In the Past month and a half, our quality analyst has quit, our quality engineer has also quit, and last week our quality manager has quit his job title and transfered back to project management within our organization. This situation leaves our manufacturing/repair shop without any QMS personnel except for a document control coordinator. Under ISO 9001:2000 does an enterprise have to have a quality manager, or can the organization elect someone as a figure head to the recently vacated position?

Historical information related to the events leading up to this posting can be read at the following thread.

Production Supervises Inspection Department (http://elsmar.com/Forums/showthread.php?t=12522)

:confused:

In the Past month and a half, our quality analyst has quit, our quality engineer has also quit, and last week our quality manager has quit his job title and transfered back to project management within our organization. This situation leaves our manufacturing/repair shop without any QMS personnel except for a document control coordinator. Under ISO 9001:2000 does an enterprise have to have a quality manager, or can the organization elect someone as a figure head to the recently vacated position?

Historical information related to the events leading up to this posting can be read at the following thread.

http://elsmar.com/Forums/showthread.php?t=12522

:confused:
Simple answer - no requirement for ANY job title, but there is a requirement for the FUNCTION of "management representative." The management representative is mentioned about 6 times in the Standard.

Wes is right in that you need to nominate a management rep to be responsible for 9001:2000 5.5.2. They also need to be a member of management (preferably decision making management).

I have learnt to dislike the title "quality manager" for a number of reasons (and I used to be one so no offence to any covers), the main reason is the implication that this is the person who manages quality - everybody elses quality.

Do Quality Managers feel the same way or is it just me?

Wes is right in that you need to nominate a management rep to be responsible for 9001:2000 5.5.2. They also need to be a member of management (preferably decision making management).

I have learnt to dislike the title "quality manager" for a number of reasons (and I used to be one so no offence to any covers), the main reason is the implication that this is the person who manages quality - everybody elses quality.

Do Quality Managers feel the same way or is it just me?Words are such fickle friends. One minute a word (such as "manager") can mean a good and needful thing, and in the next, a mean and odious slander, hateful to say and even more hateful to be.

The way around a word's fickleness is to be strong and resolute in the face of varying meaning of a word and hew to the qualities that recommended the word in the first place and eschew the low and malodorous qualities which give the word a vile, perverted, and odious flavor when on the lips.

In short,
"To think of yourself as a good Quality Manager, you must be a good Quality Manager."
For many years, most of which I had a C-level title other than Quality Manager, I have followed this philosophy:
My entire career has been centered on the concept "Quality should be involved in every aspect of a company - including executive planning, administration, marketing, purchasing, design, production, shipping, and service."

This concept holds true whether the company is a manufacturer or service company (banking, insurance, communications, transportation, construction, janitorial, etc.) The major emphasis is on pleasing or delighting the customer while maintaining or increasing organizational profitability. (In the case of non-profits, does the organization's performance delight both recipients and the contributors? If so, the organization will continue to thrive.)

I put more emphasis on "big picture" and "company culture" than on metrics. If all the members of the organization are indeed working together, metrics are a natural function of identifying areas to improve. If the organization is NOT working together, the imposition of metrics can be draconian and serve to divide the culture even more.

This situation leaves our manufacturing/repair shop without any QMS personnel except for a document control coordinator. That sounds rather ominous. ISO 9001 apart, things will probably keep functioning for a while, but your QMS will soon start suffering. Under ISO 9001:2000 does an enterprise have to have a quality manager, or can the organization elect someone as a figure head to the recently vacated position?As the others already said: There is no way around 5.5.2, which says it all, really...

Conclusion: Your registrars next visit should prove interesting.

Question: Why did they all decide to jump ship? It does not sound like a coincidence...

/Claes

Question: Why did they all decide to jump ship? It does not sound like a coincidence...

/ClaesI presume they found voluntary jumping preferrable to involuntary walking the gangplank, bound and blindfolded.

I presume they found voluntary jumping preferrable to involuntary walking the gangplank, bound and blindfolded.Aye, the thought crossed my mind :lol:, but the "why" still remains.

/Claes

I couldn't agree more with what everyone has said. Yes, all of the "Abandonment" for the sinking ship has been vouluntary. When I said they would probably appoint a figure head the "management representative" is what I meant.

I myself am at an impass as I have applied for the vacant QE position. I know the management culture and how to work within/around it. Trouble is, I'm an inspector who's trying to make the transition to QE. It woul be very hard to market my skills set as a QE if I never held the "Title" again those [I]words (Wes) I know I will be leaving the company sometime between now and next year. So wish me luck in the mean time.