5.2 Customer Focus

It is top management responsibility to ensure that processes are in place that can adequately define customer requirements and expectations. It recognises the importance of defining customer requirements in providing overall customer satisfaction. As such somebody within top management should be tasked with making sure it takes place.

6.3 Quality Policy

This is one of the fundamental building blocks within the quality management system and in essence seeks to document the quality purpose of your company. It should define:

• what you provide
• your commitment to your quality system
• your commitment to key role players necessary for a successful system

It should be done in such a way that is appropriate for your company (in your business language and terminology) for it is also a requirement that the policy is communicated and explained to your workforce so that they can live by it. Finally periodically, during your annual management reviews, the quality policy should be reviewed. Is it still appropriate? Is it still relevant?

5.4 Planning

5.4.1 Quality Objectives

An objective is a defined target which in this case needs to be documented for your quality management system. In using and developing your system what targets would you like to succeed in attaining? These quality objectives could be defined at different levels with your company:

• company wide
• departmentally specific
• individual

They should be congruent with each other and the company’s overall quality policy. Ensure that they are will defined and documented realistic, time based and measurable.

5.4.2 Quality Management System Planning

So you have defined quality objectives for your system. But HOW do you intend to achieve them? This is the subject for this requirement, the planning process. To undertake this requirement affectively knowledge and understanding must be in place of your business processes and how they interact with each other. For these processes monitoring steps should be put in place to ensure that they are carried out effectively. Should the processor change this must be the subject of a formal change process to ensure that it is controlled and the integrity of the system maintained.

5.5 Management Representative

One of your management team must be formally appointed to plan organise and control the quality management system. Their responsibilities include:

• ensuring that the quality processes are operating correctly
• reporting to top management on system performance
• promoting quality awareness through out the business

5.5.3 Internal Communication

This requirement is aimed a ensuring that the communication from top management downwards and upwards is consistent and effective. The range of communication processes can include, memos, emails, videos, meetings, conferences, presentations, display boards, etc.

5.6 Management Review

This is a formal review of your quality management system, with time particular interests:

• adequate
• suitable
• effective

Is it adequate in terms of satisfying customer requirements (and other regulations or legislation?) Is it suitable in achieving stated objectives with the use of your resources And finally is it effective in fulfilling the needs of the customer, society, and other interested parties? To conduct the review you must look at inputs, such as:

• audit results
• customer feedback
• process and product conformity
• system changes
• ideas for improvement

...and review outputs, such as:

• resource needs
• changes in products/services that you supply
• changes in the system necessary