The Quality Policy can be thought of as the mission statement for the organizations quality system and is typically defined early in the quality manual.

Quality Policies vary from organization to organization.

In some instances, they may be a page or two, and in some instances a type of logo is developed.

Commitment to Quality

Most of the time the quality policy is a few sentences long and a good quality policy focuses on the management commitment to quality and the customers.

It is common practice and recommended to post the quality policy in key locations within the organization to ensure it is visible to all.

Some companies attach it to employee’s ID badges.

It’s most important to have it posted in the company lobby so that visitors, including regulators, are aware of its importance and prevalence within the organization.

Auditors will often look for it in the lobby while waiting for admittance into the company.

Controlled

It’s also important to have the posted quality policies controlled.

If the quality policy is not adequately controlled when it is revised it is not possible to update the posted policies with the current version.

This is a common oversite and often results in out of date quality policies posted throughout the organization.

A common misconception with the quality policy is that employees need to have it memorized, this is not the case.

Employees need to know there is one and where they can find it.