In this article, I’m going to cover clause 5.2 Policy, which of course is all about the Quality Policy. I’m going to break this clause down and turn it into something you can all understand. You’ll then be able to apply this to your own organization's system and understand what the requirements will look like for you. No more guessing!
Clause 5.2 Policy has been broken down into two sections. One for 5.2.1 Establishing the quality policy and the other for 5.2.2 Communicating the quality policy. You will also note that this clause is in clause 5 Leadership, so it’s not something that is buried in the system. This means that Top Management is responsible. I’d better remind you who top management is then.
The official definition for top management is … the person or group of people who directs and controls an organization at the highest level. I always say that top management are the decision-makers. Depending on the structure and size of the business, top management could be the owners, shareholders, board of directors, general manager, or even a project manager if the scope of the system is down to a project level only.
Let’s take a look at the requirements for 5.2.1 Establishing the quality policy first. As mentioned previously it is top management who are responsible for establishing, implementing and maintaining the quality policy. I always say that a policy is the high-level intent and commitment of the business. A policy isn’t supposed to tell you what to do, it’s created to ‘set the standard’ of what the business is committed to achieving.
The areas to be considered when establishing the quality policy are:
- a) is appropriate to the purpose and context of the organization and supports its strategic direction
We determine the context of the organization in an earlier clause. Clause 4.1 Understanding the organization and its context. Be sure to check the video out for this on ATOL.tv if you need a reminder. This will help you to then align your quality policy with the context of the organization.
Another key requirement is that the policy is to support the strategic direction of the business. I love this. This is so helpful in ensuring that your quality management system is integrated into the business and where it is heading as a whole.
The quality management system isn’t something that will sit in the corner on its own. When I review a company's system I always familiarise myself with its strategic plan or business plan so I can see how well the policy is aligned with its intention.
The next section states
b) provides a framework for setting quality objectives.
This is always a confusing one for most people. The requirement doesn’t mean that you have to list your objectives within the policy. All they are asking is for there to be a commitment or statement in the policy that demonstrates or documents the commitment of setting objectives.
It could be as simple as stating:
‘We are committed to setting quality objectives that align with our strategic direction. The objectives are established, communicated, measured and reviewed at least annually or when changes to the business and system occur’.
You can see that this just simply explains the very high-level intention for the objective framework within your business.
Moving along to the next point, where it states that:
c) includes a commitment to satisfy applicable requirements.
Seems rather vague right? What are these applicable requirements? There are probably a few places within the Standard that require you to determine requirements. You will find the first point made in clause 4.2 Understanding the needs and expectations of interested parties. If you need a refresher on this, be sure to check out the video on ATOL.tv.
Just briefly there is a requirement in clause 4.2 to determine the requirements of interested parties that are relevant to the quality management system. So whatever requirements you identify as part of the process in clause 4.1 the quality policy requires a commitment to satisfy these – that’s as simple as that.
It can be as simple a statement as:
‘we are committed to meeting all requirements applicable to the delivery of our product or service’.
Of course, you can make that more personalized by inserting your own product or service names. Speaking of products and services, you will also find that clause 8.1 Operational planning and control has a requirement for you to determine the requirements for the products and services you provide. This requirement might dig a bit deeper, however, it will still support you and your system in your commitment to satisfy these requirements.
And then the final point in establishing the quality policy states ...
d) includes a commitment to continual improvement of the quality management system.
Yep – yet another commitment is required! And honestly, it can be as simple as making that statement in your policy
‘we are committed to continual improvement of our quality management system’.
Of course, it’s all well and good to make all of these commitment statements. What you have to remember is that if you make the commitment then you have to back it up in your system. This isn’t about a warm and fuzzy policy being created and then forgetting about how you are going to demonstrate your commitment.
Be very aware that ISO 9001 will throw more clauses at you where it will require you to figure out how you will meet these commitments. This is the brilliant thing about the Standard – every clause supports each other.
This is a great segue to the second section of this clause 5.2.2 Communicating the quality policy which states that The quality policy shall:
a) be available and be maintained as documented information.
Easy – write your quality policy up! It needs to be documented; we need to see it. It can’t just be in your head. Normally a quality policy is just one page. Remember it’s a high-level intent and commitment so there’s not a lot of detail or HOW to do things in the document. That’s why it is normally just one page.
Now the next point states ...
b) be communicated, understood and applied within the organization.
This is further backed up by clause 7.3 Awareness and 7.4 Communication further on in the Standard – be sure to check those out too on ATOL.tv.
So once again this policy isn’t just documented to look pretty and create all warm and fuzzy feelings for you. It is required to be communicated – how it is communicated is up to you. The standard is not specific on this. Normally a policy is communicated within the organization by being displayed at reception, on a noticeboard, and as a part of staff induction and training. As an inclusion in staff induction and training it helps with the requirement of understood and applied that this section of the clause refers to.
I always say that the level of understanding and how the policy commitments are to be applied will be different depending on what your role is within the business. It’s a tricky one as the policy is a very high-level document and so it may not be explicitly clear how you as an individual contribute to the commitments in the policy. This may be clearer in your job descriptions or work procedures. You need to see the full picture to fully understand.
And then finally the last point states ...
c) be available to relevant interested parties, as appropriate
These interested parties are what you would have identified as a part of clause 4.2 Understanding the needs and expectations of interested parties. If you need a reminder of the requirements of clause 4.2 be sure to check the video out on ATOL.tv.
We have already touched on this in the previous point when communicating within the organization, however, if making the policy available to external interested parties could be managed by having the policy available on your company website or including it in tenders. It is up to the organization to determine the best method to make the policy available to interested parties based on what communication channels you already currently use with them.
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