THE BASICS OF QUALITY OBJECTIVES (ISO 9001:2015)
Quality objectives are measurable goals & targets established for the value of services /products relevant to enhancing customer satisfaction and should be consistent with the organization’s quality policy.
It is a basic quality management process to establish quality objectives at the corporate level and at relevant departments, processes and functions.
These quality objectives are established at the planning stages of the organization’s quality management system and reviewed during management review meetings, during an internal audit or at the organization’s agreed time /schedule.
Quality objective is captured in clause 6.2 of ISO 9001:2015
“6.2.1 The organization shall establish quality objectives at relevant functions, levels and processes needed for the quality management system.
The quality objectives shall:
a) be consistent with the quality policy;
b) be measurable;
c) take into account applicable requirements;
d) be relevant to the conformity of products and services and to the enhancement of customer satisfaction;
e) be monitored;
f) be communicated;
g) be updated as appropriate
The organization shall maintain documented information of the quality objectives
6.2.2 When planning how to achieve its quality objectives, the organization shall determine:
a) what will be done:
b) what resources will be required:
c) who will be responsible;
d) when it will be complete;
e) how the results will be evaluated” – ISO 9001:2015
How to set quality objectives
Since the setting of quality objectives is one of the first steps in implementing a quality management system it is important to set objectives using the SMART philosophy. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Oriented
S – Specific
Stated in clear terms and precise to ensure that every team member is on the same page – clear about what will be achieved; e.g. to achieve 100% first-time pass rate of products
M – Measurable
Quantify results
This can be reviewed by assessing the following:
– Has the objective been completed?
– How will feedback be assessed? (Providing a qualitative assessment).
– What is the agreed standard for acceptable feedback?
A – Attainable
Ensure that the established objectives are within the organization’s capacity.
Ensure that the established objectives are achievable by putting in place proper measures and methodologies, competent personnel, available resources etc.
R – Relevant
Established quality objectives should be aligned with the strategic goals /quality policy of the organization in terms of meeting statuary or customer requirements
T – Time-Oriented
The date by which the objective is to be achieved should be stated in clear and unambiguous terms
Established objectives could be attained within a specific timeframe; annual /bi-annual, quarterly, monthly or weekly
It is important to note that setting objectives requires the active participation of the top management as they are likely to establish the strategic direction of the organization; set relevant goals concerning the products and services conformance.
Quality objectives can be set in different areas:
· Accuracy
· Timeliness
· Completeness etc.
Some common examples of quality objectives are:
- To improve customer retention by 10% by December 2021.
- To increase team productivity by 5% next quarter.
- To maintain consistency in product quality by 98%.
- To obtain 100% customer on-time-delivery (year 2021)
- To reduce production defects by 5% (year 2021)
- To be successful in obtaining x number of research grants/specific research grants by dd/mm/yy.
· To bring XYZ project to 100% successful completion by dd/mm/yy
How to Implement Quality Objectives?
Here are some steps that you need to follow:
Documentation
Ensure that established quality objectives are documented; hard copies & soft copies and available with the process owners (Communicate with the team).
ISO 9001:2015 requires an organization to document its quality objectives for validation and verification purposes, especially during a regulatory visit. The record of the results can be used for the evidence-backed decision-making process.
Establish Evaluation Methodology
To drive the culture of continuous improvement in the quality management system, it is essential that a proper evaluation mechanism be put in place at relevant functions, processes and departments for measuring and tracking quality objectives. These evaluation mechanisms should be planned at regular intervals so as to evaluate the need for updates or upgrades in the quality objectives.
Review the Objectives
To put a check on the process quality; ensuring that the workflow is managed and maintained properly; there is a need to continuously review the established quality objectives. This can be done either through the management review or the internal audit process.
Address the Risks
It is quite possible that an organization fails to meet the established quality objectives due to some or other reasons; in such cases, there is every need for the QMS team to brainstorm and ascertain the risks involved and put in place relevant mitigation measures. There could be a need for process change or improvements to improve the performance of quality objectives.
