ISO 9001 Clause 5.1 Management commitment

Top management should be the driving force when implementing, maintaining, and improving a quality management system. What people do, and how this affects customers (in other words: the quality management system), cannot be effectively managed without a clear commitment from top management. This is not a commitment in "words"; it is the continuous and active demonstration to everyone in the organization that meeting customers' expectations is vital for the existence of the organization.

As a minimum, top management should:

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  communicate to the organization the importance of meeting customer as well as statutory and regulatory requirements (see clause 5.5.3);


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  establish a quality policy (see clause 5.3) and objectives (see clause 5.4.1);


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  conduct management reviews (see clause 5.6); and


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  ensure the availability of resources (see clause 6.0).
   
  In 1994 edition of the standard the term "supplier's management with executive responsibility" was used, while in this 3rd edition the term "Top Management" is used. That means during the audit of ISO 9001 certification, now the Top management will also be audited. This audit will mainly constitute a formal or informal interview with the Top Management.

External Document Reference: Documentation Kit

Quality Manual Section: Management responsibility