A quality policy that nobody knows and quality objectives that nobody measures are of no use to a company, however nicely they are worded. ISO 9001 therefore requires both: a quality policy from top management (clause 5.2, leadership) and measurable quality objectives (clause 6.2, planning). This guide shows how to derive concrete quality objectives from a policy, which metrics are suitable for them, how to set the target value, tolerance and traffic light sensibly, and what auditors want to see. The text of the standard is not reproduced.
On the state of the standard: ISO 9001:2026 was published on 16 September 2026. The clause numbers 5.2 and 6.2 come from the 2015 edition (check the numbering in your edition). The APG guidance papers on which this guide is based relate to the 2015 edition. Check numbers and requirements against the text of the standard before certification.
Quality policy: the attitude of management in a few sentences
The quality policy describes what guides the company in matters of quality. Management sets it; it is the framework from which the objectives follow. The Auditing Practices Group (APG, an informal group of experts from ISO/TC 176 and the International Accreditation Forum IAF; its papers on the 2015 edition are not formally endorsed by ISO and IAF) stresses that policy and implementation can only be assessed in the overall picture of the audit. Auditors talk to top management, look at the minutes of the management review and check whether the policy is translated into understandable guidelines for all levels, with matching objectives at every level. They ask employees how the policy relates to their own work, expressly without having them recite the wording.
Practice, not normative: one page is enough. Three to five statements that apply to your company and that you can explain in the staff information are better than twenty buzzwords. Keep the policy as a controlled document so that it is clear which version applies and who has read it.
From policy to objective
The APG names what auditors check about the objectives: are they defined? Do they correspond to the policy? Are they consistent in themselves, do they fit the context, the strategic direction and the business objectives, including customers’ expectations? How you arrive at the objectives is left open by the standard: objectives can appear in the business plan, budget or minutes of the management review. The results of the deliberations on the environment, as the guide to the context of the organisation describes them, are the natural basis for this.
What matters is anchoring in the company: auditors want to see how objectives are broken down from strategy through the management level into operational activities, and that the responsible people have the resources they need to achieve them. An objective without a responsible person or without a process remains a statement of intent.
What makes an objective measurable
According to the APG, quality objectives must be measurable and verifiable, but not necessarily expressed in numbers. Even “achieved or not achieved” is permissible, provided it is backed up by evidence. This is a relief for SMEs: not every objective needs a rate.
Practice, not normative: an objective is manageable if it has these details:
- a metric with a clear definition (what is counted, over what period?),
- a unit and a direction (higher or lower is better),
- a starting value and a target value,
- a deadline and a responsible person,
- the process in which it is achieved,
- the actions with which you intend to achieve it.
| Weak | Better |
|---|---|
| “We want to deliver more reliably.” | “Delivery reliability from 90 to 95 per cent by the end of 2027, responsibility: head of dispatch planning.” |
| “Fewer complaints.” | “Complaint rate from 3.5 to 2.0 per 100 invoices, measured over twelve months.” |
| “Complete actions consistently.” | “No overdue actions at the end of the month.” |
Metrics from the data instead of from Excel
The most common reason objectives fizzle out: the actual value has to be gathered by hand every time. Where the figures are in the system anyway, automatic transfer is worthwhile. The definition remains important: two companies that count “delivery reliability” differently cannot compare their figures. For this reason, record for each objective which source the value comes from and what period it covers.
Target value, tolerance and traffic light
A traffic light makes the status visible, but only if its rule is known. QMS | base calculates as follows: if the target value is reached (greater than or equal to, or less than or equal to, depending on the direction), the traffic light is green. If the actual value misses the target value but lies within the tolerance, it is amber; the tolerance is a percentage of the target value. With a larger deviation it is red, and grey without an actual value. Goal achievement in per cent measures how far the actual value has moved between starting value and target value.
One peculiarity: with a target value of zero (for example “no overdue actions”), any tolerance gives zero leeway. Any value above zero is then red. This is arithmetically consistent, but should be borne in mind when setting the objective.
Practical example: Muster Transport AG
Muster Transport AG is a fictitious warehouse logistics company with 35 employees. It uses Finance | base and QMS | base and sets three objectives:
| Objective | Direction | Start | Target | Tolerance | Actual | Traffic light | Goal achievement |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delivery reliability in % | higher | 90.0 | 95.0 | 5% | 93.5 | Amber | 70% |
| Complaint rate per 100 invoices | lower | 3.5 | 2.0 | 25% | 2.4 | Amber | 73% |
| Overdue actions | lower | 10 | 0 | 20% | 3 | Red | 70% |
The calculation in detail: for delivery reliability, the leeway is 5 per cent of 95.0, that is 4.75; the actual value is 1.5 below the target, so amber. Goal achievement is (93.5 − 90) / (95 − 90) = 70 per cent. For the complaint rate, the leeway is 25 per cent of 2.0, that is 0.5; the actual value is 0.4 above the target, so amber; goal achievement is (2.4 − 3.5) / (2.0 − 3.5), rounded 73 per cent. For the actions, the tolerance does not help because 20 per cent of zero is zero: with three overdue actions the traffic light is red, and goal achievement (3 − 10) / (0 − 10) is 70 per cent.
The executive management reads from this: two objectives are within reach, one needs attention. For the overdue actions it sets two actions on the objective, and the responsible person ticks them off as soon as they are done. The values are updated on the first of each month: on 1 December 2026 the system enters the position as at 30 November 2026 without anyone typing.
Checklist
- The quality policy is short, controlled and communicated to the whole workforce.
- Every objective corresponds to the policy and fits the context and business objectives.
- Every objective has a metric, unit, direction, starting and target value, deadline and a responsible person.
- The metric is clearly defined, with source and period.
- The objective is assigned to a process.
- For every objective there are actions and the necessary resources.
- The traffic-light rule (tolerance, direction) is known to everyone involved.
- Actual values are updated regularly, automatically where possible.
- The objectives are a topic of the management review.
How KMU | base helps
Quality policy. Under Management system › Policy and objectives you use Create quality policy to create a document of the type Policy. It goes through review, approval and read acknowledgement (Quality policy as a controlled document); the valid version is shown on the page. The Management system group is initially collapsed.
Objectives. With New objective you capture the metric, unit, direction, starting and target value, tolerance, due date, process and responsible person (Measurable quality objectives). You or the responsible person enter actual values for each reference date; the traffic light and progress follow from the target and tolerance (Actual values with traffic light and progress). You record actions directly on the objective and tick them off (Tick off actions for each objective).
Metrics automatically. An objective can fetch its actual value itself (Metrics automatically from the data): complaints, customer satisfaction, overdue and effective actions, qualification requirements met and supplier rating from QMS | base, and delivery reliability and complaint rate from Finance | base. The system updates these values on the first of the month. Authorised people fetch staff turnover and absence rate from HR | base at the push of a button, summarised and only from 10 people.
Overview. The management page and the cockpit show all objectives with a green, amber or red traffic light (Traffic-light overview of the objectives). Via Key figures on the QMS overview, each person puts together tiles with actual, target, traffic light and trend; without their own selection, a default for the role applies.
Limits you should know about:
- The target value must be a number. A simple “achieved or not” you have to translate into a number yourself, for example with 1 for achieved.
- Automatic sources exist only for the ten metrics mentioned. Everything else you enter by hand. The Finance sources require that entries have been booked in Finance | base.
- Only people with the right for HR reports fetch personnel metrics, only from 10 people and only at the push of a button, not automatically.
- A reference date for an actual value must be today or in the past.
- The software does not check whether an objective fits the policy or is ambitious enough.
The guide to QMS | base explains how to use it. Take a look at the demo or open a trial account. If you have questions, the contact page will help. You will find the terms under Pricing.
Sources
- ISO: ISO 9001:2026, Quality management systems – Requirements (Edition 6, published on 16.09.2026), accessed 27.10.2026.
- ISO 9001 Auditing Practices Group: Guidance on Policy, Objectives and Management Review (Edition 1, 13.01.2016, for the 2015 edition; not endorsed by ISO and IAF), accessed 27.10.2026.
- ISO 9001 Auditing Practices Group: Guidance on Context (13.01.2016, for the 2015 edition), accessed 27.10.2026.
The tables, examples and recommendations marked “practice” are editorial aids, not text of the standard. This guide does not replace legal or tax advice. Information as at 27 October 2026.