ISO 9001 Company Quality Objectives and Targets - Communication to Employees

Hi Cove

We have a quality policy which lists out very general "quality" objectives, however in my eyes (and an external auditor) these are measured through satisfaction of separate business targets. As far as the average Joe in the company is concerned the only targets they are aware of are business ones, and thus when asked by an external auditor - what are the company quality objectives and targets? - they cannot provide a decent answer.

I am creating a QMS for our Middle East offices and want to ensure any such ambiguity is eliminated and set additional, lower level (i.e. all staff are aware of them) targets that are specifically relevant to quality. I already have the procedures in place so that these objectives will be measurable but wondered the best way to make these official?

I cannot adjust the company quality policy - so was unsure what could be used to officially communicate these objectives to the staff.

We have monthly meetings where I will report the progress of these targets to both employess and the Board but am unsure how to make them firm and tangible from the outset (I fear a poster on a wall will be ignored).

All ideas welcomed. Especially if they have worked for you in the past.

In my opinion, the best way to communicate the objectives is to report the results of the process metrics regularly to employees. It sounds like you already have that in place. I'd also suggest that you have locations (such as bulletin boards) throughout the organization to post charts showing trends of the process metrics.

In another post I've attached a tool I use to establish the relationships between the policy, objectives, process metrics, and targets. Something similar to this can be used to explain the relationships, and can be posted along with the process metrics. Example Quality Policy - Objectives2.doc

Thanks for that. We have similar systems in place but yours goes the extra step of demonstrating the correlation between all headings so is clearer from a quality aspect.

As far as "launching" new objectives - would you think simply mentioning them at staff meetings and including them on bulletin boards is sufficient? That method would, at least for now, reach all members of staff in the Middle East.

Thanks again

Peter West said:

As far as "launching" new objectives - would you think simply mentioning them at staff meetings and including them on bulletin boards is sufficient? That method would, at least for now, reach all members of staff in the Middle East.

Click to expand...

I think that should do it.

Mine is set up almost exactly like Steve's - it shows a "flow" from QP to individual KPI goals.

In fact I'm doing training today with department managers on how to develop their own KPI's in order to get full ownership at that level.

After all Goals are set, I will do a training session for all employees to communicate them, and then post them in various strategic locations.

Peter West said:

As far as "launching" new objectives - would you think simply mentioning them at staff meetings and including them on bulletin boards is sufficient?

Click to expand...

Your “organization shall ensure that its personnel are aware of the relevance and importance of their activities and how they contribute to the achievement of the quality objectives” ISO 9001:2008.

If the objectives require things/processes to be done differently, some form of training would be required. It may be as simple as telling those affected that they need to write down some extra information or as complex as an entire process change. Communication to all affected employees with a description of how each employee and/or action helps the company to achieve the objective should be done in the simplest manner. This may take more than a posting on a bulletin board, but maybe not.

Peter West said:

We have a quality policy which lists out very general "quality" objectives, however in my eyes (and an external auditor) these are measured through satisfaction of separate business targets. As far as the average Joe in the company is concerned the only targets they are aware of are business ones, and thus when asked by an external auditor - what are the company quality objectives and targets? - they cannot provide a decent answer.

I am creating a QMS for our Middle East offices and want to ensure any such ambiguity is eliminated and set additional, lower level (i.e. all staff are aware of them) targets that are specifically relevant to quality.

Click to expand...

It sounds to me that your quality policy’s “generic” objectives are more like core goals or a base for establishing focused quality objectives. They should point to measures or key indicators. Hopefully you consulted with process owners and managers prior to determining any specific objectives and methods for achieving them. After all, they have intimate knowledge of the current process. With their input up front, they may be more likely to buy in. Also, the more “generic” the objectives are, the more generic and lackluster the response of the workforce.

Quality objectives should be initiated by process managers. They may need some prodding and a little direction in how to decide on their objectives and how to measure them. That prodding (or training) would come from you. You can be the catalyst. You facilitate the creation and implementation of the quality objectives. If you are thinking about creating the objectives for them, you might have a hard time getting results or even get resistance. I would like to note that there is no requirement as to who shall create the quality objectives. However, to get the best results, those with intimate knowledge of the why’s, how’s, and where’s of a process are likely to offer the best advice for improvement. Give them the tools (5S, Kaizen Events, corrective action, etc.), train them in improvement techniques and your core goals, and see what they can come up with.

Peter West said:

I already have the procedures in place so that these objectives will be measurable but wondered the best way to make these official?

Click to expand...

Perhaps you can use these procedures to train your process managers how to create and measure their objectives. Have them run their ideas by you. You can make sure they will be measured correctly and make sure they relate to your company’s core quality goals. Then use your procedure and internal quality audits to analyze the data and monitor their progress.