RKMS

10/09/2026

“I thought Quality was dealing with that.”

We've come across variations of this plenty of times over the years.

Something happens and Operations thinks Quality owns it. Quality thinks the department manager is dealing with it. The manager assumes somebody has already spoken to the customer.

Meanwhile, the action hasn't actually moved.

It's rarely because people don't care.

Quite often, nobody ever clearly established who was responsible for doing what.

And that's why roles and responsibilities within a management system matter.

Not because ISO wants another box on an organisation chart.

Because unclear ownership creates delays, duplication, missed actions and inconsistency.

Sometimes the fix isn't another procedure.

It's simply making sure everybody knows:

“This bit is mine.”

10/09/2026

Welcome to Chas Berger 🎉

We’re proud to be supporting them with:
➡ PAS 2030

Looking forward to working together.

👇Website link in comments

09/09/2026

Could your team answer these questions without checking a procedure?

Who approves suppliers?

Who investigates customer complaints?

Who monitors quality objectives?

Who carries out internal audits?

And who actually has the authority to stop something when there's a quality issue?

That's essentially where ISO 9001 Clause 5.3 starts.

People need to understand what they're responsible for and what authority they have to act.

Because when nobody knows - or everybody thinks it's somebody else's responsibility - things start getting missed.

🎥 Here's what Clause 5.3 means in practice.

08/09/2026

Most businesses can tell you who manages their ISO system.

But that's not quite the same as asking who is ultimately accountable for it.

The Quality Manager might coordinate it. An external consultant might support it. Department managers might own individual processes.

But ISO 9001 puts accountability for the effectiveness of the Quality Management System with leadership; appointing somebody to coordinate activities doesn't transfer that ownership.

So we're interested to see how businesses actually approach this:

POLL 👇

Who is responsible for your Quality Management System?

👍Quality / Compliance Manager
🥰Senior Leadership
😮External Consultant
❤️Shared Responsibility

Vote below - and if the reality is more complicated than any of those four options, tell us in the comments.

07/09/2026

Welcome to Salford Primary Care Together 🎉

We’re proud to be supporting them with:
➡ ISO 9001

Looking forward to working together.

👇 Website link in comments

07/09/2026

Who is actually responsible for what in your business?

It sounds like a ridiculously simple question.

Until you start asking.

Who approves suppliers? Who investigates customer complaints? Who carries out internal audits? Who monitors your quality objectives? Who has the authority to stop something if there's a quality problem?

If everybody knows the answers, things tend to move pretty quickly.

If nobody knows - or everybody assumes it's somebody else's job - things start falling through the gaps.

This month, our ISO 9001 Explained series moves onto Clause 5.3 - Organisational Roles, Responsibilities and Authorities.

It's one of the shorter requirements in Clause 5.

But don't mistake short for unimportant.

Ultimately, it deals with a very practical question:

Who owns what?

We'll be breaking it down throughout September.

06/09/2026

A Quality Policy shouldn't exist because ISO says you need one.

It should actually mean something to the business.

Last month, our ISO 9001 Explained series looked at Clause 5.2 - Quality Policy: what the requirement means, what a useful policy should contain, some of the common mistakes businesses make and what an auditor may look for.

It's also the perfect lead-in to what we're covering next.

Because once leadership has established the direction of the organisation, somebody actually has to turn that direction into action.

And that brings us to roles, responsibilities and authorities.

If you missed our Clause 5.2 breakdown, you can catch up here:

👉 https://www.rkmsuk.co.uk/blog/iso-9001-clause-5-2-quality-policy/

ISO 9001 Clause 5.2 explained in plain English. Learn how to create, communicate and audit a quality policy that supports objectives and improvement.

05/09/2026

Not every partnership looks the same.

That's why we've built the RKMS Associate Network around three different ways businesses and professionals can work with us.

You might be an experienced consultant looking for additional delivery opportunities. You might regularly speak to businesses that need ISO, Lean or compliance support and want to generate referral income. Or you might be looking to add issosmart to the services you already provide.

Different businesses. Different strengths. Different ways of working together.

The important part for us is building a network of the right people and organisations rather than simply trying to make everybody fit the same model.

If you're interested in working with RKMS, take a look at the Associate Network and see which route fits you best.

👉 https://www.rkmsuk.co.uk/rkms-associate-network/

04/09/2026

Welcome to Industrial Decontamination Services UK Limited 🎉

We’re proud to be supporting them with:
➡ ISO 9001

Looking forward to working together.

👇 Website link in comments

04/09/2026

Non-UKAS certification isn't “wrong”.

But it can be the wrong route for what you're trying to achieve.

That's an important distinction.

If you're looking at ISO certification, start by asking what you actually need the certificate to do.

Is it primarily about creating more structure internally? Is a customer asking you to become certified? Are you hoping to enter new supply chains? Will you be using it for tenders or frameworks? Has somebody specifically asked for UKAS-accredited certification?

Those answers matter.

The mistake is assuming all certification routes will give you exactly the same commercial outcome.

They won't necessarily.

Understand the end goal first.

Then choose the certification route that supports it.