Igniting Leadership Commitment and Collaboration
ISO 9001:2015 has revolutionized the role of leadership in quality management. With the elimination of the "management representative" position, top management must now actively participate in the quality system to maintain compliance.
As touched upon in our first post, the responsibility of the Quality Management System (QMS) now lies with leadership. They must ensure that the quality policy and objectives are in sync with the organization's strategic direction.
Clause 5 empowers leaders by holding them accountable for establishing and communicating the quality policy, assigning responsibilities and authorities, and ultimately guaranteeing the effectiveness of the QMS—all while keeping customer focus at the forefront.
As a quality enthusiast, this change is invigorating. Traditionally, top management has often remained on the periphery—praising you when audits go smoothly and criticizing when they don't—without truly grasping the teamwork and coordination involved in crafting an effective QMS. Now, leaders are expected to play a significant role during certification audits, interacting more closely with auditors and addressing tough questions.
When leaders are committed and aligned with the organization's strategic direction, quality becomes everyone's responsibility—not just a department's.
Fostering Proactive Leadership Engagement
Leaders must adopt a strategic approach when evaluating the performance and effectiveness of the QMS. While they can't be expected to know every detail, it's crucial that they have access to timely and accurate data for making risk-based decisions and prioritizing actions.
Clause 9 highlights several required performance evaluation activities. Although not new, these activities are essential for ensuring leadership engagement and compliance with the standard.
A robust risk analysis program will help you monitor, measure, and evaluate the critical factors necessary for an effective QMS. Real-time reports and dashboards allow leaders to access data for review whenever needed. Establish regular intervals for evaluating data and maintain documentation of the results.
Internal audits are an invaluable tool for self-assessment. In my experience, they're often treated as an afterthought and hastily executed to fulfill a requirement. However, an effective internal audit program will set you up for success in certification or regulatory audits. Providing internal audit data to leadership can help prioritize corrective actions, continual improvement projects, and resource allocation.
Management review is a vital activity that enables leaders to assess data from various inputs. Management review meetings can be overwhelming due to the vast amount of information presented. It's essential to have quality data regularly reviewed by top management. Real-time dashboards and reports are an excellent way to achieve this. Most importantly, management review should not only focus on reviewing but also taking action. Unless your QMS is flawless (which we know none are), always seek opportunities for improvement.
Greater leadership involvement in the QMS is a significant step forward. When leaders are engaged, it fosters alignment between business and quality objectives and creates a transparent vision. With clear communication and understanding, individuals are inspired and motivated to work together toward the shared goal of pursuing excellence.
If you have questions during your certification or recertification journey, please don't hesitate to reach out—we'd love to hear from you!
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