ISO 9001- Clause 7 Support
Clause 7 of ISO 9001:2015 is titled "Support" and outlines the requirements for organizations to provide the necessary resources and support to ensure the effective operation and continual improvement of their quality management system.
The clause includes the following sub-clauses:
- Resources: This sub-clause requires organizations to determine and provide the resources needed to establish, implement, maintain, and continually improve their quality management system. This includes human resources, infrastructure, work environment, and support services.
- Competence: Organizations are required to ensure that their personnel have the necessary competence to perform their assigned tasks effectively. This involves identifying the necessary competencies, providing training and development opportunities, and assessing the effectiveness of the training.
- Awareness: This sub-clause requires organizations to ensure that their personnel are aware of the quality policy, quality objectives, and their role within the quality management system. This includes communicating information about the QMS to all relevant personnel and ensuring they understand the importance of their contribution to the QMS.
- Communication: Organizations are required to establish and maintain effective communication with internal and external interested parties. This includes establishing communication processes, determining the necessary information to be communicated, and ensuring the effectiveness of the communication.
- Documented Information: This sub-clause requires organizations to establish and maintain documented information to support the operation of their quality management system. This includes creating and maintaining documents and records in a manner that ensures their integrity, accessibility, and protection.
Overall, Clause 7 emphasizes the importance of providing adequate resources and support to ensure the effective operation of the QMS, and the competence, awareness, and involvement of personnel in achieving quality objectives.
ISO 9001:2015 Clause 7 Support-why it is important?
Clause 7 of ISO 9001:2015, titled "Support," is important because it ensures that organizations have the necessary resources and support to establish, implement, maintain, and continually improve their quality management system (QMS).
By providing adequate resources, organizations can ensure that their QMS is effective in meeting the needs and expectations of their customers and stakeholders, and in achieving their quality objectives. This includes providing the necessary human resources, infrastructure, work environment, and support services to ensure the efficient operation of the QMS
Furthermore, by ensuring the competence, awareness, and involvement of personnel in the QMS, organizations can foster a culture of quality and continuous improvement. This includes providing training and development opportunities to ensure that personnel have the necessary skills and knowledge to perform their roles effectively and contribute to the QMS.
Effective communication is also important in ensuring the successful operation of the QMS. By establishing communication processes and determining the necessary information to be communicated, organizations can ensure that all relevant stakeholders are informed of the QMS and their role in achieving quality objectives.
Finally, the establishment and maintenance of documented information in a manner that ensures its integrity, accessibility, and protection is important in ensuring that the QMS is effective and can be continually improved. This includes creating and maintaining documents and records to support the operation of the QMS, and ensuring that they are available when needed.
Overall, Clause 7 is important because it provides the foundation for the effective operation and continual improvement of an organization's QMS. It ensures that the necessary resources and support are in place to achieve quality objectives and meet the needs and expectations of customers and stakeholders.