ISO 9001:2008 – Clause 5

In the first article of this newsletter, I reviewed the proposed changes for clause 4 of the draft ISO 9001:2008 standard. Now for a look at the minor change in clause 5, Management Responsibility.

5. Management Responsibility
5.5 Responsibility, Authority, and Communication

Most organizations already appoint a Management Representative that is a member of their own management team. The change below clarifies that requirement.

5.5.2 Management Representative

Top management shall appoint a member of the organization’s management who, irrespective of other responsibilities, shall have responsibility and authority that includes:

I’ve encountered a few small companies that have outsourced the Management Representative role to their consultant. I wonder if this clarification is aimed at that practice?