International Customs Day & Week 2022

NAME OF FEATURE | THE GLEANER | SUNDAY, JANUARY 30, 2022 17 CUSTOMS WEEK not only to decision-making strat- egies, procedures and processes, but also to the agency’s communi- cation protocol and stakeholder re- lationshipmanagement. Customer focus, leadership, engagement of people, process approach, im- provement, evidence-based de- cision-making and relationship management are the hallmarks of the QMS. Subscribing to these principles allows the JCA to morph into a more customer-centric and resilient organisation to augment its contribution to Jamaica’s safety, security and economic stability and competitiveness. The agency has been using the principles and requirements of the QMS to drive process improve- ments, to include standardisation, digitalisation and automation. The extensive process improvements as well as the commitment to cus- tomer service excellence and the attendant activities are refining the JCA’s profile as a model customs administration. Communication and engagement are fundamental to effective change management. The JCA’s management team and the lead implementers of the QMS are fully engaged in steering the JCA into a Kaizen organisation. The JCA has cleared the first hurdle of the ISO 9001:2015 cer- tification process by successfully undergoing the first of a two-stage certification audit conducted by the National Certification Body of Jamaica (NCBJ). This activity chal- lenged the JCA to demonstrate that its QMS was effectively de- signed and implemented to the requirements of the ISO 9001:2015 Standard, to promote the achieve- ment of the quality objectives, in- cluding reliable service delivery and customer satisfaction. The agency has extended re- sources to develop a robust QMS and is committed to seeing the journey through to completion by acquiring and maintaining the ISO 9001:2015 certification to ensure that JCA is synonymous with quality. As the JCA progresses on this qual- ity journey, continuous improve- ment will remain an enabler of the achievement of its vision to become a modern customs administration, delivering excellent service, foster- ing compliance and contributing to our national development and protection of society. – Contributed by the JCA’s ISO Project Team, JCA QUALITY CONTINUED FROM 15 Tameka Goulbourne, Chair of the JCA’s Corporate Social Responsibility Committee, demonstrates the use of the tablet, during a hand-over exercise at Denham Town Primary and Infant School in September 2021.