QM Guidance
Sustainability requires more than just meeting basic requirements. The LICQual ISO 9004:2018 QM Guidance to Achieve Sustained Success Foundation Course introduces the strategic framework that helps organizations move beyond compliance toward long-term excellence. This entry-level ISO 9004 certification explores how quality management principles can drive lasting organizational achievement.
Designed as an ISO 9004 foundation training online, this course walks learners through the comprehensive guidance for achieving sustained success in complex and demanding environments. Topics include strategic alignment of quality objectives, stakeholder satisfaction and value creation, and organizational resilience through effective quality management. Learner gains clarity on how self-assessment and maturity evaluation help organizations understand their current performance and identify improvement pathways.
As a recognized sustained success foundation qualification, this LICQual Sustained Success Foundation Course translates strategic quality concepts into practical professional knowledge. The learning journey covers innovation and learning within quality systems, risk-based thinking for organizational performance, and the continuous improvement principles that distinguish thriving organizations from those merely surviving. The curriculum demonstrates how quality management extends far beyond compliance to become a driver of business excellence.
Course Overview
Qualification Title
LICQual ISO 9004:2018 QM Guidance to Achieve Sustained Success Foundation Course
Total Units
6
Total Credits
40
GLH
120
Qualification #
LICQ2201350
Qualification Specification
To enroll in the LICQual ISO 9004:2018 QM Guidance to Achieve Sustained Success Foundation Course applicants must meet the following criteria:
|
Qualification# |
Unit Title |
Credits |
GLH |
|---|---|---|---|
|
LICQ2201350-1 |
Introduction to ISO 9004:2018 and the Concept of Sustained Success |
8 |
24 |
|
LICQ2201350-2 |
Understanding the Organizational Context and Stakeholder Needs |
8 |
24 |
|
LICQ2201350-3 |
Strategic Alignment and Quality Policy Development |
6 |
18 |
|
LICQ2201350-4 |
Resource Management and Operational Excellence |
6 |
18 |
|
LICQ2201350-5 |
Performance Evaluation, Learning, and Improvement |
6 |
18 |
|
LICQ2201350-6 |
Achieving Sustained Success and Building Organizational Resilience |
6 |
18 |
By the end of this course, Applicants will be able to:
Introduction to ISO 9004:2018 and the Concept of Sustained Success
- Understand the purpose and scope of ISO 9004 as the guidance standard for achieving sustained success through quality management.
- Explain the distinction between ISO 9001 requirements and ISO 9004 guidance for organizational excellence.
- Identify the evolution of quality management thinking from compliance-based to performance-based approaches.
- Define sustained success in practical terms and how it differs from short-term organizational achievements.
- Recognize how quality principles drive long-term organizational resilience and stakeholder value creation.
- Understand the relationship between ISO 9004 and other management system standards within the ISO portfolio.
Understanding the Organizational Context and Stakeholder Needs
- Describe methods for identifying and analyzing external and internal issues that impact organizational performance.
- Explain the process of stakeholder identification and understanding their evolving expectations over time.
- Identify the dynamic nature of stakeholder needs and the importance of ongoing monitoring and response.
- Understand how organizations assess and respond to changing conditions while maintaining strategic focus.
- Recognize the relationship between organizational context, risk assessment, and responsive quality strategies.
- Describe the documentation and review processes for maintaining current understanding of context and stakeholders.
Strategic Alignment and Quality Policy Development
- Explain how quality policies and objectives must align with broader organizational strategic direction.
- Describe the process of translating high-level strategy into actionable quality plans across functions.
- Identify how leadership commitment manifests through strategic decisions prioritizing quality as a business driver.
- Understand the communication strategies necessary for ensuring alignment throughout the organizational structure.
- Recognize the role of quality objectives in connecting daily operations with long-term strategic goals.
- Describe the review and update mechanisms for maintaining policy relevance as organizational strategy evolves.
Resource Management and Operational Excellence
- Describe the management of people, infrastructure, knowledge, and technology as enablers of quality performance.
- Explain the development of organizational competence and environments that foster engagement and innovation.
- Identify how operational processes are designed, controlled, and improved to deliver consistent stakeholder value.
- Understand the role of suppliers and partners in extending quality capabilities throughout the value chain.
- Recognize the resource requirements for maintaining and enhancing organizational performance over time.
- Describe the monitoring and measurement of resource effectiveness in supporting quality objectives.
Performance Evaluation, Learning, and Improvement
- Describe self-assessment methodologies for understanding organizational maturity across quality dimensions.
- Explain the role of internal audit processes, management review, and data analysis in informed decision-making.
- Identify how organizations capture learning from successes and failures to build institutional knowledge.
- Understand the integration of innovation processes with improvement activities for adaptive organizations.
- Recognize the importance of evidence-based evaluation for identifying improvement opportunities and driving advancement.
- Describe the feedback loops that connect performance evaluation with strategic planning and operational adjustment.
Achieving Sustained Success and Building Organizational Resilience
- Explain how integration of quality principles creates conditions for sustained organizational achievement.
- Describe the characteristics of resilient organizations and their ability to anticipate and respond to disruptions.
- Identify the balance between short-term pressures and long-term objectives across multiple sustainability dimensions.
- Understand how stakeholder confidence is maintained through consistent delivery of value over time.
- Recognize practical applications of ISO 9004 principles for pursuing organizational excellence beyond compliance.
- Describe the ongoing activities necessary for maintaining sustained success in changing market and regulatory environments.
This course is ideal for:
- Quality Managers seeking to expand their knowledge beyond ISO 9001 compliance toward strategic quality guidance for long-term organizational excellence.
- Business Leaders and Executives responsible for setting strategic direction and ensuring organizational resilience through effective quality management principles.
- Process Improvement Specialists wanting to understand how continuous improvement connects with broader business strategy and stakeholder value creation.
- Quality Assurance Professionals aiming to contribute to organizational performance beyond routine compliance activities and certification maintenance.
- Department Heads and Functional Managers needing to align their team objectives with enterprise-wide quality strategies for sustained success.
- Management Consultants advising organizations on quality frameworks who must understand the distinction between requirements and guidance standards.
- Internal Auditors seeking deeper insight into how organizations evaluate their own maturity and performance beyond basic conformity checking.
- Strategic Planners involved in developing long-term organizational strategies that integrate quality principles with business objectives.
- Entrepreneurs and Business Owners building organizations with quality embedded as a foundation for sustainable growth and market reputation.
- Anyone responsible for organizational performance who needs to understand how quality management drives lasting success rather than short-term results.
Assessment and Verification
All units within this qualification are subject to internal assessment by the approved centre and external verification by LICQual. The qualification follows a criterion-referenced assessment approach, ensuring that learners meet all specified learning outcomes.
To achieve a ‘Pass’ in any unit, learners must provide valid, sufficient, and authentic evidence demonstrating their attainment of all learning outcomes and compliance with the prescribed assessment criteria. The Assessor is responsible for evaluating the evidence and determining whether the learner has successfully met the required standards.
Assessors must maintain a clear and comprehensive audit trail, documenting the basis for their assessment decisions to ensure transparency, consistency, and compliance with quality assurance requirements.
