Self-paced quality management courses
From the first terms to the method you are accountable for: 8D, FMEA, SPC, MSA, PPAP, ISO 9001, auditing and more. Built by a supplier quality engineer, not a course factory.
See the courses Templates firstIf you're new to quality management
Two courses that build on each other. The first clears up the terms, the second brings them into your working day.
Your first day in quality management
For anyone new to quality, or moving in from another function. Clarifies what quality actually means, why the process is the boss, and which tools exist.
See what's inside
- What is quality?
- The process is the boss
- Creating order
- Standards and certification
- The toolbox
- Day one in quality management
From theory into daily work
The follow-on course: steering the quality control loop yourself, working through defects systematically, using data, and holding your ground in an audit.
See what's inside
- From theory to daily practice
- Steering the quality loop yourself
- Working through defects systematically
- Prevention in daily work
- Working with data
- In the team and in the audit
Master a method end to end
Seven units, more than 200 learning cards, at your own pace. For people who don't just apply the method — they own it.
Work a complaint through, properly
All eight disciplines, with the weight on D4 — where most reports die. Includes Ishikawa, 5-Why, FTA and Kepner-Tregoe.
See what's inside
- Foundations — method, history and overview
- D0–D2: trigger, team and problem description
- D3–D4: containment and root cause analysis
- D5–D6: corrective actions and proof of effectiveness
- D7–D8: prevention, standardisation and closure
- Tools and methods — Ishikawa, 5-Why, FTA, Kepner-Tregoe
- 8D in practice
Understand the standard, don't memorise it
Structure, PDCA and every clause from context to improvement. With internal audit, management review and a look at the 2026 revision.
See what's inside
- Foundations — history, structure and PDCA
- Context and leadership, clauses 4–5
- Planning and support, clauses 6–7
- Operation, clause 8
- Evaluation and improvement, clauses 9–10
- Internal audit and management review
- ISO 9001:2026 — revision, climate change and what comes next
When the process talks and when it screams
Understanding variation, running control charts, proving capability. With attribute charts, the link to MSA, and an outlook on Six Sigma and DoE.
See what's inside
- Foundations and variation
- Control charts in practice
- Process capability
- Attribute charts and MSA
- Steering and implementing SPC
- Advanced SPC
- Six Sigma, DoE and certification
Risk analysis that stays maintainable
Design and process FMEA, facilitating the team, software and digitalisation. With AP logic instead of a bare risk priority number.
See what's inside
- Foundations and history
- DFMEA — design FMEA
- PFMEA — process FMEA
- Facilitation and teamwork
- Software and digitalisation
- Special topics: MSR and n-tier
- Exam preparation and case studies
Part submission without follow-up questions
All eleven elements worked through one by one, plus re-PPAP, change management, metrics and a maturity model.
See what's inside
- Foundations and the eleven elements
- Elements 1–4: design, FMEA, process plan, MSA
- Elements 5–7: measurement results, initial samples, supplier PPAP
- Elements 8–11: control plan, packaging, checklists and release
- Placing it within ISO 9001 and AS9100
- Re-PPAP, change management and case studies
- Metrics, maturity model and digitalisation
Programme, execution, report
From the audit programme through execution to findings and the report. With process audits to VDA 6.3 and supplier audits.
See what's inside
- Foundations of auditing
- The audit programme
- Process audit to VDA 6.3
- Conducting the audit
- Findings and the audit report
- Supplier audits
- Auditor competence and practice
First the measurement system, then the readings
Bias, linearity, stability, repeatability and reproducibility. Variable and attribute systems, plus the VDA 5 against AIAG comparison.
See what's inside
- Foundations and introduction
- Accuracy — bias, linearity and stability
- Precision — repeatability and reproducibility
- Variable gauge R&R — average/range and ANOVA
- Attribute MSA — kappa and signal detection
- VDA 5 against AIAG MSA — comparing the standards
- MSA in practice
Root cause analysis as a system
From the simple tools through structured and advanced methods. Including the part most people skip: steering RCA and anchoring it as a programme.
See what's inside
- RCA foundations
- The simple tools
- Structured tools
- Advanced tools
- Steering RCA
- RCA in practice
- RCA programme and culture
Quality starts at the supplier
Selection, qualification, rating and development. With escalation, complaint handling and the tools that actually work inside a supply relationship.
See what's inside
- Foundations of supplier quality
- Selection and qualification
- Rating and metrics
- Supplier development
- Escalation and complaints
- Audits, PPAP and quality tools
- Practice and strategy
A control plan people actually follow
The three phases, structure and columns, the path from FMEA to plan. With monitoring methods, reaction plan and change management.
See what's inside
- Foundations of the control plan
- The three control plan phases
- Structure and columns
- From FMEA to control plan
- Monitoring methods and reaction plan
- Maintenance and change management
- The control plan in the audit and in practice
Master a method end to end
Seven units, more than 200 learning cards, at your own pace. For people who don't just apply the method — they own it.
Work a complaint through, properly
All eight disciplines, with the weight on D4 — where most reports die. Includes Ishikawa, 5-Why, FTA and Kepner-Tregoe.
See what's inside
- Foundations — method, history and overview
- D0–D2: trigger, team and problem description
- D3–D4: containment and root cause analysis
- D5–D6: corrective actions and proof of effectiveness
- D7–D8: prevention, standardisation and closure
- Tools and methods — Ishikawa, 5-Why, FTA, Kepner-Tregoe
- 8D in practice
Understand the standard, don't memorise it
Structure, PDCA and every clause from context to improvement. With internal audit, management review and a look at the 2026 revision.
See what's inside
- Foundations — history, structure and PDCA
- Context and leadership, clauses 4–5
- Planning and support, clauses 6–7
- Operation, clause 8
- Evaluation and improvement, clauses 9–10
- Internal audit and management review
- ISO 9001:2026 — revision, climate change and what comes next
When the process talks and when it screams
Understanding variation, running control charts, proving capability. With attribute charts, the link to MSA, and an outlook on Six Sigma and DoE.
See what's inside
- Foundations and variation
- Control charts in practice
- Process capability
- Attribute charts and MSA
- Steering and implementing SPC
- Advanced SPC
- Six Sigma, DoE and certification
Risk analysis that stays maintainable
Design and process FMEA, facilitating the team, software and digitalisation. With AP logic instead of a bare risk priority number.
See what's inside
- Foundations and history
- DFMEA — design FMEA
- PFMEA — process FMEA
- Facilitation and teamwork
- Software and digitalisation
- Special topics: MSR and n-tier
- Exam preparation and case studies
Part submission without follow-up questions
All eleven elements worked through one by one, plus re-PPAP, change management, metrics and a maturity model.
See what's inside
- Foundations and the eleven elements
- Elements 1–4: design, FMEA, process plan, MSA
- Elements 5–7: measurement results, initial samples, supplier PPAP
- Elements 8–11: control plan, packaging, checklists and release
- Placing it within ISO 9001 and AS9100
- Re-PPAP, change management and case studies
- Metrics, maturity model and digitalisation
Programme, execution, report
From the audit programme through execution to findings and the report. With process audits to VDA 6.3 and supplier audits.
See what's inside
- Foundations of auditing
- The audit programme
- Process audit to VDA 6.3
- Conducting the audit
- Findings and the audit report
- Supplier audits
- Auditor competence and practice
First the measurement system, then the readings
Bias, linearity, stability, repeatability and reproducibility. Variable and attribute systems, plus the VDA 5 against AIAG comparison.
See what's inside
- Foundations and introduction
- Accuracy — bias, linearity and stability
- Precision — repeatability and reproducibility
- Variable gauge R&R — average/range and ANOVA
- Attribute MSA — kappa and signal detection
- VDA 5 against AIAG MSA — comparing the standards
- MSA in practice
Root cause analysis as a system
From the simple tools through structured and advanced methods. Including the part most people skip: steering RCA and anchoring it as a programme.
See what's inside
- RCA foundations
- The simple tools
- Structured tools
- Advanced tools
- Steering RCA
- RCA in practice
- RCA programme and culture
Quality starts at the supplier
Selection, qualification, rating and development. With escalation, complaint handling and the tools that actually work inside a supply relationship.
See what's inside
- Foundations of supplier quality
- Selection and qualification
- Rating and metrics
- Supplier development
- Escalation and complaints
- Audits, PPAP and quality tools
- Practice and strategy
A control plan people actually follow
The three phases, structure and columns, the path from FMEA to plan. With monitoring methods, reaction plan and change management.
See what's inside
- Foundations of the control plan
- The three control plan phases
- Structure and columns
- From FMEA to control plan
- Monitoring methods and reaction plan
- Maintenance and change management
- The control plan in the audit and in practice
No dates, no seminar room
Pick a course
Every course is made of learning units, every unit of learning cards. The full contents are on this page — price and booking are in the course area.
Work through it at your pace
Start when you want, stop where you want. Your progress is saved. No fixed dates, no fixed group, no travel.
Certificate of completion
Each course ends with a certificate showing your name and the course scope — for your qualification matrix or the next audit.
Common questions
Self-paced, with no fixed dates. Every course is made of learning units, every unit of learning cards. You start when you want and your progress is saved. No seminar room, no fixed group, no travel.
It depends on the scope. The starter courses hold around 75 learning cards, a full course more than 200. As a rough guide: half an hour a day gets you through a full course in two to three weeks.
scope, suitable for a qualification matrix and as evidence in an audit. It is not an accredited certificate from a certification body, and we don't claim it is.
Prices and booking are in the course area. The full contents of every course are on this page, so you know what you're getting before you click.
New to quality management: QM Intro, then QM Practice. Accountable for a specific method: the matching full course. Need a method this week: one of the two compact courses.
Yes, and they're free. Every method in these courses has an Excel template with filled-in examples in the ZDP Quality Toolbox. Many people work with the template first and book the course once they see the method has more to give.
Try it before you decide
Every method in these courses has a free Excel template with filled-in examples. If you work with one and find the method has more to give, this is the next step.
Open the free toolbox