Quality policy

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In quality management system, a quality policy is a document developed by management to express the directive of the top management with respect to quality. [1] [2] Quality policy management is a strategic item. [3]

A quality management system (QMS) is a collection of business processes focused on consistently meeting customer requirements and enhancing their satisfaction. It is aligned with an organization's purpose and strategic direction (ISO9001:2015). It is expressed as the organizational goals and aspirations, policies, processes, documented information and resources needed to implement and maintain it. Early quality management systems emphasized predictable outcomes of an industrial product production line, using simple statistics and random sampling. By the 20th century, labor inputs were typically the most costly inputs in most industrialized societies, so focus shifted to team cooperation and dynamics, especially the early signaling of problems via a continual improvement cycle. In the 21st century, QMS has tended to converge with sustainability and transparency initiatives, as both investor and customer satisfaction and perceived quality is increasingly tied to these factors. Of QMS regimes, the ISO 9000 family of standards is probably the most widely implemented worldwide – the ISO 19011 audit regime applies to both, and deals with quality and sustainability and their integration.

Section 5.2 of the ISO 9001:2015 standard requires a written, well-defined quality policy that is communicated and understood within an organization. Section 5.2 also sets out some of the requirements for quality policies. [4]

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References

  1. ↑ ISO 9000 quality systems handbook by David Hoyle 2005 ISBN   0-7506-6785-0 page 234
  2. ↑ Project Management: A Systems Afyhccpproach to Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling by Harold Kerzner 2009 John Wiley ISBN   978-0-470-50383-6 Section 2.7
  3. ↑ TQM in action: a practical approach to continuous performance improvement by John Pike, Richard Barnes 1998 ISBN   0-412-71530-9 page 148
  4. ↑ ISO 9001:2000: a practical quality manual explained by Kevin R. Grimes 2002 ISBN   0-87389-555-X page 23


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