Journal of Quality Engineering and Management

Abstract   The objective of this research is to provide a rich picture of current issues of the company and a conceptual model along the seven steps of SSM model in the field of quality management. Soft system methodology is a tool based on the philosophy of soft operational research that has been used to formulate and manage complex problems. Investigating the effect of this technique is a significant contribution to continuous improvement in competitive environments. Therefore, the present study attempts to implement this model in one of the food industries. It seems that the use of soft operational research techniques along with other tools and approaches of total quality management, in organizations that consider quality as an important and strategic issue, help practitioners in this field. The findings indicate that in the studied company strategy formulation is not well-performed according to the company vision. Also, the inappropriate cooperation and involvement of the staff in formulating the strategies, inappropriate support of staff innovation as well as the inappropriate rewards system, lack of effective communication with the customers and partners, changes in the foreign currency, and the problems of refining with the suppliers and contractors are among the issues in the studied company.