Clause 5.1.1e of the ISO 9001:2015 standard requires that top management, after determining the quality system requirements, make available the necessary resources for its development, implementation, maintenance, and continuous improvement.
In the English version of the standard, the word “ensure” is used, leaving no doubt that top management must have no hesitation in making sure that resources are indeed made available. However, this statement seems to contrast with clause 6.1.1 of ISO 9001:2015, which requires the identification of potential risks.
The availability of resources could, in fact, be considered a significant uncertainty factor, at least in many organizations and industries, especially where specific skills are scarce, or there is strong competition for resources—for example, natural resources. Designing a quality system, therefore, requires providing all necessary resources; otherwise, it will not be a true project but merely a theoretical model that, when implemented, is almost certain to fail.
From a practical standpoint, allocating the necessary resources must start with assessing the impact that better risk and opportunity management could have on stakeholders, particularly in areas directly affecting them. Even in a customer-centric organization, it is unlikely that all resource requests from different areas can be fully met. Therefore, a structured process must be established to prioritize those requests that can bring direct benefits to customers, influence their behaviors, support suppliers, or assist employees—considering both short-term and long-term advantages.
Demonstrating that top management has exercised its leadership and actively committed to making the necessary resources available for the quality system is relatively straightforward. This can be done by:
- Providing evidence of a structured process designed and implemented to allocate resources correctly (including prioritization criteria for these allocations);
- Presenting proof that each resource deemed necessary for the quality system has been assigned a specific priority and that resource requests have been fulfilled based on these priorities;
- Demonstrating, through a selected case study, how a resource request was followed by the necessary analysis, leading to a decision on whether to allocate the requested resources immediately or defer allocation to a more suitable time based on previously established priorities.