Lebenshilfe Aachen Werkstätten & Service GmbH

Integration with quality

In the first step, the quality management team of Lebenshilfe Aachen defined the goals for the project:

• More transparency in processes
• Fewer frictional losses in the transfer of information
• Communication of the organisational philosophy

As a result, Lebenshilfe Aachen strived for certification according to DIN EN ISO 9001:2000 as well as in the field of occupational safety (Quintas/MAAS-BGW). Especially in organisations with high social responsibility, the careful introduction of a QM system is essential to later success. Therefore, Lebenshilfe Aachen paid special attention to the development of the mission statement as well as the extensive participation of staff, works council and people with disabilities.

High acceptance through simple usage

It quickly became clear that identification with the quality concept and thus the acceptance of the QM system depends to a large extent on the required maintenance effort. A manual control of the documents in the existing intranet solution did not meet this central requirement of the QM project. Non-uniform formats, a high paper effort and hardly comprehensible revision statuses were some of the main reasons for the plant manager Uwe Kolke, to look for a professional quality management solution. The new software was to meet the requirement to enable decentralised use and maintenance by the personnel and the responsible division managers at each site.

In detail, the catalogue of requirements included the following aspects:

• Minimum required maintenance
• Intuitive and simple usage
• Transparent representation of the QM system and the strategic objectives of the institution
• Easier traceability of process sequences and individual process steps
• Straightforward visualization and regulation of responsibilities
• Storage of the documents, forms, checklists and other information to be used behind the corresponding process steps
• Support of various file formats
• Interfaces to other software solutions
• Automation of internal processes (document control including release, revision tracking, history, etc.)

After a detailed evaluation of the proposals, the choice finally was made for the ConSense QM solution. ConSense was able to prevail over its competitors on two significant issues. In terms of pure software features, ConSense convinced with sophisticated functions such as the easy-to-use visualisation and evaluation of key figures as well as the convenient interfaces to standard applications from the Microsoft Office package. It was precisely this aspect that supported those responsible at Lebenshilfe Aachen in transferring the existing documents and structures to the new QM solution.

High acceptance through simple usage

But ConSense was also able to set itself apart from its competitors beyond the software with additional consulting and training. The holistic approach from stocktaking to conception and implementation ensured that changes lead to long-term success and that the quality management system does not just live on paper.

With the introduction of the ConSense software, Lebenshilfe Aachen has taken a significant step towards the optimisation of its QM system. Without much effort, those responsible at the various sites can now transparently distribute processes. New employees and representatives can quickly and easily familiarise themselves with the tasks. With the entire QM system, it is now easy to keep the idea of quality alive in all areas. After the implementation phase, the ConSense QMS has now gone into "productive" operation. Plant manager Kolke has therefore little concern about the upcoming renewal of the certification.