Enhancing Business Growth and Success: The Power of a Well-Defined Quality Policy

During the pandemic in 2020, I was conducting a remote document review for a commercial cleaning business. The document review was being conducted to determine the readiness of the business for a scheduled certification audit to ISO 9001. I was starting my review from the top and I asked the CEO, Janette, where I might find the Quality Policy. Janette proceeded to tell me that the policy was a “load of guff”, and she couldn’t see how this document was important to the implementation of the system.

Putting my auditor hat on, I knew that from a conformance point of view, there was a requirement that the business had a quality policy documented and there was no way they would pass this audit and become certified without one. I did explain this to Janette (in the most diplomatic way of course), however just saying that it is a requirement of the Standard did not address the ‘why’ for her to understand the benefits to the business. Janette needed to see what the benefit was to her and her business so that she could embrace the process.

With that in mind, I asked to see the quality objectives and Janette proceeded to confide in me that they had struggled to understand what objectives they should aim for. I then asked …

• What do you want the business to achieve?
• What is your commitment to your customer and continual improvement?
• What is the strategic direction of the business?

Prompting Janette with these questions, she was able to tell me all of her intentions for the business and its customers. She was actually really passionate about it. I took note of all of her responses to these questions and when she had finished sharing them with me, I handed my notes over and said, “Here is the start of your Quality Policy and now you can set your objectives and strategies to achieve all of these things you are so passionate about”.

Janette was totally blown away and I could see that I had converted yet another business owner to love quality!

 “Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction and skillful execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives.”
-William T. Foster -Director, Quality Assurance Estee Lauder

 A Quality policy is like a compass that guides a company’s journey towards excellence. Just as a compass ensures that a traveller stays on the right path and reaches their destination, a quality policy ensures that a company stays focused on its goals and delivers high-quality products or services to its customers.  

A Quality policy outlines the intent, commitment and purpose of the business. The Harvard Business Review article Why Are We Here? provides valuable insights on the importance of purpose and its impact on organizational success. It discusses how a well-defined purpose can inspire employees and contribute to the growth and profitability of companies.

By connecting employees to a purpose that aligns with both customers and strategic goals, organizations can foster higher levels of engagement and productivity. Surprisingly, a significant percentage of surveyed individuals express a lack of passion for their jobs.

This highlights the need for companies to clearly articulate their reasons for existence and the value they bring in order to motivate and inspire their workforce. Research shows that when employees genuinely understand and embrace the purpose, companies thrive, with over 90% of well-defined purpose-driven companies achieving growth and profits that meet or exceed industry averages.

To address these questions of purpose, the authors emphasize the importance of a strong purpose statement. Such a statement should provide clarity on why the organization exists, who it serves, the value it offers, and the unique capabilities that enable it to provide that value.

However, a compelling purpose statement alone is not sufficient. Companies must also deliver on their promises to customers. This requires effective organizational practices such as placing the right individuals in suitable roles, breaking down silos to foster collaboration, investing strategically, and ensuring that leaders demonstrate commitment to the company's goals through their words and actions.

How Well Is Your Quality Policy Supporting Growth in Your Business?

To establish a well-defined purpose-driven policy, you need to work your way through each of the following levels:

• Level 1 No Purpose Defined – You do not have a Quality policy. You have not stated the intent, commitment or purpose so that it can be communicated with the workforce. The business operations work day-to-day reacting to customers' wants and needs. Your workers are filling orders or servicing customers without any knowledge or understanding of the reason why and the overall purpose of the business and are reacting to issues rather than preventing them. There is a constant stream of customer complaints due to inconsistent filling of customer requirements.
  
  
• Level 2 Unclear Purpose – You do have a Quality policy, however, it is generic, as you have used a template you found or downloaded from the internet. The purpose within the policy does not represent the activities, products or services your business delivers. As the purpose is unclear to the workforce, they are displaying a disconnected method of fulfilling customer requirements. There is a lot of blaming of other people when things go wrong.
  
  
• Level 3 Well-defined Purpose-driven – Your Quality policy clearly documents your intent, commitment and purpose. The policy was established by consulting with the workforce, so they all understand and take ownership for the direction the business is heading. All workers take responsibility for their area in operations and consider the customer their own. The business is experiencing a high level of customer satisfaction and growth. Now all you have to do is continue to monitor and review the business intent, commitment and purpose with any changes to the business, activities, products or services. This isn’t something you do once and forget about it. It is a continual cycle of review and improvement.

Your Next Steps

Internal Auditor Quality Management Systems

AU$1,495.00

The Internal Auditor Quality Management Systems course is a concise, engaging program designed to equip you with the skills for conducting impactful internal audits within your organization. It focuses on audit techniques, identifying nonconformities, and implementing corrective actions to foster continuous improvement. Perfect for professionals aiming to enhance their company's Quality Management Systems.

Learn more

1. Engage the workforce to provide feedback for the establishment or review of the Quality policy.

2. Communicate the Quality policy to all of the workforces so that the purpose is clear.

3. Engage an Expert to support you through this process.

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