Engineering Council

Reference:  ISO 9001:2015 Clause 5.2 and Clause 6.2

DEFINITIONS:

The following definitions apply:

Business Management System:  comprises activities by which the Engineering Council identifies objectives and determines the processes and resources required to achieve desired results. It manages the interacting processes and resources required to provide value and realise results for stakeholders. It enables top management to optimise the use of resources considering the long and short-term consequences of their decision. It provides the means to identify actions to address intended and unintended consequences in providing products and services.

Continual Improvement: is a set of recurring activities to enhance current levels of performance, to react to changes in its internal and external conditions and to create new opportunities.

Customer: Engineering Council’s principal customers are the Licensed Members and Professional Affiliates; secondary customers are the registrants; and tertiary customers are ‘society at large’. 

Management Review: is the process whereby the Management Panel review the business management system to ensure its continuing suitability, adequacy, effectiveness and alignment with the strategic direction of the Engineering Council. The reviews are also used to identify and assess opportunities to inform Engineering Council’s quality policy and quality objectives, to address resource needs, and to look for opportunities to improve its products and services.

Quality: is determined by the ability to satisfy customers and the intended and unintended impact on relevant stakeholders. The quality of products and services includes not only the intended function and performance, but their perceived value and benefit to the customer.

Stakeholder:  anybody who can affect or is affected by the Engineering Council. They can be internal or external and include: society, members of the public, registration applicants; registrants; Licensed Members; Professional Affiliates; education and skills providers; the Privy Council Office; employers; other engineering related Institutions; and Engineering Council staff and volunteers (Individuals nominated by stakeholders, most notably Licensed Members, to work on behalf of the Engineering Council on the Board, committees and/or panels and as Liaison Officers)

Quality Policy

BACKGROUND

The Engineering Council aims to continually improve the products and service it provides to meet its stakeholder requirements.  The Engineering Council aims to achieve this by implementing a management system that complies with the international standard of good practice BS EN ISO 9001. It also includes a commitment to meet the requirements of its stakeholders, as well as legal and regulatory requirements.  The organisation is also committed to the continual development of the management system to ensure it remains effective.  Only by providing an outstanding service and high quality of products will the Engineering Council achieve its aims of long-term success and sustained improvements. 

SCOPE 

Adherence to this policy applies to all Engineering Council staff to ensure our stakeholder needs and expectations are met and that our Business Management System is fit-for-purpose. This policy is to be provided and explained to each employee by their line manager. 

PRINCIPLES 

• Customer expectations will be understood and satisfied
• Individual, team and managerial accountabilities will include clear responsibility for quality
• Quality management activities will be planned on a risk-based approach
• Emphasis will be placed on process management and improvement
• Management reviews by the Management Panel will be used as a fundamental tool, supported by audit findings (both from internal and external audits).
• Robust reviews will be employed to drive continual improvement in key processes and policies on an annual basis

The Engineering Council's Quality Policy is:

• To provide authoritative and professional products and services that satisfy the requirements and expectations of stakeholders, in particular:
  • The Professional Engineering Institutions as the principal customers;
  • The Registrants as secondary customers, and;
  • Society in general as tertiary customers.
• To continually improve the effectiveness, suitability and adequacy of the business management system to ensure provision of high quality products and services and to ensure that it remains effective and fit for purpose.
• To ensure all staff are competent and understand their role and responsibilities to in relation to the role they perform.
• To ensure the availability of resources to implement the management system and achieve its objectives.
• To ensure quality objectives are set and regularly reviewed.

RESPONSIBILITY

To achieve and maintain the required level of assurance the CEO retains overall responsibility for the Business Management System with routine operation controlled by the Operations Director.

The PMO & Quality Manager is responsible for monitoring the quality system and reports regularly to the Management Panel, via management review on the system's implementation, status and effectiveness

Quality Objectives

The following quality objectives are consistent with the Quality Policy and aim to ensure the conformity of our products and services and to enhance customer satisfaction:

1. That all staff and volunteers are appropriately trained and developed to ensure that they have the competence required to perform effectively
2. That key products and services conform with our stakeholders’ needs and expectations
3. That provision is made for all our stakeholders to communicate with us and feedback on our performance

These quality objectives are measured through the undertaking of Key Tasks set out in the organisation’s Business Plan and business as usual, which are monitored on a monthly basis by the organisation’s Management Panel.