ISO Leadership

Is this a valid statement?

Not really. The revised Standard states that top management is responsible for the management system. If the top management is not on board then company personnel lack the leadership needed to maintain an effective quality management system and achieve the company goals.

C-level Management needs to ensure that the roles and responsibilities are assigned for reporting on the performance of the QMS. Your company may find it more convenient to maintain your current structure, with a single person carrying out this role, which is acceptable. However, another company may want to take advantage of the added flexibility and decide to assign multiple individuals from its current personnel or management teams since they are experts at how the processes function.

What are the responsibilities for the CEO?

Educate yourself on the ISO leadership responsibilities. This will be an important first step in support of your company’s ISO system and its continued certification. 

Specific leadership responsibilities within the revised Standard are:

• Establish a relevant Quality Policy and derive from the policy high level Goals & Objectives to meet the business goals.
• Establish and review individual process goals & measurements in support of the high level Goals & Objectives
• Determine Context of the Organization including needs & expectations
• Determine Roles & Responsibilities for all personnel
• Provide direction, support and resources to all employees to achieve the stated goals & objectives
• Establish and support the process approach
• Determination of process risks and support improvement measures (to meet the goals & objectives)
• Determine, review and update, as needed, Interested Parties
• Oversee changes to the quality system