Management Responsibility

In my previous blog I discussed the Management Review process. In this blog I would like to discuss management responsibility and the opportunities management commitment to ISO-9001:2008 provides a company.
Over time committed management can, and in most instances do, find benefits are achieved when the managers "buy in" to the implementation process. These benefits can include:

• Improved company communications
• Increased sales
• Improved competitive advantage
• Improved operational productivity and efficiency
• Improved employee quality awareness
• Reduced waste
• Improved documentation
• Reduction in Cost of Poor Quality
• Higher perceived quality
• Reduced customer quality audits
• Improved on-time deliveries
• Improved customer satisfaction
• Increased profits

Unfortunately, the benefits are not automatically gained simply because the company becomes certified to any standard, whether the standard is ISO-9001:2008, TS-16949:2009, ISO-14001, or AS-9100. The benefits can only be achieved through the commitment and dedication of executive management, the management team and the employees.

The ISO family of standards has identified eight quality management principles that, if followed, provide the framework for improving organizational performance. These principles are:

1. Customer focus - meet customer requirements and strive to exceed customer expectations.
2. Leadership - establish unity of purpose and direction. Create an internal environment where people can become fully involved in meeting the company objectives.
3. Involvement of the people - full involvement of people at all levels of the company.
4. Process approach - manage activities and related resources as processes.
5. System approach to management - identify, understand and manage interrelated processes as a system.  
6. Continual improvement - continual improvement must be a permanent objective of the company.
7. Factual approach to decision-making - make effective decisions based upon data and information.
8. Mutually beneficial supplier relationships - an equally beneficial relationship enhances the ability to create value.

When executive management makes a conscious decision to embrace and implement these eight management principles, as well as the requirements identified in the Quality Management System technical specifications, the opportunity for success is greatly improved.

Executive management must not only communicate their belief in the system to their employees, they must also show their commitment through their consistent actions in the day to day business activities.Management can define their quality policy, but if the policy statement remains only fancy words and doesn't translate directly into the actual business practices there is no chance for success.

Management must thoroughly understand customer requirements and expectations and the relationship those requirements have, not only with the quality policy,but how they translate into actions.

Management  must:

• define and communicate company, system and process goals and objectives.
• measure and analyze the company system and process performance to the goals and objectives.
• develop and implement specific action plans directed at the improvement of the effectiveness and efficiency of the system, processes and products.
• communicate the results of the company performance to the identified goals and objectives to all employees.
• ensure awareness of quality performance for all employees.

Management responsibility and commitment is the cornerstone in the building of a successful management system. How management reacts, or doesn't react, will either provide an opportunity for success, or a formula for failure.