Do Management System Standards (MSSs) Help Us With the Challenges of Quality 4.0? A Case Study

Abstract This paper aims to examine the contribution of management system standards (MSSs) to overcome challenges of Quality 4.0. With this main objective, the specific case of the effect of implementing MSS according to the ISO 9001 and ISO/IEC 27001 standards on the main challenges of Quality 4.0 identified in the literature has been analyzed. A case study was realized involving the Agency for Quality in the Higher Education System in Catalonia (AQU Catalunya). The results reveal that the implementation of management systems according to ISO 9001 and ISO/IEC 27001 helps with 13 out of 15 identified challenges of Quality 4.0, namely, the innovation capability, the use of appropriate technologies for each situation, employee engagement, system thinking, knowledge management, cybersecurity and data protection, data management and integration, organizational structure, employee competencies, governmental regulations, company organization, resistance to change and leadership. The two aspects of the framework used where the standards appear to have no impact are financial situation and internet speed. According to the study results, it can generally be asserted that the impact of these MSSs is highly positive for advancing Quality 4.0. The paper has both theoretical and practical implications by illuminating the usefulness of MSSs for quality management in the era of Industry 4.0.