Quality Policies: Roles, Responsibilities, and Authority

Having a well-defined quality policy and clear objectives, as previously mentioned, is not enough. An organization must commit to helping its employees grow so they can implement this policy and achieve the set goals through well-managed processes.

Only in this way will the organization be able to fully fulfill its established mission, implement its envisioned vision, and achieve its desired outcomes. This entire process should hypothetically start by assigning specific responsibilities to each person and delegating to someone the authority needed to ensure the work is carried out in the best way possible. At the core of this process is the determination of the necessary competencies to be responsible for something and to exercise authority over the subject matter.

To determine which competencies are required, however, a backward path must be followed, consisting of the following five points:

1. examine the processes one by one;
2. identify individual activities;
3. establish responsibilities;
4. identify authorities;
5. communicate decisions to everyone

This is required by ISO 9001:2015 in clause 5.3, although the standard has always demanded this in previous versions, starting from the 1987 edition, which requested the identification of a person to whom the responsibility and authority of the Management Representative were entrusted to ensure that the standard's requirements were applied. In the 1994 version, the responsibility to report quality system performance data to management for continuous improvement was added.

Today, the standard has made significant progress, and it is no longer required that these responsibilities and authorities be assigned to a single person, preferably from the management level, but rather to be distributed among competent people at all levels within the organization. In smaller organizations, there may still be only one point of reference, while in larger ones, these responsibilities will need to be shared.

But what are the differences between the terms "authority," "responsibility," and "roles"? Let's explore them together to ensure we fully understand them:

• authority is the right to initiate certain actions and make decisions independently within a well-defined area. This can also be exemplified by coordinating the actions of others and, to some extent, delegating the authority to make certain decisions to collaborators who are more directly involved with operational problems. A person's authority can be determined by asking a simple question: "On which issues are they authorized to act independently?";
• responsibility is the transfer of activities, tasks, and specific work from a responsible person to others, in order to lighten their workload while ensuring the desired outcome;
• a role consists of a set of expectations and obligations to be fulfilled within a certain context, and it is one of the terms used to describe what people do at a given moment and in a specific context. Typically, people in a given role within an organization have the same responsibilities and authority, although this is not always the case as they may be tied to a specific hierarchical level.

When assigning responsibilities and authorities, there are some simple rules that must be followed:

• through the delegation process, authority is "passed" down the hierarchy and partially shared among subordinate people;
• a manager can assign responsibility to a collaborator and delegate the authority to perform a specific task but will remain ultimately responsible for the final execution of the activity;
• delegation results in the delegator losing the right to make decisions regarding the delegated situation.

These three points are fundamental to understanding how the process of assigning responsibilities, authorities, and roles should take place. The standard also asks us to communicate responsibilities and authorities, which means that the people entrusted with these responsibilities and authorities must not only be informed of their new tasks and the expected results but must also fully understand them so there is no confusion about what they need to do and how they should behave. This is important because:

• it prevents future conflicts regarding what people thought they should do versus what their direct supervisor wanted them to do;
• it is necessary to clearly understand the function of each activity in order to motivate the entire staff;
• clear communication channels need to be established to ensure smooth and uninterrupted workflow;
• it is important to be clear about who gives instructions, who to report to, and who to approach when unexpected difficulties arise.

Without a clear delegation of authority and assignment of responsibilities, individuals may take on tasks far beyond those of their colleagues, while other necessary tasks may go undone. That is why it is crucial that this process is carried out correctly. There are several ways to communicate responsibilities and authorities. These include:

• organizational chart;
• job descriptions;
• job specifications;
• procedures;
• process descriptions or flowcharts.

To demonstrate that responsibilities and authorities have been assigned, the following methods can be used:

• providing evidence of the methods used to assign them;
• showing the tools used to assign them;
• showing a specific case (project, process, goal, activity, etc.) where responsibilities and authorities were assigned to a specific person;
• asking individuals what work they perform, what responsibilities and authorities they have regarding the quality system, and how they were informed about them.