How to write quality objectives of ISO 9001

Quality objectives can be defined as measurable goals relevant to enhancing customer satisfaction and consistent with the organisation’s quality policy.

These objectives are initially established when an organisation plans their Quality Management System (QMS) and is redefined during management reviews.

Examples of quality objectives include reducing delivery time, reducing product defects, increasing operational efficiency, et cetera. When talking about the ISO 9001 standard, one of the critical fundamentals of certification requirements is to adhere to the quality objectives. This article will discuss how to write quality objectives for ISO 9001.

Pre-Requisites

Once the internal and external issues of the organisation have been established, it is necessary to establish the vision for the company. The vision is simply a statement explaining how an organisation’s leaders plan to achieve their aspirations for the future. When talking about ISO 9001, the quality policy is essentially the organisation’s vision, and the quality objectives go hand-in-hand. It is considered that they have a bidirectional relationship with each other, as quality objectives help in the successful implementation of the quality policy.

Definition of quality objectives as per ISO 9000

The ISO 9000 family of standards focuses on quality management whereas the ISO 9001 provides details on how the specific recommendations can be interpreted in daily practice. Clause 3.7.1 defines an objective by stating that it is a strategic, tactical or operational practice that helps an organisation achieve their financial, health, safety or environmental goals. 

Requirement of ISO 9001: 2015 for quality objectives

The quality objectives of ISO 9001: 2015 are mentioned in clause 6.2. Clause 6.2.1 states that the organisation must establish quality policies at relevant functions, levels and processes so that QMS can be successfully implemented and periodically evaluated.

This statement allows us to understand that quality objectives can only remain effective if they are spread evenly across the company, at various levels. This implies that the number of quality objectives will increase with the organisation’s size, as there might be several different functions and levels within the company. Four main types of key processes include sales, purchasing, operations, design and development. 

Moreover, this clause states that quality objectives should be consistent with the quality policy. This means that when setting up the quality objectives, the quality policy should be used as a foundation, as the organisation’s main aim is to enhance the quality. In other words, quality objectives will then translate the vision that the company has into actual numbers.

Another important requirement is that the quality objectives should be measurable, take applicable requirements into account, and remain relevant to conformity of products and services. For more information, see the ISO 9001 documentation article.

Measurability is an extremely important requirement when creating quality objectives. A common framework utilised to create quality objectives is the Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timely (SMART) framework.

The benefit of using this framework is that it ensures that quality objectives are grounded in reality. For example, it ensures that business owners set up specific quality objectives, have key measurable indicators, are attainable or realistic and have a specific time frame.

Similarly, applicability refers to customer requirements and regulatory requirements. Hence, objectives must be set in line with the requirements of customer, statutory and legal recommendations.

Conformity is an essential requirement as the ultimate goal of the QMS is to enhance customer satisfaction. The practical implication of the statement is that organisations have to set up objectives to monitor the level of customer satisfaction and consistently measure it against the goals that were set for the company.

Lastly, it is essential to remember that when creating these objectives, an element of periodic monitoring should be implemented. It is futile to set up an objective if there is no actual evaluation of the data collected. Evaluation of data and periodic monitoring allows an organisation to analyse the objectives in a non-subjective manner, so that the company can improve, grow and become sustainable. 

Clause 6.2.2 explains in detail the requirement that an organisation needs to have when setting up quality objectives. The recommendations begin by determining what needs to be done and what resources are required to achieve this goal. It also asks organisations to determine who will be responsible, when it will be completed and how the results will be evaluated. 

After implementing your quality objectives, it is necessary to measure quality objective performance. The quality of data performance should be reviewed minimally at every management review meeting. Performing these reviews quarterly will allow the organisation to address any issues that may arise and prevent escalation. For more information, see the ISO 9001 implementation article

Quality objectives versus Key Performance Indicators (KPI)

Every quality objective is a key performance indicator, but not every key performance indicator is a quality objective. Quality objectives focus on the overall picture of the organisational performance whereas KPI focuses on much smaller aspects of the organisation. Ultimately, an organisation will require to identify the KPI that will help them to track their quality objectives.

We also suggest reading the article “what are ISO 9001 objectives?” for more information.