Corporate quality policy

ISO 8402 1994 defines quality policy as the overall quality intentions and direction of an organization with regard to quality, as formally expressed by top management it adds that the quality policy forms one element of corporate policy and is authorized by top management. The quality policy that is required to be defined is therefore the corporate quality policy and not lower-level policies. However, there are different types of policy and it is important that they are not confused so that a policy purporting to be a... 

There is no guidance in ISO 9000 1994 on the subject matter of corporate quality policies. However, in the Committee Drafts (CD) of ISO 9000 2000 there is now some useful information. It is recommended that the quality policy should be consistent with the overall policy and goals of the organization and should provide a framework for the setting of quality objectives and quality targets. For the first time in these standards, a link has been made between policy and objectives so that policies are not merely motherhood statements but intentions for action. By deriving objectives from the policy you initiate a process for bringing about compliance with policy. 

The quality system should be designed to implement the corporate quality policy and hence the operational policies need to be consistent with the corporate policy. Often the... 

Primarily, the designated person is the system designer for the quality system. This person may not produce the policies and procedures but operate as a system designer. He/she lays down the requirements needed to implement the corporate quality policy and verifies that they are being achieved. It is also necessary to have someone who can liaise with customers on quality issues, who can coordinate the assessment and subsequent surveillance visits, who can keep abreast of the state of the art in quality management. The person should be an adviser to the top management who can measure the overall performance of the company with respect to quality. 

Define, agree, and publish your corporate quality policy. 

How do you ensure that the corporate quality policy is relevant to your organizational goals and the expectations and needs of your customers ... 

The 1987 version of ISO 9001 required the quality policy and the quality system procedures and instructions to be documented, clearly identifying three levels of documents in practice, organizations produced an intermediate level between the quality policy statement and the procedures which addressed the requirements of the standard and cross-referenced the associated procedures. This intermediate level together with the quality policy statement was often referred to as the quality manual. However, some manuals merely paraphrased the requirements of the standard, some described the quality system, and others confined the manual to the organization s operational policies. The guidance given in clause 5.3.1 of ISO 9004-1 suggests that the quality system documentation consists of policies and procedures. Clearly these policies are of a somewhat lower level than the corporate quality policy addressed in Part 2 Chapter 1. 

Determine the operational policies needed to implement the corporate quality policy and place these in a policy manual with the corporate quality policy. 

In the context of ISO 9001, the quality policy referred to in clause 4.1.1 is one of the corporate policies. It is characterized by a single policy statement which declares the organization s commitment to quality and the strategy adopted to discharge this commitment. 

While these and many other contemporary quality policies would not need to be publicized 20 or so years ago, policy statements are not something new to the automobile industry. The General Motors of the 1920s under the direction of Alfred P Sloan used corporate policy as a means of coordinating the efforts of several divisions. GM s quality policy was to build quality products sold at fair prices and in setting up an Executive Gommittee Sloan wrote on the subject of quality, A carefully designed policy should be... 

The way many companies identify resource requirements is to solicit resource budgets from each department covering a 1 to 5 year period. However, before the managers can prepare budgets they need to know what requirements they will have to meet. They will need access to the corporate plans, sales forecasts, new product development plans, marketing plans, production plans, etc. as well as the quality policies, objectives, and procedures. 

A Policy Manual containing the corporate and operational quality policies... 

Corporate policy, covering the mission, vision, values, objectives, and quality policy... 

Management must develop and state its corporate policy as it relates to quality. This quality policy must be consistent with all other corporate pohcies. It is the responsibility of management to ensure that its quality policy is understood, implemented, and maintained. The policy contains management s definition of good quality and its goals for quality improvement. 

The challenges were compounded by an audit report by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of United States. During an audit of the computer systems of an European factory supplying to the US market FDA issued an warning (Form 483) regarding the batch validation of the MRP (materials requirement) system of the factory. The Corporate Quality Division mandated that all sites with links to the US market must conform to the validation policy for MRP systems while other sites (such as Gebze) are recommended to follow the policy. 

We will comply with NMLs policies and procedures for quality assurance activities. In addition we will develop our own ideas to improve upon NML requirements. We will set quality targets and objectives in line with corporate standards. In support of achieving customer satisfaction we will seek to achieve product conformity by carrying out quality assurance activities at all stages of vehicle manufacture - from planning through to vehicle sales. 

In what document is your corporate policy for quality and your commitment to quality defined ... 

How do you ensure that your corporate policy for quality is understood at all levels in the organization ... 

The CRS s VMP (or corporate policy) should state during the validation process that a system will be managed under the firm s change control policy or system. For example, the subject system will be considered to be under change control upon the acceptance of the OQ summary report by the quality unit. Consider when the system in question will actually begin to be used to support GXP production. 

All regulatory documents presumably are subject to a tripartite review process. The submission is reviewed by the corporate Regulatory group, which proofs, considers issues of conformity to internal policy and to FDA guidance and checks the factual statements. A Quality Assurance review then rechecks all the previous items and independently confirms all facts and statements. Finally, a corporate review (at or near the top of the organization) precedes the final signatures and confirms conclusions and plans. 

Periodically, colleagues will operate under different assumptions related to corporate policies and procedures. Quality assurance can provide valuable assistance to management, through immediate feedback, when differences occur in understanding and viewpoint. 

Good quality sustainability reports provide the reader with contextual information on the company, its products and services, and its business lines and facilities. They also provide information on corporate policies, organizational structure, and management systems. While each company determines the specific issue areas to cover within its report (based on their significance to the company and its stakeholders), the following columns identify the types of issues that a number of companies are addressing in their reports. 

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