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5.2 Policy 5.2.1 Establishing the quality policy Top management shall establish, implement and maintain a quality policy that: a) is appropriate to the purpose and context of the organization and supports its strategic direction; b) provides a framework for setting quality objectives; c) includes a commitment to satisfy applicable requirements; d) includes a commitment to continual improvement of the quality management system. 5.2.2 Communicating the quality policy The quality policy shall: a) be available and be maintained as documented information; b) be communicated, understood and applied within the organization; c) be available to relevant interested parties, as appropriate. 5.3 Organizational roles, responsibilities and authorities Top management shall ensure that the responsibilities and authorities for relevant roles are assigned, communicated and understood within the organization. Top management shall assign the responsibility and authority for: a) ensuring that the quality management system conforms to the requirements of this International Standard; b) ensuring that the processes are delivering their intended outputs; c) reporting on the performance of the quality management system and on opportunities for improvement (see 10.1), in particular to top management; d) ensuring the promotion of customer focus throughout the organization; e) ensuring that the integrity of the quality management system is maintained when changes to the quality management system are planned and implemented. 6 Planning 6.1 Actions to address risks and opportunities 6.1.1 When planning for the quality management system, the organization shall consider the issues referred to in 4.1 and the requirements referred to in 4.2 and determine the risks and opportunities that need to be addressed to: a) give assurance that the quality management system can achieve its intended result(s); b) enhance desirable effects; c) prevent, or reduce, undesired effects; d) achieve improvement. 6.1.2 The organization shall plan: a) actions to address these risks and opportunities; b) how to: 1) integrate and implement the actions into its quality management system processes (see 4.4); 2) evaluate the effectiveness of these actions. Actions taken to address risks and opportunities shall be proportionate to the potential impact on the conformity of products and services. NOTE 1 Options to address risks can include avoiding risk, taking risk in order to pursue an opportunity, eliminating the risk source, changing the likelihood or consequences, sharing the risk, or retaining risk by informed decision. NOTE 2 Opportunities can lead to the adoption of new practices, launching new products, opening new markets, addressing new customers, building partnerships, using new technology and other desirable and viable possibilities to address the organization’s or its customers’ needs. 6.2 Quality objectives and planning to achieve them 6.2.1 The organization shall establish quality objectives at relevant functions, levels and processes needed for the quality management system. The quality objectives shall: a) be consistent with the quality policy; b) be measurable; c) take into account applicable requirements; d) be relevant to conformity of products and services and to enhancement of customer satisfaction; e) be monitored; f) be communicated; g) be updated as appropriate. The organization shall maintain documented information on the quality objectives. 6.2.2 When planning how to achieve its quality objectives, the organization shall determine: a) what will be done; b) what resources will be required; c) who will be responsible; d) when it will be completed; e) how the results will be evaluated. 6.3 Planning of changes When the organization determines the need for changes to the quality management system, the changes shall be carried out in a planned manner (see 4.4). The organization shall consider: a) the purpose of the changes and their potential consequences; b) the integrity of the quality management system; c) the availability of resources; d) the allocation or reallocation of responsibilities and authorities. 7 Support 7.1 Resources 7.1.1 General The organization shall determine and provide the resources needed for the establishment, implementation, maintenance and continual improvement of the quality management system. The organization shall consider: a) the capabilities of, and constraints on, existing internal resources; b) what needs to be obtained from external providers. 7.1.2 People The organization shall determine and provide the persons necessary for the effective implementation of its quality management system and for the operation and control of its processes. 7.1.3 Infrastructure The organization shall determine, provide and maintain the infrastructure necessary for the operation of its processes and to achieve conformity of products and services. NOTE Infrastructure can include: a) buildings and associated utilities; b) equipment, including hardware and software; c) transportation resources; d) information and communication technology. 7.1.4 Environment for the operation of processes The organization shall determine, provide and maintain the environment necessary for the operation of its processes and to achieve conformity of products and services. NOTE A suitable environment can be a combination of human and physical factors, such as: a) social (e.g. non-discriminatory, calm, non-confrontational); b) psychological (e.g. stress-reducing, burnout prevention, emotionally protective); c) physical (e.g. temperature, heat, humidity, light, airflow, hygiene, noise). These factors can differ substantially depending on the products and services provided. 7.1.5 Monitoring and measuring resources 7.1.5.1 General The organization shall determine and provide the resources needed to ensure valid and reliable results when monitoring or measuring is used to verify the conformity of products and services to requirements. The organization shall ensure that the resources provided: a) are suitable for the specific type of monitoring and measurement activities being undertaken; b) are maintained to ensure their continuing fitness for their purpose. The organization shall retain appropriate documented information as evidence of fitness for purpose of the monitoring and measurement resources. 7.1.5.2 Measurement traceability When measurement traceability is a requirement, or is considered by the organization to be an essential part of providing confidence in the validity of measurement results, measuring equipment shall be: a) calibrated or verified, or both, at specified intervals, or prior to use, against measurement standards traceable to international or national measurement standards; when no such standards exist, the basis used for calibration or verification shall be retained as documented information; b) identified in order to determine their status; c) safeguarded from adjustments, damage or deterioration that would invalidate the calibration status and subsequent measurement results. The organization shall determine if the validity of previous measurement results has been adversely affected when measuring equipment is found to be unfit for its intended purpose, and shall take appropriate action as necessary. 7.1.6 Organizational knowledge The organization shall determine the knowledge necessary for the operation of its processes and to achieve conformity of products and services. This knowledge shall be maintained and be made available to the extent necessary. When addressing changing needs and trends, the organization shall consider its current knowledge and determine how to acquire or access any necessary additional knowledge and required updates. NOTE 1 Organizational knowledge is knowledge specific to the organization; it is generally gained by experience. It is information that is used and shared to achieve the organization’s objectives. NOTE 2 Organizational knowledge can be based on: a) internal sources (e.g. intellectual property; knowledge gained from experience; lessons learned from failures and successful projects; capturing and sharing undocumented knowledge and experience; the results of improvements in processes, products and services); b) external sources (e.g. standards; academia; conferences; gathering knowledge from customers or external providers). 7.2 Competence The organization shall: a) determine the necessary competence of person(s) doing work under its control that affects the performance and effectiveness of the quality management system; b) ensure that these persons are competent on the basis of appropriate education, training, or experience; c) where applicable, take actions to acquire the necessary competence, and evaluate the effectiveness of the actions taken; d) retain appropriate documented information as evidence of competence. NOTE Applicable actions can include, for example, the provision of training to, the mentoring of, or the re- assignment of currently employed persons; or the hiring or contracting of competent persons. 7.3 Awareness The organization shall ensure that persons doing work under the organization’s control are aware of: a) the quality policy; b) relevant quality objectives; c) their contribution to the effectiveness of the quality management system, including the benefits of improved performance; d) the implications of not conforming with the quality management system requirements. 7.4 Communication The organization shall determine the internal and external communications relevant to the quality management system, including: a) on what it will communicate; b) when to communicate; c) with whom to communicate; d) how to communicate; e) who communicates.