Implementation of Quality Management System in Sweco Norge

Abstract

Good and appropriate quality management is a necessity for achieving competitive advantage within most industries, including the engineering consulting industry. In this case study factors contributing to or hindering quality management system implementation success in Sweco Norge AS have been examined. The study has shown that the benefits that the organization wishes to achieve by system use, how the system is designed to achieve those objectives and how different mechanisms that promote system use are utilized in the company will have an effect on the degree to which the system is used, and thus on the benefits achieved. It has further been shown that there is a discrepancy between how Sweco Norge intends to use the system and how it is actually used in the organization?s Hedmark-Oppland unit, and some reasons for this gap have been outlined. Finally, a framework based on change management principles has been developed that can be used by regional management to minimize this gap.