ISO
9001:2015 QMS Awareness - Leadership
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What does leadership matter in a quality
management system?
Leadership matters much in a quality management
system. It is in the core of the system. Leadership is one of the quality
management principles on which ISO 9001:2015 QMS standard is based. If we read
the standard, we note that clause 5 of the standard mentions requirements
related to leadership requirements.
Leaders establish unity of purpose, direction and
engagement of people in the organization that align organization's strategies,
policies, processes in achieving quality objectives. Leaders focus on
communication by listening to the people and defines a strategic plan or
direction of the organization. Leaders help people to work in a team.
Leaders in an organization should create and
maintain the internal environment in which people can fully engage themselves
to achieve organization's quality objectives. For this top management of the
organization needs to play leadership role through its commitment, action and
communication. They should communicate to the people in the organization the
importance of meeting requirements. They need to establish quality policy,
ensure ensuring establishing quality objectives at relevant functions, levels
and processes, ensure availability of resources and conduct management reviews.
The leaders of the organization should:
- be proactive,
- understand and respect to changes that are
visible in the industry environment,
- establish clear vision of the organization,
- build trust, eliminate fear and motivate people.
Benefits that may be derived from the use of
'leadership' principle include:
- Employee's motivation towards organization's
goals and objectives
- Better understanding of organization's objectives
- Better communication within the organization
In this connection a leader should practice 5-E of
leadership, which are as under:
1. Equality: Everyone is equal. Don't be Biased. Be fair in
your acts.
2. Expectations: Be realistic at setting expectations, objectives
and goals. Have an eye on expectations, objectives and goals. Understand the
strengths, weaknesses and areas of improvement of your team.
3. Emotional Intelligence: Understand that people have emotions and even
you do. Use them intelligently.
4. Empower: Empower your people. Be a catalyst for your team
members. Be their coach and mentor.
5. Evolve: Evolve every one of your team to work as a team
member. And when they are evolved as a team, you are evolved as a leader.
Clause 5 of ISO 9001:2015 QMS standard deals with
the requirements related to leadership that describes what the top management's
role should be. All requirements in this section are meant for the top
management. ISO 9001:2015 QMS standard requires increased role for the top
management. Leadership is the central theme of the quality management system
and Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle that is applied to the quality management
system.
In organizations, leadership role is on the top management.
Top management = Leaders of the organization =
Individual or group of people, at the highest level in the organization, who
directs and control the organization.
Requirements for leadership
Requirements for leadership are mentioned in clause 5 of ISO 9001:2015 QMS standard. The relevant sub-clauses of Clause 5 of the
standard are as under:
5 Leadership
5.1 Leadership and commitment
5.1.1 General
5.1.2 Customer focus
5.2 Policy
5.2.1 Establishing the quality policy
5.2.2 Communicating the quality policy
5.3 Organizational roles, responsibilities and
authorities
Leadership and commitment
Top management needs to demonstrate – (1)
Leadership and commitment with respect to the quality management, and (2)
Leadership and commitment with respect to the customer focus.
Top management needs to take accountability for
the effectiveness of the quality management system being implemented in the
organization.
Top management needs to ensure – (1) Establishing
quality policy and quality objectives (compatible with the organization’s
context and strategic direction), (2) Integrating quality management system requirements
into the organization’s business processes, (3) Availability of resources needed
for the quality management system, and (4) the quality management system (QMS)
achieves intended results (i.e., what is expected).
Business = Activities that are carried out in
the organization and are basic to the purpose of the organization’s existence.
Top management needs to ensure determining,
understanding and consistently meeting – (1) Customer requirements, and (2) Applicable
legal requirements.
Legal requirements = Statutory and regulatory
requirements
Top management needs to promote – (1) Use of
process approach, (2) Use of risk-based thinking, and (3) Improvements.
Top management needs to communicate – (1)
Importance of effective quality management, and (2) Importance of meeting quality
management system requirements.
Top management needs to engage and direct –
Persons in the organization to contribute to the quality management system
effectiveness.
Top management needs to support – (1) Persons
in the organization to contribute to the quality management system
effectiveness, and (2) Other relevant management roles.
Policy
Top management needs to establish, implement
and maintain – Quality policy (that is appropriate to organization’s purpose
and context, that supports organization’s strategic direction, that provides
framework for setting quality objectives, that includes commitment to satisfy
applicable requirements and continual improvement of the quality management
system.
Top management needs to communicate – Quality
policy within the organization.
Top management needs ensure – (1) Understanding
of quality policy within the organization, (2) Application of quality policy within
the organization, and (3) Availability of quality policy to relevant interested
parties, as appropriate.
Interested parties may include employees, customers,
suppliers etc.
Top management needs to make available –
Quality policy.
Top management needs to maintain documented
information – Quality policy.
Organizational roles, responsibilities and
authorities
Top management needs to ensure – (1) Assignment
of responsibilities and authorities for relevant roles, (2) Communication of responsibilities
and authorities for relevant roles, and (3) Understanding of responsibilities
and authorities for relevant roles within the organization.
Top management needs to assign responsibility
and authority for – (1) Ensuring conformance of ISO 9001:2015 QMS requirements,
(2) Ensuring processes deliver intended outputs (what is expected), (3)
Reporting quality management system performance and opportunities for
improvement, (4) Ensuring promotion of customer focus throughout the
organization, and (5) Ensuring maintaining quality management system integrity when
changes are planned and implemented.
Management representative in ISO 9001:2015 QMS?
ISO 9001:2008 QMS standard had a requirement to
appoint a management representative to coordinate quality management system
activities, but the current ISO 9001:2015 QMS standard does not require a
person to be specially appointed as a management representative.
The explicit requirement for the appointment
management representative is not mentioned in the current ISO 9001:2015 QMS
standard, however the activities that a management representative was undertaking
are still required. The responsibilities of all such activities are required to
be fulfilled through the top management. The current ISO 9001:2015 QMS standard
lays down more emphasis on the top management involvement.
As per requirements mentioned in clause 5.3 of
ISO 9001:2015 QMS standard, top management needs to assign organizational roles,
responsibilities and authorities. (Please see previous Para.)
Thus, the top management can assign the responsibilities
and authorities to one or more persons and such person(s) may be called by any designation
name.
Think of
the following Questions
(i)
What
are the requirements for quality management system and its processes in clause 5
of ISO 9001:2015 QMS standard?
(ii)
Who
is top management in your organization?
(iii)
What
is the established quality policy of your organization?
(iv)
What
are the established quality objectives in your organization?
Best wishes,
Keshav Ram Singhal
Please have
your comments / reaction.
To train your employees with ISO
9001:2015 QMS Awareness, please supply them “TRAINING HANDBOOK ON ISO 9001:2015QMS AWARENESS” (ASIN: B093YFFY7Z), which is available worldwide at Amazon. Please
search this Training Handbook in Amazon Website of your country.
You may also supply your
employees following eBooks - (i) A Concise Guide on Creating and Updating Documented Information
(eBook) https://store.pothi.com/book/ebook-keshav-ram-singhal-concise-guide-creating-and-updating-documented-information/
(ii) Applying Risk-based Thinking in an Organization Implementing ISO
9001:2015 QMS (eBook) https://store.pothi.com/book/ebook-keshav-ram-singhal-applying-risk-based-thinking-organization-implementing-iso-9001-2015-q/
Thanks.
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