Quality objectives and planning to achieve them – Lecture 7
Summary lecture:
- Quality objectives are one of the requirements of ISO 9001 standard and it aims to improve your company’s QMS
- One of the best ways to establish quality objectives is on S.M.A.R.T. way
- The goal is to reflect the quantitative and qualitative performance of the QMS and to report the degree to which processes meet their stated objectives
To clear it out from the beginning – “Quality objectives are measurable goals relevant to enhancing customer satisfaction and are consistent with the quality policy. These objectives are initially established when planning your QMS and redefined in management reviews as needed.” – as per https://the9000store.com/. So, in practice, that means your quality objectives should carry out your previously set quality policy.
Establishing objectives
Be aware that the effectiveness of your QMS depends on the extent to which it has achieved quality objectives. And ISO 9001 standard has its requirements when it comes to quality objectives. Just some of them are:
- To be consistent with the quality policy
- To be measurable
- To be planned to ensure customer satisfaction
- To be relevant to the conformity of goods and services
You can create quality objectives for any process of any part of your company if you need it. Just make sure they apply to your QMS and meets the requirements you have stated in your quality objectives. Try to design them in such a way they drive continual improvement in every aspect.
How to implement quality objectives
The ISO 9001 standard expects you to plan activities needed to implement quality objectives, for example, training. So, before the start, top management must allocate and provide sufficient resources like time, staff, and budget. Then it comes to communicating objectives to employees.
Try to be flexible with your objectives, define the desired result, then let the top management figure out how to achieve the result. We also recommended to communicate your progress in achieving objectives and goals across the company. It’s nice to have regular reports on this progress in staff meetings.
We advise you to keep your quality objectives simple in the beginning, wait to attain some achievement/success, and then continue building on them.
Quality objectives variations
Besides the fact they have to be clear, achievable, and measurable; they also can be divided into quantitive and qualitative. Quantitative objectives use a specific scale that may suggest whether or not the objectives have been met. Qualitative objectives use the weight of evidence and they are based on professional judgment, and usually do not require a high analytical process or a method.
Last, but not least important: since every business, including yours, depends on customer satisfaction, then you must strive to exceed their expectations.
qmsWrapper always strives for Quality Above and Beyond Compliance, and now it’s witnesses its success.
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