Management Representative - Member of Management?

[tnott]

Hello all,

My official title for my company is "Continuous Improvement / Quality Coordinator". I was hired on by a company and was told to implement a Quality Management System. The company itself is going for ISO certification next spring. My direct boss is the Plant Manager. I am the only Quality personnel. My question is..

5.5.2 states that the MR has to be a member of management. However, I am a "Coordinator".

The Plant Manager has only basic knowledge of ISO. I am the one putting the processes in place etc..

Should I tell him he has to be the MR? If I stay MR, will this be a noncompliance when it comes to getting audited?

Your help would be appreciated.

Tanya

 

[Marc]

You might want to start here: Management Representative is NOT a member of management

 

[tnott]

I have read blogs and articles about it. I am just not sure how to approach this issue with my boss (The Plant Manager).

Can we justify that he considers me management in order to comply with this requirement?

I personally do not think it is right that I am a coordinator, but that is the title I accepted. I do not see many "coordinators" implementing a QMS. I am just not sure if I address this issue with my boss that he will just see it as me trying to get promoted.

 

[Sidney Vianna]

As mentioned numerous times before, the key concern is AUTHORITY! What is your authority when it comes to effect changes in the QMS? Without authority, the management representative is the designated sacrificial lamb.

 

[tnott]

His philosophy is that he wants "Doers" not "Managers" so most people have titles like Coordinator or Generalist. Out of 80 employees there is him (Plant Manager) and three managers (Production, Material Control, and Field Service).

I have rarely seen a QMS or a continuous improvement program implemented by a "Coordinator" They are always Managers.

I am responsible for implementing the QMS. This branch of the company has only been in place for 6 months. My job is to establish the processes. He seems very continuous improvement oriented, but I just think he is afraid to let go of the control.

My main issue is I am not sure if my title matters or not. If I am included in Operations meetings etc.. he could technically say I am considered Management.

 

[somashekar]

His philosophy is that he wants "Doers" not "Managers" so most people have titles like Coordinator or Generalist. Out of 80 employees there is him (Plant Manager) and three managers (Production, Material Control, and Field Service).

I have rarely seen a QMS or a continuous improvement program implemented by a "Coordinator" They are always Managers.

I am responsible for implementing the QMS. This branch of the company has only been in place for 6 months. My job is to establish the processes. He seems very continuous improvement oriented, but I just think he is afraid to let go of the control.

My main issue is I am not sure if my title matters or not. If I am included in Operations meetings etc.. he could technically say I am considered Management.

Do not keep pondering over your title vs member of management.
For simplicity ask him to appoint you (nominate) as the MR by way of a Internal communication and let your title of "Continuous Improvement / Quality Coordinator" remain.
Go about doing your best to implement the QMS and good luck.

 

[harry]

.................that the MR has to be a member of management. However, I am a "Coordinator". ........................

Isn't the person directly above the operators/workers - usually the foreman/supervisor group also a part of the management team that operates within the physical operational area covered by the QMS?

 

[tnott]

From what I am understanding is that it does not matter what my title is as long as I am communicated to and have theIt is the Plant Mana authority as if I were "Management".

No the Assembly Supervisor is not involved with communications as much, mainly only production meetings. It is the Plant Manager who is over the Production Manager, Material Controls Manager, Field Service Manager, all of the Engineers and Drafters, two buyers, one accountant, the quality/coordinator (me), HR Generalist, and the EHS Coordinator. So there are literally 15 people that directly work under him. So I am not sure how it is "known" that I have any authority say over the buyers.

I will communicate this to him today and tell him that it is not necessarily the title, but the "Management" perception. I do not think that my internal communications should only include a quarterly operations meeting or that I should have to ask him what is going on with customer complaints to issue CARs.

 

[PE-2011]

Do not keep pondering over your title vs member of management.
For simplicity ask him to appoint you (nominate) as the MR by way of a Internal communication and let your title of "Continuous Improvement / Quality Coordinator" remain.
Go about doing your best to implement the QMS and good luck.

Simple but clear answer and I agree with you.

 

[20110611a]

The MR should be part of the senior management team for the MR role to be truly effective.

Designating one of the middle/line managers as MR may be fine from a pure compliance and certification perspective. However, this is not the best arrangement from the impact-on-business and perceived-value-to-business perspective.

In many ISO 9001/27001 organizations the quality/information security head/manager is allowed to wear the MR/CISO hat but if the quality/information security head/manager is not part of the operations and functional review meetings his/her contribution to business value-add from ISOs is generally a marginalized one.

Note: CISO (Chief Information Security Officer) is MR-equivalent in a typical ISO 27001 implementation.