ISO 9001 2000 Quality Policy
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by: MarkKaganov
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ement 5.3 of ISO 9001 Standard requires an organization to establish a quality policy. More specifically, the standard requires: "The management" of an organization to "ensure that the quality policy":
- Is appropriate to the purpose of the organization;
- Includes a commitment to comply with requirements;
- Includes a commitment to continual improvement of the effectiveness of the QMS;
- Provides a framework for establishing and reviewing quality objectives;
- Is communicated and understood within the organization;
- Is reviewed for continuing suitability
You may wonder why we even started talking about this simple requirement of the standard. Well, while it is simple, my work as a consultant and an auditor convinced me that some time thi9sngs are not as simple as they appear. Most quality policies that I reviewed, did not meet all these requirements. A quality policy that meets all the requirements of the standard will help you to transfer required activities into your quality management system, and therefore, establishing compliance with the standard. What if our quality policy does not require a commitment to comply with requirements? In this case you may create your quality management system for any standard.
To illustrate my point, I invite you to browse the Internet and see what you find in response to "iso 9001 quality policy". If you are not at the computer, I will help you. Your search will show a list of companies that chose to post their quality policies on their Websites. Let's review a few examples:
"[Company name] is committed to serve it's customers and meet their needs and expectations in the design, manufacture and supply of reliable and innovative technologies and products for [product descriptions] using modern management, engineering and material sciences. [Company name] is committed to continuing improvement of it's products and services to achieve increased customer satisfaction as well as to ensure compliance with the requirements of the Quality Management System and it's continuing improvement." Assuming that this quality policy is appropriate to the purpose of the organization and is communicated, these two requirements are met. Customer needs and expectations may be considered as requirements, so this requirement is also addressed. However, commitment to continual improvement of the effectiveness of the QMS, provision of a framework for reviewing quality objectives and commitment to review quality policy for continuing suitability are apparent.
The second example states: "Our goal is to exceed our customers' expectations continually by delivering the highest quality services. [Company name] complies with our quality policy by: Consistent management focus on quality, Continually improving the effectiveness of our Quality Management System; motivating our employees to take ownership of their work; understanding our customers goals and embracing them; providing ongoing training to advance the skills of our greatest asset, our employees; identifying and solving problems to avoid compromising the quality of our services. [Company name] places a premium on excellence of service. We clearly appreciate and respect today's market forces that mandate delivery of quality services and products. We know that our survival as a company depends on providing the highest quality of service on every engagement." This quality policy, while apparently customer-focused, still does not cover a framework for establishing and reviewing quality objectives and commitment to review it for continuing suitability.
These samples were not selected - I just pick them up from search results simply to demonstrate my point that most of quality policies do not meet requirements of ISO 9001 2000 standard. If you think these quality policies may be improved, wait a second! One of my clients, I had "pleasure" working with, came up with a quality policy that I cannot forget. "I improve the Quality of Patient Care and all things [Company name]" No! I am not joking and I did not misspelled or took any words out of this challenging example!
About the Author
Mark Kaganov is a Director of Operations and a Lead Consultant with Quality Works. Before you invest your time into developing or tuning up your quality policy, make sure you check our ISO 9001 2000 Quality Policy.
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