Being clear about an organisation’s purpose, context, strategic direction, policies, and intentions is the first step toward effectiveness and positive results. Understanding and planning these fundamental subjects form the basis for directed progress and success.
The quality policy (ISO 9001:2015 Ref 5.2 update) is one of several high-level planning topics for an organisation:
Purpose: the fundamental reason an organisation exists
Context: the internal and external issues that affect the company, and the parties involved
Strategic Direction: the desired path of progress for the organisation as a whole
Quality Policy: a general statement of the organisation’s commitment to quality
Quality Objectives: a desired, measurable result regarding quality
The quality policy is a statement made by top management which expresses their commitment to achieving quality as a result of the company’s operation. The quality policy is more than a slogan, it is the output of careful consideration of the organisation’s purpose, context, strategic direction and the basis for quality objectives.
By developing, communicating, and maintaining a documented quality policy, the organisation is held accountable for achieving the policy's expectations.
Third-party auditors will look for objective evidence that the policy is effectively communicated and implemented throughout the organisation. It is common for an auditor to ask several employees to describe the company’s quality policy. While the response does not have to be a recitation of the policy, every employee must be able to
- Demonstrate an understanding of the policy and
- Explain how it applies to their day-to-day activities. Thus, any preparation plan for an ISO 9001 certification audit should include the quality policy and how it can be applied to each employee’s work.
Quality Policy Requirements
Top management must create, implement and document a quality policy that:
is appropriate to the purpose and context of the organisation
- supports the company’s strategic direction
- is the basis for establishing quality objectives
- includes a commitment to fulfil all applicable requirements
- includes a commitment to continually improve the quality management system
The quality policy must be:
- documented and available to all interested parties
- understood and applied by employees
These requirements make it clear that it is the top management team of
the company that must determine its quality policy. They have the knowledge of the subjects that must be taken into consideration during the development of the policy.
The point of the quality policy is that it should be tailored to YOUR company, it should be a basis for YOUR quality objectives.
Quality Policy Review
Once your quality policy is created and released as a controlled document, it is not something you can check off your to do list and never return to it. As part of the quality management system, it must be reviewed for its continued suitability. This review commonly occurs during the management review meetings to ensure that it is still relevant for the organisation’s current purpose, context and strategic direction. If there has been a significant change in those, then it is likely that the quality policy (and objectives) would need to change too.
A well-articulated, thoughtful and managed quality policy is one of the fundamental building blocks of an effective quality management system. It should incorporate your company’s purpose, intentions and be a driving force for setting your quality objectives.
