One Word document for the quality policy and the objectives that come from it: the policy statement, a record of how it was communicated, a table of measurable objectives with owners, targets and plans, and a log for reviewing results.
New templates, charts and calculators for quality and manufacturing engineers, when they ship.
Top management and quality managers who must set a quality policy and measurable objectives for an ISO 9001 or IATF 16949 system, and the process owners who own individual objectives.
Tip: Write the measure as a formula, such as "orders shipped on time ÷ orders shipped". Two people should calculate the same number from the same data.
Document control
Company, document number, revision, approver and date
Quality policy
Purpose and context, commitment to requirements, commitment to improvement, framework for objectives
Communication
Audience, method, date and evidence
Quality objectives
Objective, linked commitment, measure, baseline, target, due date, owner and plan
Review log
Period, actual, target, met or not and the action taken
Approval
Signature, date and next review date
Example Policy and objectives for Example Precision Co., a fictional machine shop, with results for the first half of 2026. The wording, targets and results are invented for illustration.
| Objective | Measure | Target | Actual | Met | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deliver on time | Orders on time ÷ orders shipped | ≥ 96% | 94.0% | No | Operations Manager |
| Ship conforming parts | Parts rejected ÷ parts shipped × 10⁶ | ≤ 400 ppm | 418 ppm | No | Quality Manager |
| Reduce internal scrap | Parts scrapped ÷ parts made | ≤ 2.0% | 1.9% | Yes | Production Supervisor |
| On-time delivery | Add a weekly capacity review for CNC cell 2; owner Operations Manager; due 2026-08-31 |
|---|---|
| Customer rejects | Open CAPA-2026-009 on burr escapes; owner Quality Manager; due 2026-09-30 |
| Field | What to enter | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose and context | One sentence on what you do and for whom. It makes the policy yours, not a generic one. | We machine metal components to customer drawings |
| Commitments | Commit to meeting applicable requirements and to continual improvement, in plain words. | We meet our customers’ requirements … |
| Objective | A short result statement linked to a policy commitment. | Deliver on time |
| Measure | A formula with a defined data source, so the result can be recalculated. | Orders on time ÷ orders shipped |
| Baseline / Target | Where you are now and where you will be by the due date. The target should be a stretch but achievable. | 94% / 96% |
| Owner / Plan / Resources | Who is accountable, what will be done and what it needs: people, money or equipment. | Operations Manager; capacity review |
| Communication record | Who was told, how (briefing, notice board, induction) and when, with evidence such as an attendance sheet. | All staff, shift briefings, 2026-01-20 |
| Review log | Actual against target each period, with an action wherever the target was missed. | 94.0% vs 96%: capacity review |
Short enough for employees to remember the main point, usually a few sentences. It must still cover the commitments ISO 9001 expects and fit your company.
There is no required number. A few objectives that matter, deployed to the functions that can move them, work better than a long list nobody tracks.
A KPI is a measure you monitor. A quality objective is a measured result you commit to achieve by a date, with a plan. Many objectives use a KPI as their measure.
No. They should understand what it means for their work, such as knowing they may stop the job when a part is in doubt.
Yes. Update them when the business changes, and record why, usually at management review.
COPLAIN AI PLATFORM
Coplain turns the actions behind each quality objective into clear work instructions, so the plan reaches the people doing the work.
Generate yours automatically with Coplain →Related Tools & Templates