Implementation and Difficulties of the Quality Management System (ISO 9001:2015) in a State University

Abstract: This study explored the implementation and challenges of the ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System in a state university in Central Philippines during AY 2024–2025, aiming to improve efficiency, accountability, and service quality. Using a descriptive design and data from 193 stratified randomly selected employees, the researcher assessed implementation and difficulties across Leadership, Planning, Operation, and Improvement. Results showed implementation was generally high, with Leadership as the strongest area and Improvement as the weakest, especially in evaluating corrective actions. Planning posed the greatest difficulty, particularly in risk identification. Demographic analysis revealed that younger, male, long-serving, less-educated, permanent, and non-teaching employees at the main campus reported both the lowest implementation in Improvement and highest difficulty in Planning. Significant differences were found based on sex and age in specific areas, and a notable relationship existed between implementation extent and encountered difficulties. These findings underscore the need for leadership engagement, risk assessment training, corrective action reviews, and inter-campus alignment to sustain ISO 9001:2015 implementation. Keywords: Difficulties, implementation, ISO, quality management system, state university