Changing Quality Objectives

[lostmanager]

I am proposing that we change our quality objectives,(it was a hit on a recent internal audit). Here is what our policy and objectives is now.

WE will meet or exceed customer expectations for quality, timely delivery, and responsive service. We will continually upgrade our knowledge, skills, and capabilities.
To aid us in meeting these objectives, the company and its employees recognize the following to be matters of policy:

1. Adherence to a documented quality and production system which addresses ISO 9001:2008 and ASME Section VIII Division 1 requirements.

2. Periodic audits of the quality and production system.

3. Continuously improving processes, including tracking on-time delivery, customer feedback, and customer returns.

4. Formal employee training programs.

5. All employees are responsible for the quality of their work.

6. All employees are responsible for ensuring that we do not pass defective materials or erroneous information on to the next operation, employee, or user.
Here is what I am going to propose:
The following quality objectives are examples of what we can measure and provide real results of their status.

1. Customers – for example, increasing customer satisfaction, choice, and value.
2. Internal results – for example, increase the number of products developed or speeding up the delivery time to customers.
3. Providing High Quality Products- record of material input and output (scrapped parts, shipping/receiving errors, etc.)
4. Profitability- for example improving profit, sales or reducing costs or losses.

I will make numbers and percentages that we can achieve on each one. Management wanted me to just incorporate the new objectives into the old but I think just keep the first part of the quality policy abd delete the rest with the new objectives. Opinions please.

 

[insect warfare]

What was the exact wording of the finding? Was it against your quality manual/written procedures, or was it against ISO 9001 or ASME requirements?

Objectives are to be measurable and consistent with the quality policy, but the policy itself is a framework and does not have to be measurable, just relatable to the objectives, and are usually separate from them as well. I'm failing to see why your current quality objectives were inadequate to begin with.

Brian

 

[lostmanager]

He just wrote that our quality objectives are not objectives and referenced 5.4.1 of the ISO.

 

[insect warfare]

Without more information from your auditor, that judgment seems to be subjective at best....did he/she not provide better reasoning for the finding than just "they are not objectives"? This response sounds kind of "5th-grade-ish" unless it is properly put into context. For example, were the objectives not related to "quality"? That would provide some context.

This post contains a link to a Quality Digest article (written by one of our own Covers) that gives good direction on setting and managing quality objectives, and provides the context that you are missing out on. It should, at the very least, make room for debate.

Brian

 

[AndyN]

I would bring to your attention that if it's your policy to "exceed expectations", you might want to rethink that... How will you know?

 

[AndyN]

He just wrote that our quality objectives are not objectives and referenced 5.4.1 of the ISO.

You may wish to revisit your auditor's competency requirements... This is not the audit report of anyone who is competent in reporting the findings of an internal audit and is, what I frequently fear, more like the auditor becoming a "Philadelphia Lawyer"...

 

[lostmanager]

The quality policy is fine, but the objectives are not something we can measure, as per the auditor.

 

[insect warfare]

OK - I just wanted to be sure that is what the auditor actually stated - it was evident in your first post.

Having said that, I think what you have proposed is a good first step - defining just a few key objectives that (I hope) are strategic in nature and not just there to appease an auditor (internal or otherwise). From there, you should be able to drill it down to more function-specific objectives for each area that are measurable. Doing it this way will provide you with a means of establishing value-added goals across the board and collecting the appropriate data to evaluate if 1) you're meeting those goals, or 2) you need to take action to improve in lackluster areas. The last thing you want to do is create a non-value added exercise in data analysis - see paragraph 8.4 in ISO 9001 for ideas on what "quality" objectives should be based on.

At the end of this "yellow brick road" should be continual improvement. You are stepping in the right direction so far....

Brian

 

[AndyN]

The quality policy is fine, but the objectives are not something we can measure, as per the auditor.

The objectives come from the policy...(per ISO 9001) Your policy sets a frame work for setting objectives. You may need to rethink this as there's little room for improvement with a policy which sets out your aim as the stars!

I'd still put it to you that, if your policy is to "exceed expectations"...what will you use to objectively determine that you have done this? Expectations are, by their very nature, often unstated. When you go to McDonalds, you never say "I'd like Hot, Safe, fries"...but that's what you expect...

 

[lostmanager]

OK - I just wanted to be sure that is what the auditor actually stated - it was evident in your first post.

Having said that, I think what you have proposed is a good first step - defining just a few key objectives that (I hope) are strategic in nature and not just there to appease an auditor (internal or otherwise). From there, you should be able to drill it down to more function-specific objectives for each area that are measurable. Doing it this way will provide you with a means of establishing value-added goals across the board and collecting the appropriate data to evaluate if 1) you're meeting those goals, or 2) you need to take action to improve in lackluster areas. The last thing you want to do is create a non-value added exercise in data analysis - see paragraph 8.4 in ISO 9001 for ideas on what "quality" objectives should be based on.

At the end of this "yellow brick road" should be continual improvement. You are stepping in the right direction so far....

Brian

Thanks for the reply. I chose these objectives because it gives us a start on how to observe them and offer us ways to improve. These are areas we are struggling in and it needs to be brought to everyone attention. The goals that will be set will be reachable and hopefully we can continually improve. I do not want to set us up for failure.