The Eighth National Quality Conference
The Eighth National Quality Conference is a Saudi national conference organized by the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization in its eighth edition under the slogan “Sustainable Quality for an Ambitious Nation” in 2022. It aimed to enhance and develop the quality system in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by supporting the competitiveness of national services and products and responding to the evolving requirements of the business environment, in line with the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030.
The conference was held in Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah on June 8, 2022, and lasted for two days. It featured the participation of seventy local and international speakers and focused on the role of youth in achieving quality through creativity and innovation.
Objectives of the Eighth National Quality Conference
The Eighth National Quality Conference aims to raise the level of quality, support the implementation of quality practices and institutional excellence, and strengthen their role in advancing business performance and enhancing the distinction of products and services locally and internationally. It also seeks to examine relevant local and international experiences related to quality, promote a culture of quality among individuals and society, and invite specialists and those interested in quality topics to participate and benefit from the conference outcomes.
Tracks of the Eighth National Quality Conference
The discussions of the Eighth National Quality Conference explored four innovative tracks: the Empowerment Track, which addressed methodologies that support achieving quality in products and services; the Leadership Track, which discussed the successes of prominent entrepreneurs and founders of small and emerging enterprises; the Inspiration Track, which presented several topics such as transportation, services, and quality during crises; and the Foresight Track, which focused on the future of quality in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
Themes of the Eighth National Quality Conference
The Eighth National Quality Conference addressed several key themes, including quality in entrepreneurship and the third sector by promoting quality-related concepts and methodologies and achieving them in line with the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030. It also discussed best local and international practices in quality and institutional excellence, as well as the challenges they face.
Recommendations of the Eighth National Quality Conference
The Eighth National Quality Conference presented several recommendations, including the establishment of a council for national quality oversight entities across all sectors, the launch of a professional licensing initiative for quality practitioners in all fields, and the development of qualified specialists in standards and quality through a dedicated training academy.
The conference recommendations also included encouraging institutions to apply standard specifications to products and ensure sustainable quality; supporting emerging enterprises and the entrepreneurship sector by strengthening partnerships between relevant regulatory bodies and implementing quality-enhancing programs; launching a national index to classify quality practices in institutions according to their levels; adopting quality standards based on the national gross domestic product (GDP); and enabling all sectors to keep pace with development and transformation through a national initiative to build Fourth Generation Quality concepts.
Participation of the Ministry of Justice in the Eighth National Quality Conference
The Ministry of Justice participated in the Eighth National Quality Conference and showcased its achievements in the field. The ministry’s Unified Communication Center served seven million beneficiaries through multiple channels and resolved three hundred thousand complaints and inquiries, resulting in an increase in beneficiary satisfaction from 71 percent to 85 percent. Additionally, the ministry organized its relations with sixty-three public and private entities to enhance data quality and facilitate services, with eight billion pieces of information exchanged.
The ministry also continued its efforts to strengthen relationships and promote knowledge awareness among system stakeholders by offering courses and workshops. It issued seventeen thousand in-person training certificates and 57,000 remote training certificates annually. Additionally, it received one thousand ideas through the Ministry of Justice’s innovation platform, Ibtikar.