What Is Quality Management, and How Do You Evidence It?

When applying for funding, you may have been asked about your organisation’s approach to quality management. But what does this mean?

The term ‘quality management’ simply means the actions and processes your organisation puts in place to ensure quality.

It's something we ask you about if you apply to be a Tier 1 or 2 member of the Community Investment Gateway.

It includes the quality of the services you offer in communities, quality of provision for your staff and volunteers, and much more. It includes those very first steps of establishing what quality looks like for your organisation and how to achieve this, through to monitoring and evaluating the quality of your services and making improvements where they’re needed. Quality management is a continuous process. 

There are some key elements to quality management that help demonstrate to a funder, another organisation, or other stakeholder, the steps you are taking within your organisation to ensure quality.  

You might use an externally validated quality management system, have your own internal systems and processes, or a combination of both of these.

What can evidence your quality management?

If you are applying for the Community Investment Gateway, the following are some of the things our Membership Panel are looking for:

• How you measure quality, e.g. how you collect data, feedback and evidence from individuals and groups who use your services 

• How you use this feedback and evidence to improve and develop your offer 

• An understanding of the difference your work has made for individuals, families and communities and the impact on the health and wellbeing of service users 

• Leadership and support, including line management, supervisions/observations, 1 to 1s, appraisals, staff/volunteer/trustee inductions 

• Training you offer to staff/volunteers/trustees, e.g. mandatory, ongoing, one-off 

• Sharing learning, e.g. team meetings, reflective groupwork 

• Documented procedures and processes that support your work 

• Organisational policies and why they are important for your organisation

Why is it important to demonstrate your quality management?  

Being able to describe how you ensure quality helps you to:  

• Show that you understand what quality means for your organisation 

• Show that you are consistently delivering high quality services and activities 

• Demonstrate a commitment to continuous improvement and development 

• Build trust and confidence in your organisation, whether this is amongst staff, volunteers, service users or stakeholders

The Community Investment Gateway is a way to channel funding to Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise organisations working in Wakefield District. Charities, community groups, voluntary organisations and social enterprises can apply to join. It's free of charge and members are eligible to apply for funding we channel through the Gateway.

If you'd like to know more, or have a chat with us about quality management, you can reach out to our team at gateway@nova-wd.org.uk