One DepED, One National Quality Management System

Establishing Quality Management System (QMS) is one major strategy of the Department of Education (DepED) for 2018 to 2022 geared towards organizational excellence. The “One DepED, One National QMS” conforms to the Presidential Directive which President Rodrigo R. Duterte emphasized during the 2017 Station of the Nation Address (SONA). He directed all government agencies with frontline services to the people, from womb to tomb, to further streamline services making it efficient and people-friendly, ensure quality services minus delays by the bureaucratic red tape, and speedy reforms    . Moreover, the DepED adheres to the provisions of Executive Order No. 605, s. 2007 which directed all departments in the Executive Branch to establish a QMS certified to the ISO 9001 standards.

Based on the Government Quality Management Program (GQMP) Presentation of the Department of Budget Management (DBM), there are only 123 agencies with ISO 9001 Certifications out of the 258 total Departments and attached agencies as of March 2018. Other departments like DepED CO started to venture on QMS. The Government Quality Management Committee (GQMC) issued Memorandum Circular No. 2018-1 provides the guidelines on the validation of the ISO 9001:2005 QMS Certification as a Requirement for the Grant of the FY 2018 Performance-Based Bonus (PBB).

As of July 11, 2018 (BHROD Data), DepED has (1) Central Office (CO), 17 Regional Offices (ROs), and 223 Schools Division Offices (SDOs). The ISO 9001:2015 certified offices in DepED include six (6) ROs (3-Central Luzon, 4A-Calabarzon, 5-Bicol, 8-Eastern Visayas, 1-Ilocos Region, and 10-Northern Mindanao), 22 SDOs (Cavite, Laoag, Ilocos Norte, Quirino, San Juan, Las Piñas, Parañaque, Bataan, Balanga, Bulacan, Cabanatuan, City of Ilagan, San Jose City, Aurora, Dagupan, Dasmariñas City, Bacoor City, Quezon Province, San Fernando in Pampanga, Pampanga, Laguna, and Imus City), and one (1) school (Davao City NHS). Field offices with on-going ISO certifications include four (4) ROs (Cagayan Valley, Davao Region, SOCKSARGEN, and NCR) and one (1) school (Tagaytay Science NHS). The common success factors include (1) strong top management commitment, (2) core team commitment, (3) organization-wide employee participation, cooperation and support, (4) proper time management, (5) close coordination, and (6) administrative support (physical and financial).

ISO 9001 QMS aims to increase an organization’s awareness of its duties and commitment in fulfilling the needs and expectations of its customers and interested parties, and in achieving satisfaction with its products and services. In order to be ISO:9001 Certified, the DepED will (1) clarify directions, office functions, processes, and systems with QMS trained assistance, (2) document processes and systems to be continuously improved, and (3) ensure that all offices pass the auditing and certification of the external auditing body.

Based on DAP Presentations on QMS to DepED  on June 2018, the DepED will benefit from being an ISO 9001 certified in terms of addressing the QMS Gaps and improvements. First, absence of quality policy, objective and plans, QMS enables DepED to come-up with a defined quality policy objectives and plans and further address expectations of key stakeholders. Second, unclear flow of information, QMS introduces an installed control of documents and records as well as enhance organizational knowledge. Third, recurring transactional errors, QMS ensures installed control of nonconforming services and promote risk-based thinking. Fourth, unclear procedures, QMS enables documented work procedures and streamline processes. Fifth, lack of systems audit and review, QMS will provide installed internal quality audit and improve capacities in system audit in the government. The QMS is guided by the principles of customer focus, leadership, engagement of people, process approach, improvement, evidence-based decision making, and relationship management. In DepED, the QMS considers the context of the organization, leadership, planning, support, operation, performance evaluation, and improvement in all governance levels.

“One DepED, One National QMS” aims to integrate DepED’s internal processes to ensure consistency in the delivery of quality services and continuous process improvement that will result to client satisfaction. The advantages of One National QMS include: (1) alignment of processes from schools to SDOs to regions to Central Office; (2) cohesiveness; (3) same QMS equals same Quality Standards; (4) Continuous improvement of services for our stakeholders; (5) clarity in functions and processes; (6) cost-efficient for DepED; (7) all locations certified under same scope and one (1) third party certifying body; and, (8) entire Agency eligibility for PBB.

The 2018 GQMP beneficiaries include the DepED CO and SDO Biñan, among others, by the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP). The goal of the GQMP is to effect improvement in public sector performance by ensuring the consistency or products and services though quality processes. Aligning an organization’s planning, service, and support operations to ISO 9001 International Standards is one reliable approach in establishing QMS (DAP, 2018). The DAP GQMP’s previous client agencies include the Department of Public Works and High Ways (DPWH), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and Department of Health (DOH).

In the DepED, the National QMS will be implemented in three (3) phases from 2018 to 2022. Phase I – Pilot (July to December 2018) focuses on the Operations Manual of Processes and Workplace Improvement (5S) in the DepED CO, Region 4A, SDO Biñan, Biñan NHS, and Biñan ES. Phase II – Expansion (2019-2022) includes external audit for ISO Certification, transition of ISO Certified Field Offices to National QMS, and expansion to the SDOs and schools per region. Phase III – Standardization (2021-2022) includes expansion to all ROs, SDOs, schools, and learning centers. While other ROs, SDOs, and schools already acquired their ISO 9001:2005 certifications, other field offices including schools like DepED-Division of Malaybalay City awaits for the expansion of the “One DepED, One National QMS” which is more advantageous.

QMS is a mandatory requirement in all governance levels of the Department. As an example, the ISO 9001:2005 Certification is now a requirement to the PBB grant. The DepED, as a national government agency, recognizes the importance of instituting QMS not only in the CO but also in the ROs, SDOs, and schools. This prompted the DepED to establish a unified approach that maximizes results at a minimal cost and engages equal opportunity to all governance levels and schools in acquiring ISO certification. Harmonizing QMS calls for the institutionalization of the “One DepED, One National QMS” strategy to ensure positive gains that promotes quality, accessible, relevant, and liberating basic education services.

By: DR. JUTCHEL L. NAYRA
       Administrative Officer V