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Monday, January 18, 2016
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management representative

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    As any other manager, role of the Management Representative is that of planning, organizing, monitoring, evaluating, and reporting.
    As any other manager, role of the Management Representative is that of planning, organizing, monitoring, evaluating, and reporting.

    ISO 9001:2008 requires that an organization’s top management appoints a Management Representative (MR) in their quality management system (QMS). The chosen person has to be part of management and they will have to undertake a series of responsibilities that are specified in the standard.

    When choosing the Management Representative, top management has little guidance on who should carry out such a role; ISO 9001, doesn’t state who this person should be and how they will be selected. In most cases, the person appointed is the Quality Assurance Manager; however, this is not a requirement, any member of management can assume the role of Management Representative as long as the person has the necessary knowledge and skills to ensure the QMS is successfully implemented and maintained.

    A Management Representative is not just someone that will receive the Certification Body’s auditors on the day of the certification audit. It’s someone capable of coordinating the necessary activities that will put in place an effective QMS. Someone who is a leader, who cares about customer satisfaction and who is committed to guiding the organization in meeting the requirements of ISO 9001.

    Those organizations that wish to ensure an effective QMS should take the time to carefully chose the Management Representative to make sure that they are someone who:

    • Knows and understands the organization’s processes.
    • Has sufficient knowledge and experience related to the development, implementation and maintenance of management systems.
    • Has experience dealing with directors and senior managers.
    • Has the ability to communicate effectively at all levels.
    • Is a decision maker. In some cases, the Management Representative will have to make independent decisions.
    • Is capable of representing the organization before certification bodies, regulatory bodies, and any other interested parties.

    These are the main traits that a Management Representative should posses. A good Management Representative will ensure that a successful QMS is implemented and improved over time, and even though the Management Representative has great responsibilities within the QMS, it does not mean that the entire system relies on their shoulders. Every member of top management have their share of responsibilities and every function within the organization will ultimately influence the outcome of the organization’s QMS.

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      Auditor Training

      Every organization that has decided to implement a quality management system (QMS) based on ISO 9001 is required to have a management representative (MR) that has been appointed by top management. The person assigned as the Management Representative will have an important role within the development of the organization’s QMS.

      As any other manager, role of the Management Representative is that of planning, organizing, monitoring, evaluating, and reporting.
      As any other manager, role of the Management Representative is that of planning, organizing, monitoring, evaluating, and reporting.

      The Management Representative’s main role is that of a project coordinator. They will have to coordinate and guide each process owner in the correct implementation and maintenance of the QMS. As it is mentioned in the ISO 9001 standard, they will have to ensure the following:

      • Ensure that processes needed for the QMS are established, implemented and maintained.
      • Make sure that top management is well aware of the performance of the QMS and if there is a need for improvement.
      • Ensure that everyone in the organizations understands how the outcome of their activities will affect the organization in meeting their customer’s requirements.

      As any other manager, their role is that of planning, organizing, monitoring, evaluating, and reporting. The Management Representative does not have to do all the work, they only have to make sure that the implementation process is carried out accordingly, and after the implementation, they will have to ensure that the QMS is maintained and improved.

      The role of a Management Representative is a challenging one, and top management needs to make sure that the Management Representative has the necessary resources to accomplish all the responsibilities that this role demands.

      Many believe that the Management Representative in an ISO 9001 quality management system (QMS) is the owner of the system. This is a mistake. While the Management Representative does play an important role in the success of the QMS, they can not be entirely accountable for the outcome of an organization’s QMS.

      The ISO 9001 QMS belongs to the organization that has decided to implement it and that has committed to providing their customers with quality products and services on a continuous basis. Top management is responsible for choosing the most suitable person as their Management Representative, one that has all the skills and knowledge to carry through one of the most important roles within the QMS.

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        ISO 9001:2008 quality management system (QMS) standard requires for top management to appoint a Management Representative (MR). As stated in the standard, this Management Representative is someone who, regardless of other duties, is responsible and has the authority for:

        • ensuring that processes needed for the quality management system are established, implemented and maintained,
        • reporting to top management on the performance of the quality management system and any need for improvement, and
        • ensuring the promotion of awareness of customer requirements throughout the organization.

        NOTE: The responsibility of a management representative can include liaison with external parties on matters relating to the quality management system.

        Let’s take a closer look at these responsibilities:

        Ensure that processes needed for the QMS are established, implemented and maintained

        The Management Representative is responsible for assisting everyone (the process owners) in meeting the requirements of ISO 9001 and developing their processes according to what the organization’s QMS has established. The MR should provide guidance and training in order to motivate and ensure that everyone is carrying out their responsibilities within the QMS in an effective and efficient way.

        Here it’s important to highlight that the establishment and maintenance of the QMS is the organization’s responsibility; the success or failure of a QMS should never fall upon one person.

        Report to top management on the performance of the QMS and any need for improvement

        The Management Representative is required to inform to top management if the QMS is working well or not by providing details of the areas that are in need of attention and the ones that can be improved. He/she should also establish trends to determine the direction of the QMS’s performance.

        All the relevant information regarding the QMS doesn’t have to be collected and analyzed by the MR. Every process owner should handle and keep record of their process’s information and the Management Representative should only process this information to determine an overall view of the QMS in order for management to take the necessary actions.

        Ensure the promotion of awareness of customer requirements throughout the organization.

        One of the main objectives of ISO 9001 is to assist organizations in meeting customer requirements, thus, the Management Representative should ensure that everyone understands that their job can directly or indirectly influence this objective.

        The Management Representative doesn’t necessarily have to carry out all of these activities; he/she just has to make sure that they are all taking place.

        As it is obvious, the Management Representative should be a member of the organization’s top management. The Management Representative should be a competent person with a high level of knowledge and understanding of ISO 9001 since he/she will be the main coordinator of the establishment and maintenance of the organization’s QMS.

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