Disclaimer: Well you don't give a lot of details.. so I am going to take some liberty and do some guessing as to what the auditor may have commented on.
In a perfect world, a business states their 'mission' in life through the use of a quality policy. This policy is further expanded upon through the use of quality objectives, and a quality plan to address those objectives.
With the advent of the 'newer' quality standards, the above paragraph reads as follows:
In a perfect world, a business states their 'mission' in life through the use of a business policy. This policy is further expanded upon through the use of business objectives, and a business plan to address those objectives.
Assuming that most folks address quality, cost, delivery, safety and morale in their business plan, I can only assume the auditor did not see how the company effectively translated their objectives outlined in the business plan (which are linked to the company's quality policy) to meaningful measures, that were tracked and discussed in periodic management review meetings.
Progress toward these specific objectives are discovered during periodic manufacturing and product audits, and communicated to management (as well as the workforce) to ensure that continual improvement can be documented, measured, and ultimately achieved.
Make sense? (Again, I'm only guessing as to what your auditor saw, and commented on.)