulation of such processes evolves a stable system. A productive outcome is that performance of this system is predictable, for example in output/productivity.



Improvement means that changes to procedures or process inputs is possible; therefore assurance must be wedged in to sustain stability. The point is that excellence (as reflected in NQI Criteria) and assurance practices (as directly reflected in ISO Criteria and reinforced as part of NQI Drivers) are compatible. The bedrock established on quality assurance is a foundation for quality management principles/practices (NQI Criteria) that serves to improve and enhance the system through a sustainable focus on the management of quality, not just the measurement of quality.



Striving and succeeding in meeting the intent of NQI-PEP Certification, for example at levels already covered (Registration) and at levels above those covered (through Registration) will reenergize the organization with new targets/goals on excellence, enhancing the good work completed and put quality management principles into the very fabric of how the organization is managed.

NQI-PEP Certification nurtures a focus on excellence and continuous improvement that improves competitiveness and achieves sustained positive organizational results.

The management of excellence is based on universal management principles, used in conjunction with techniques, in a planned and co-ordinated manner, to achieve the strategic goals of the organization and to maximize overall results. An important linkage to excellence is stability of the quality system, which can be achieved through a more rigorous focus on procedures (and measurement) in all key functions, a focus on quality assurance, which can be verified through Registration.

NQI Criteria is a progression from assurance practices, viewed as an overall framework or management model that assists organizations from all sectors with the understanding of a strategic approach to continuous improvement, one that brings good results for the whole organization.

Many organizations have registered to a quality assurance system standard, for example the ISO Standard (this focus is fully supported and reinforced by NQI Criteria). Smart organizations have shown that assurance activities are a subset of their total approach to the management of excellence; NQI-PEP Level Three Criteria (and part of Level Two) is a progression for those organizations well focused on stability of their system through a focus on assurance.

An ISO 9001 Registered organization has established a focus on a QMS, with related approaches/methods in place and audited. The organization has moved beyond NQI-PEP Level One (approach to excellence) and sits well within the focus of NQI-PEP Level Two (notably NQI Criteria Driver Process Management – stability of the system).

A few categories of current involvement also link well with NQI-PEP Level Three, for example major verification issues and continual improvement of the QMS.

The matter for review is what NQI Certification will do to help enhance the current focus on quality assurance and QMS, to achieve organizational excellence. The following review outlines some key enhancement issues:



Management Responsibility

· Management commitment - NQI-PEP Level Three covers more than a statement of commitment, it covers the methodology used by senior management to communicate their commitment and involvement in continuous improvement across the organization.

· General (management review) - Level Three includes a focus on the method for evaluation of the effectiveness of leadership style, the work on reducing barriers between functions to prosper optimization of the QMS system, and review of best practices for process management.

Customer focus
· NQI Level Three expands on a focus on requirements to leverage of market and customer knowledge to enhance services/products, employee alignment on customer satisfaction, the management of customer contact points, loyalty and retention issues, and the evaluation of overall approach to customer focus. Level Four records achievement trend data in customer satisfaction and retention and business goals on customer focus (for example overall market share growth and share of customer business.

Quality objectives and quality planning

· NQI Level Two reinforces that quality objectives are to be part of business planning that supports overall strategic direction, the involvement of all levels in setting objectives, and performance indicators on goals/objectives. Level Three has a focus on methodology or communication of objectives, review of implementation of planning, measurement of effectiveness of business planning and process for communication of achievement against strategic improvement objectives/goals.

Resource Management

· Assignment of personnel, training issues and competency and work environment– NQI Level Two expands in areas of human resource planning linking to business plans (notably on improvement objectives), employee appreciation/understanding of strategic direction, and methods for encouraging employee suggestions/ideas. Level Three widens the focus to include knowledge transfer around the organization, education/training and evaluation processes, sustainability of a healthy workplace environment (focus on employee wellness and well-being), and evaluation of the overall approach to people focus and to use feedback for improvement. Level Four covers levels and trends (data) on employee well being, for example in satisfaction and wellness matters.

Product Realization

· Identification of customer requirements, review of product requirements, customer communications – NQI Level Three and Four expand on the good work in these areas, through customer involvement in improvement factors and measures and indicators of processes impacting product requirement linked to improvement, completing the plan-do-check-act cycle.

· Design and/or development planning, inputs/outputs and verification - NQI Level Four expands on sustainability, for example trend data on performance and a focus on continuous improvement of the approaches in design and development.

· Design and/or development review – NQI Level three (Customer Focus) expands on the good work in this area, linking the voice of the customer, market knowledge research/information, and a focus on continuous improvement of approaches to enhance review work.

· Purchasing control, purchasing information, verification of purchased product supplier focus – NQI Level Two has a focus on stability of relationship with key supplier/partners and selection procedures. Level Three expands in the area of improvement of the approaches to supplier/partner focus, notably in regard to working relationships based on a central focus of quality management principles and practices, and the involvement of key suppliers/partners in continuous improvement activity and enhancement to services and products to assist the organization.

Measurement, Analysis and Improvement

· Planning – NQI Level Two expands and links the focus on planning for service/product requirements to business and strategic planning, linking with Level Three that expands in the area of integration of components of planning internally as well as with key customers/partners, methods to evaluate planning system and continuous improvement of the planning system itself.

· Customer satisfaction – NQI Level Two expands beyond measurement of satisfaction to customer knowledge issues, alignment across the organization on the importance of customer satisfaction, ability to respond to the market and clients and continuous improvement of the approaches/methods for customer focus. Level Four specifically covers trend date/performance in customer loyalty issues and retention, also sales growth, market share and share of key customer business.

· Internal audit, measurement/monitoring of processes, measuring and monitoring of product – NQI Level Two is a focus on process stability and stability of the system, Level Three expands this focus to improvement in these areas, and continuous improvement of approaches/methods for sustainability of activity.

· Planning for continual improvement, prevention action – NQI Level Three expands the focus in regard to continuous improvement of all key drivers of excellence, Leadership, Planning, Customer Focus, People Focus, Process Management and Supplier/Partner Focus. : Level Four looks at indicators and levels/trends in all such areas.