Quality Policy - Your comments - Tear it apart

[dubrizo]

Hi all,

I recently started working for a company who is certificated to ISO:9001, having come from the AS:9100 field. I wanted to post the company's current Quality Policy and get fellow Covers' opinion/feedback. I have developed a few opinions of my own, but as always, I value and respect the opinions of those on this forum!

"We at Comapany ABC have the highest respect for our clients, shareholders, and the communities in which we work, and we are grateful for their contribution to our continuing success.

We feel honored and privileged to work with them. We are committed to meeting their expectations, as well as our obligations under every mandate entrusted to us.

We listen to their feedback, and respond to the best of our technical and managerial abilities. We are committed to their complete satisfaction. To best serve these various stakeholders, we have implemented Client Satisfaction and Continual Improvement Programs in every division, business unit, geographic office, and subsidiary. These programs are based on the applicable requirements of ISO 9001 International Standard for Quality Management Systems."

Thank you in advance for taking the time to read and comment!

 

[Randy]

Re: Quality Policy--tear it apart

Pardner, you really don't wanna go down this path, trust me, you don't wanna

 

[normzone]

Re: Quality Policy--tear it apart

The previous QP at my new outfit took up a full page, and included promises regarding (unrealistic adverb) performance.

I've revised it to two sentences totaling 26 words.

 

[dubrizo]

Re: Quality Policy--tear it apart

Can you elaborate Randy?

 

[Michael_M]

Re: Quality Policy--tear it apart

I think the Quality policy should be:

1. Short and simple
2. Anything said should be audit able


We had a fairly long quality policy that was a mouthful to say. During our pre-certification process (prior to stage 1) it was 'suggested' we state the basic 'this is the policy' and remove the flowery words. The flowery words would get us in trouble with an auditor as they would ask "how to you monitor this".

 

[Jen Kirley]

An organization with a policy that cites its "highest respect for our clients, shareholders, and the communities in which we work, and we are grateful for their contribution to our continuing success" had better be prepared to list how the contributions of said shareholders and communities are solicited/collected, processed and incorporated so as to be factors in continuing success.

Similarly, the organization had better be ready to show how the expectations are being solicited and processed so as to show commitment, and what obligations there are under which mandates, how these obligations and mandates are known and how the organization knows their efforts to meet these obligations are succeeding.

The key concept I want to stress is actionability. Do not list things unless you can show the actions you take to achieve them. Remember the standard expects the policy to be the basis of measurable objectives.

 

[John Broomfield]

dubrizo,

Your quality policy should be believable and from the hearts of top management. Your draft included everyone but the employees who are expected to make it work. In my redraft I've removed the reference to shareholders because they have already delegated their authority to top management via the shareholder's agreement to the board of directors:

"We at Company ABC are committed to understand and fulfill the requirements of our clients, suppliers and employees.

To help us to fulfill this goal we continue to develop, use and improve the Company ABC Management System.

Please secure any improvements you need to fulfill this policy via MyIdea! on our website or directly to me."

You could feed this simplified draft policy statement to top management or you could facilitate a workshop with them to understand how their organization actually works with clients and suppliers to create success for all concerned. You may already have run such a session to determine which processes are essential to the success of your organization's management system.

Referring to ISO whatever makes it look like you've not got minds of your own or that you've only just discovered quality management.

Also, write for readers of the Wall Street Journal which I believe is grade 8. Measure this by using readability statistics in your word processor. The policy must be communicated to all who are governed by the management system. This implicitly means they all must understand it.

John

 

[Paul Simpson]

Hi all,

I recently started working for a company who is certificated to ISO:9001, having come from the AS:9100 field. I wanted to post the company's current Quality Policy and get fellow Covers' opinion/feedback. I have developed a few opinions of my own, but as always, I value and respect the opinions of those on this forum!

Firstly, dubrizo, I'm not going to pull your company's policy apart. The point is it is individual to the company, the individual(s) who put it together and the market the company serves. Nevertheless you have asked for feedback and I'm happy to give it. Please forgive the shorthand on the ISO requirements - laziness on my part. General comments on style are just my preference.

"We at Comapany ABC have the highest respect for our clients, shareholders, and the communities in which we work, and we are grateful for their contribution to our continuing success.

Quite like this style - puts the organisation in context with suppliers.

We feel honored and privileged to work with them. We are committed to meeting their expectations, as well as our obligations under every mandate entrusted to us.

Addresses 9001:2008 5.3 b (compliance)

We listen to their feedback, and respond to the best of our technical and managerial abilities. We are committed to their complete satisfaction. To best serve these various stakeholders, we have implemented Client Satisfaction and Continual Improvement Programs in every division, business unit, geographic office, and subsidiary. These programs are based on the applicable requirements of ISO 9001 International Standard for Quality Management Systems."

Addresses 9001:2008 5.3 b (compliance and improvement) and c (objectives). Again style fine. No requirement to 'commit' to ISO 9001 but it is ok to have it - my preference is not.

Thank you in advance for taking the time to read and comment!

I don't know much about the company and the market but it would be hard to raise a finding for the policy not being appropriate. There also isn't reference to how you review continuing suitability of policy and objectives - but there doesn't have to be in the policy itself. I've checked against DIS 9001:2015 (?) and it is also compliant.

Oh, and you can safely ignore Randy - he's just getting cranky as he gets older!