Quality objectives iso 9001. 1. Quality objectives iso 9001IntroductionThrough my consulting and auditing career I have been collecting 'the best and theworst' samples of management systems and QMS documentation. Among thosecollectibles, here are a few examples of the worst documented quality objectives that Ihave seen thus far:. '.to deliver exceptional values through trust of the people around the world'. '.conduct business better, simpler, faster'. '.quality is paramount and all our employees are committed to quality'Regretfully, these 'quality objectives' are straight from the documentation of some of theorganizations and professionals with whom I have worked.
How companies couldmeasure performance against such 'objectives' is anybodys guess. I may be overlysensitive to vague and uncertain goals because Ive had several bad experiences with such'objectives' in the past. When I grew up in the former Soviet Union, day and night Sovietpropaganda tried to fool us. They would say that everything was getting better and better,while we all knew that it was not true.
Since then, I have been unable to figure out howone could say that something is getting better or worse-or even exists-when there isnothing to compare this 'something' with.The interesting 'objectives' quoted above resemble dreams, not objectives. There isnothing wrong with having dreams. Often measurable accomplishments start fromdreams. These dreams might include making a computer user interface more intuitive,engineering a care that requires less fuel, automating documentation systems, etc. Theproblem is that many organizations stop at dreams and dont make quantifiable progressthat is significant for employees, stakeholders and other parties.If we agree that starting from a dream is a good beginning, lets see how we can translatea dream into a measurable objective. Element 5.2 of the ISO 9001 standards, amongothers, requires '.enhancing customer satisfaction.' Committing to such a program inthe QMS documentation is a good idea because the standard requires it and because-obviously-satisfied customers are the customers that continue paying the bills.
However,its not good enough to simply state this dream within the quality objectivesdocumentation because 'customer satisfaction' cannot be accurately measured. I workedwith companies for example that established their customer satisfaction targets to 87, 97or whatever percent. What those percentages meant-my apologies-I have no idea. Simplyspeaking, even collecting satisfaction surveys can be far too subjective.
If a customermarks 87 today, she can mark 76 tomorrow. Fortunately, there is an alternative way to translate customer satisfaction objectives into'measurable specifics.' Since we all are 'professional' customers we can confidently saythat to make a customer happy, one needs very little. Simply give your customers:. What they asked for,. When they want, and. Give it to them for the price they believe is honest.These qualifications are more specific and may in summary represent a meaningful basefor measuring customer satisfaction.Quantifying Quality ObjectivesIf we agree that the three objectives above leading to customer satisfaction are a goodstart, lets see how we can quantify them.
'Give them what they asked for' may be quantified by identifying the number of product returns with the reason for return labeled as 'wrong part' or anything similar. 'When they want it' may be measured through variance between actual delivery date and the target, or requested delivery date. 'The price they believe is honest' may be expressed as variance between our price and the average of compatible products. This data can be obtained through periodic competitive price surveys.Responsibility: Anybody Could Have Done It.Now that we have developed a list of quality objectives and know how to measure them,we should consider perhaps the most important attribute of any task: accountability.Remember the story about those three guys, Everybody, Anybody and Nobody?
Whenhell broke loose and Everybody knew what needed to be done, Anybody could have doneit, but Nobody did.The moral of the story is simple: if you need to get something done, make a particularperson, not a committee or a function responsible for it. When something needs to beaccomplished it shouldnt be handed over to 'collective responsibility.' Since everycompany wants to achieve its objectives and goals, every company can start by assigningspecific responsibilities to specific employees, depending on their expertise and authoritywithin the organization. For example, the most appropriate person to oversee and reportdelivery accuracy is most likely the Shipping Manager. The most appropriate person toreport on customer retention is the Customer Service Manager; the most appropriateperson to report on pricing would be the VP of Marketing, etc.Review Frequencies. Now that we have identified our objectives and associated responsibilities, we need todefine practical frequencies for the review of each objective. These reviews, orperformance appraisals, are usually conducted by management or delegated to lowertactical forums.
Top level management reviews are conducted monthly, quarterly orannually, while tactical reviews on departmental levels may be conducted daily, weekly,monthly or quarterly.Setting Practical Quality GoalsThere is a saying: 'Be careful what you wish for - you just may get it!' If this is true andwe wished we could deliver our products to our customers all the time and every time itcould come true! Unfortunately, this wisdom is not for everybody. Some time ago Iworked with a company that took an opposite approach. When I interviewed the OrderProcessing Manager and examined their records, I learned that their delivery accuracywas somewhere around 60 percent with delays of up to 30 days.What are your goals in improving delivery?' Reach 80 percent,' the manager replied.
'How often do your customers want shipmentson time?' All the time,' she replied.' Why is your goal not 100 percent then?'
'It will de-motivate employees to missthe goal most of the time,' she answered.It was very thoughtful of the manager and the entire organization to be concerned withtheir employees moral and motivation but contradictory to the companys policy to 'meetor exceed customer expectations.' Do we stop aiming at the center of the target whenwere shooting darts even if we do not hit the center every time?
Sometimes I wonderwhy some organizations apply different standards to their employers, service providersand suppliers than to themselves. Wouldnt it be fair to try to be 100 percent on timewhen we deliver products when we ourselves expect our employer to be on time with ourmonthly or bimonthly paychecks?AfterwardBy using the simple approaches addressed in this paper, you may develop a powerfulquality management tool that will allow your business to assess its performancecharacteristics based on data and not feelings. As a matter of fact, my most successfulclients developed and started using full-blown Balanced Scorecards to manage theirquality, business and other objectives. Such scorecards may include financial, quality,environmental, process realization and other business systems.As an old Chinese saying goes, a three-year journey starts from the first step.
I hope thisinformation helps other professionals realize how measurable objectives, their target. values and their periodic reviews will lead their companies to achieve their businessgoals.
Aim high, do not be afraid of missing targets (sometimes) and good luck inreaching your measurable quality objectives and goals.If you want to download over free 50 ebook for iso 9001 standard, you can visit:regards.
The new ISO 9001:2015 places strong emphasis on Quality Objectives. How do these objectives fit into the overall business strategy? How can they be implemented smoothly and what extra value can they bring to the business? Business Goals All organisations will have a set of business goals.
The most popular ones are based on increasing revenue and will concentrate on the growth of the company. In order to achieve these goals, objectives are set and a strategy or plan is put into place to achieve them.
Quality Objectives The same concept applies when it comes to implementing ISO 9001:2015. The inclusion of quality objectives that match the business goals is a key element of the new version of the standard. When the quality objectives are set a suitable plan will be put in place to achieve them and this should complement the overall business goals. Quality objectives are like a statement of improvement. The concept of a QMS is to operate to best practice and strive for continuous improvement. The objectives will centre on the product, the customer and the performance of the business.
It will also take into account the effectiveness of the quality management system. Objectives relating to customers If your goal is to improve customer satisfaction then your objectives may be around improving delivery time or implementing a satisfactory returns policy. You will then build a plan around this and measure its success. By addressing any issues that arise it can be improved each time until the level is acceptable and the objective is reached. Objectives relating to products If your goal is to have a better performing product your objectives may be around reducing defects in the product and achieving uniformity.
You will need to put a plan in place as to how these improvements will be made. Objectives relating to processes A quality objective can be based around your processes. An example of this is where you want to increase productivity and maybe this can be done by implementing SOPs. The results of this will be easy to measure and it will become quite clear when objectives are met. Objectives relating to resources A quality objective can be based around your resources. Competency to do the job assigned might be an objective and where this is not met some additional training for the staff member could be the answer. SMART Objectives As with all objectives, quality objectives need to be SMART.
Quality Objectives Iso 9001 Kpi
That is, they need to be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely. If any of these elements are missing then there will be issues.
If they are not specific and measurable it will be difficult to see if there has been success. If they are not realistic and achievable then it will be difficult to motivate the team to be involved. A time element needs to be included so there is a structure around the process. The quality objectives associated with ISO 9001:2015 should be compatible with the business goals. They should be SMART. They should also enhance the organisations operation and lead to improvements that benefit all stakeholders. ISO 9001:2015 has many additional benefits to business and has proven itself to be a great business tool.
If you are considering implementing a quality management system within your organisation or are transitioning from the old version please get in contact with us to see what assistance we can offer you.
Sample Quality Policy And Objectives
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