Elisabet Riera is responsible for Quality and Environmental Management, and has been with the Ramon Noguera Foundation since 2007. We interviewed her on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of our organization being certified with the ISO 9001 Quality 'AENOR.
How has quality certification evolved in these 20 years?
In these 20 years, the norm has changed a lot. From being a standard that only aimed to ensure quality and was focused on customer satisfaction, it has become a quality management tool focused on stakeholder satisfaction and the continuous improvement of the quality, competitiveness and efficiency of organizations.
What motivated you to implement ISO?
This question would be best answered by Pepita Perich, the manager. 20 years ago I still did not work at the foundation, but the truth is that, despite being a non-profit social entity, the management has always been clear that professionalism to be competitive and efficient is key to the success of the organization. ISO 9001 is a management tool that has helped us, as it allows organizations to systematize processes, maintaining adequate quality levels and constant control and improvement systems.
What guarantees do these certificates offer?
Having a quality management system certified according to ISO 9001 demonstrates the ability of the organization to meet the requirements and expectations of customers and other stakeholders. Being certified by AENOR, one of the most prestigious certification bodies, gives confidence to customers, users and their families, and to the administration, in the quality and rigor of our work.
What is the importance of quality policies in the Ramon Noguera Foundation?
The foundation's policy goes beyond what we might call just quality, it includes environmental issues, social responsibility, health and safety at work, and guaranteeing rights and equal opportunities.
Our mission to work for the improvement of the quality of life of people with disabilities requires the involvement of all workers in a job well done and continuous improvement. The policy is known and followed by all staff; we all have a very important active role in achieving the goals.
How does the Quality department work?
From the quality department we work together with the people in charge of each activity and their teams to validate and standardize work processes and protocols that guarantee the quality of the work, ensure compliance with the different requirements, and promote continuous improvement. At the same time, the development of processes and their performance are monitored and assessed through internal audits, monitoring of quality indicators and objectives, monitoring of incidents and non-conformities, and assessment of customer satisfaction. which allow us to detect opportunities for improvement.
What are the future challenges in relation to Quality?
The Ramon Noguera Foundation carries out many different activities and all are under the ISO 9001 quality certification: day care and residential care services for people with intellectual disabilities, early care for children under 6 years, occupational training and job placement, and the services and products we offer from the Special Work Center (gardening, cleaning, car wash, Onyar Food products, catering and catering, laundry).
We mainly face two challenges for the future. The first is to improve the sustainability of the processes, and the second is, in addition to maintaining certification for all activities of the organization, is to continue to grow and ensure quality and food safety in the food line.
In this photo, Elisabet measures the oxygen level of a container of fresh Onyar pasta.
