Systematic process improvement using ISO 9001:2000 and CMMI

4.1 ISO 9001:2000 71
responsibility for communicating these changes to the organization to obtain
buy-in and coordination at all levels.
Planning (5.4)
5.4.1 Quality objectives
5.4.2 Quality management system planning
Top management has the responsibility for planning the QMS. Planning
must address quality objectives and all processes included in the QMS. The
QMS may need to be replanned to address changes in quality objectives or
changes that may be required to improve some processes in the QMS.
A point to note here is that without resources the QMS has no meaning.
Who in the organization can ensure that the necessary resources are available
for establishing, implementing, maintaining, and improving the QMS but
top management Top management must also be able to plan for additional
resources if those resources will be required in the future.
Responsibility, authority, and communication (5.5)
5.5.1 Responsibility and authority
5.5.2 Management representative
5.5.3 Internal communication
For an organization to function efficiently, responsibilities and authorities
must be clearly defined and communicated throughout the organization.
Top management has to appoint a manager with the responsibility and
authority to ensure that the QMS is established, implemented, maintained,
and improved. This management representative is also responsible for making
the organization aware of customer requirements and customer satisfaction
measures. Appointing such a high-level manager with responsibility
and authority for the QMS provides top management with visibility into its
execution and improvement.
The requirement for communicating the effectiveness of the QMS
through the organization is emphasized in the standard. In this context,
effectiveness of the QMS is a measure of how well the QMS is achieving
quality objectives. Awareness of QMS effectiveness makes the staff better
positioned to seek and implement process improvements to satisfy the quality
objectives.