Clause 5.5.2 of ISO 9001:2008 states:
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
a) ensuring that processes needed for the quality management system are established, implemented and maintained,
b) reporting to top management on the performance of the quality management system and any need for improvement, and
c) ensuring the promotion of awareness of customer requirements throughout the organization.
We are often asked “who should I chose to be the management representative (MR) for our QMS”?
Well, the first question is easy – it depends on the size of your company and what your company does?
If you are a company of 200 staff working in a quality conscious market such as aerospace or medical devices, then you probably already have someone that is in charge of quality. If on the other hand your company employs 12 staff that sell office stationary, then your choice may not be that simple or obvious.
If you are a small company, then bearing in mind what clause 5.5.2 states, you need to ensure that the management representative is detail orientated, has authority within your company to ensure that things get done, and ultimately is not afraid to cut through internal politics (the management representative can sometimes cause waves in your company). In a small company the MR is often the Managing Director/Owner, although this is not the ideal person for the job it is usually the only choice.
Being the MR of the quality management system is not necessarily a full time job, it may take only a few hours a month, depending on your particular situation.
