ISO 9001 Standard requires a business to establish a quality policy. Specifically, "The management" of a company to "ensure that the quality policy":

- Is appropriate to the purpose of the organization;

- Includes a commitment to comply with requirements;

- Includes a commitment to continual improvement of the effectiveness of the QMS;

- Provides a framework for establishing and reviewing quality objectives;

- Is communicated and understood within the organization;

- Is reviewed for continuing suitability

You may wonder why we even started talking about this simple requirement of the standard. Well, while it is simple, my work as a consultant and an auditor convinced me that some time thi9sngs are not as simple as they appear. Most quality policies that I reviewed, did not meet all these requirements. A quality policy that meets all the requirements of the standard will help you to transfer required activities into your quality management system, and therefore, establishing compliance with the standard. What if our quality policy does not require a commitment to comply with requirements? In this case you may create your quality management system for any standard.

To demonstrate my point, let's go to the Internet and check a few quality policies on the Internet. Search for "iso 9001 quality policy" and you will find a list of companies that posted their quality policies on their Websites.

"It is the policy of [Company name] to provide a range of [services] which is reliable and consistent with the expectations and requirements of its clients; the Company's objective of consistent high quality performance is met by mandatory adherence to protocol, through staff training and the development of personal responsibility for all personnel, together with the provision of adequate resources, according to the principles of Quality Assurance. Company policy is to review and update as necessary the Quality System through the mediation of a Quality Team, whose members undertake the responsibility of ensuring that the Quality policy is understood, implemented and maintained at all levels within the Company." Can we say what standard this company is compliant with? Do you see a commitment for continual improvement of the effectiveness of the QMS? Do you understand how this company establishes and reviews their quality objectives? I did not find answers to these questions. However, the policy does commit to communication and understanding of its quality policy and review for suitability.

Let's take a look at another quality policy: "We at [Company name] are committed to value oriented quality from the perspective of the customer. Quality of workmanship and service are encouraged without adding unduly to cost. Quality is primarily dependent upon individual commitment and acceptance of responsibility by each employee for the quality of the products and services offered, both internal and external to the company. Efforts of continuous improvement focus on enhancement of product and process reliability and customer satisfaction." Besides questionable language, this quality policy really does not have anything to do with ISO 9001 2000 standard requirements. If we compare it to the set of requirements, we probably will not find a single requirement that is addressed in this policy.

These samples were not selected - I just pick them up from search results simply to demonstrate my point that most of quality policies do not meet requirements of ISO 9001 2000 standard. If you think these quality policies may be improved, wait a second! One of my clients, I had "pleasure" working with, came up with a quality policy that I cannot forget. "I improve the Quality of Patient Care and all things [Company name]" No! I am not joking and I did not misspelled or took any words out of this challenging example!