Diagnosis of quality management systems using data analytics – A case study in the manufacturing sector

•A method to reveal how the quality management system really works.•A tool to diagnose how well the quality management system is working.•It uses the power of data analytics to obtain a new insight on the system.•Everything is obtained without additional resources using existing KPIs. The main objective is to improve customer satisfaction by developing and testing a method to study quality management systems by analysing the key performance indicators of balanced scorecards in manufacturing environments. The methodology focuses on the identification and quantification of relationships between internal and external metrics that allow moving from performance measurement to effective performance management. It has been tested as a case study approach using real data from two complete years of the balanced scorecard of a leading manufacturing company. The results provided a new understanding of how the quality management system works that was used to make systemic and strategic decisions to improve the long-term performance of the company. Industry practitioners with a moderate level of data analytical skill can use it to help managers and executives improve management systems.