Although the Standard is copyrighted, and we cannot provide a copy here, we have summarized the major requirements of the standard. For critical decision making, be sure to refer to the actual Standard, which can be ordered from ASQ on-online.
The Standard recognizes that an effective quality program requires the involvement and commitment of the organization’s top management. Therefore, the Standard assigns top management the following responsibilities:
Top management must ensure that customer requirements are understood and met with the goal of improving customer satisfaction.
The quality policy identifies the main goals of the QMS. The quality policy must be:
Establish measurable quality objectives that support the quality policy and communicate them throughout the organization.
Plan the QMS so that the quality objectives are met and so the system continues to work as it is changed to incorporate improvements.
Effective work depends on a clear understanding of each persons responsibility and authority. Therefore responsibility and authority must be defined and communicated.
Top management must appoint a manager to have ongoing operational responsibility for the QMS. This person is referred to as the Management Representative. The duties of the Management Representative include:
Top management needs to set up an effective system of communication to ensure effective operation of the QMS.
Top management is required to regularly review certain aspects of the QMS to make sure that the goals are being achieved and to look for ways to improve the QMS. The review must cover suitability, adequacy, and effectiveness of the QMS. The review also includes assessing opportunities for improvement and needed changes to the QMS, quality policy, and quality objectives. Records of these review must be kept.
These meetings must address the following areas:
These reviews result in decisions and actions related to:
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