Machine Shop Quality Policy and Objectives Template
A machine shop quality policy is a one-page statement from top management that says what the shop promises its customers and how quality is measured. This template gives you wording and a set of measurable objectives you can adapt for ISO 9001 or AS9100.
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Machine Shop Quality Policy and Objectives Template
Quality Policy
Ridgeline Precision Machining, Inc., Wichita, Kansas Document: Quality Policy Effective: 2026-01-05
Scope and context
This policy applies to the quality management system covering: CNC milling, turning, grinding and assembly of precision machined components for aerospace, medical and industrial customers.
The system is built on ISO 9001:2015 and AS9100D and is maintained to meet customer, statutory and regulatory requirements that apply to our products.
Our policy
At Ridgeline Precision Machining, Inc. we are committed to deliver conforming parts, on time, with complete documentation, and to communicate early when a requirement cannot be met.
We meet the requirements of our customers, applicable statutory and regulatory requirements and ISO 9001:2015 and AS9100D.
We set measurable quality objectives each year, review them in management review, and provide the people, equipment and information needed to achieve them.
We prevent defects through process control, first article inspection, calibrated measurement and risk-based thinking, and we continually improve the effectiveness of the quality management system.
Every employee is responsible for the quality of their own work and is expected to stop and report a problem rather than pass it on.
Quality objectives for 2026
| Objective | Target | Measure and source | Owner | Review |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| On-time delivery | 95 % or better | Lines shipped on or before promise date / lines due, from ERP shipments | Operations manager | Monthly |
| Customer rejects | 1500 PPM or lower | Parts rejected by customers / parts shipped x 1,000,000 | Quality manager | Monthly |
| Internal scrap and rework | 2 % of cost of sales or lower | Scrap and rework cost / cost of sales, from ERP scrap transactions | Production manager | Monthly |
| First pass yield | 97 % or better | Good parts at first inspection / parts inspected | Quality manager | Monthly |
| Corrective action timeliness | Closed within 30 days | CARs closed on time / CARs due | Quality manager | Quarterly |
| Training and competence | 100 % of operators trained to the job before running it | Training matrix against active work centers | Department leads | Quarterly |
Communication and review
This policy is available as documented information, communicated and understood within the organization, and available to interested parties on request. Top management reviews it for continuing suitability during management review at least annually.
Approval
This is a sample starting point, not legal or certification advice. Clause 5.2 of ISO 9001:2015 requires a policy that fits your purpose and context, gives a framework for quality objectives, commits to satisfying applicable requirements and commits to continual improvement. AS9100D adds aerospace expectations elsewhere in the system (for example product safety and quality culture). Replace the targets with ones you can measure from your own data, and confirm wording with your registrar if you are certified.
Objectives dashboard from your ERP data
Optional: see how OTD, PPM and scrap objectives can be answered from your own ERP records on your own servers.
Optional. The tool and every export work without this. No spam.
What the standard actually asks for
ISO 9001:2015 clause 5.2 asks top management to establish a quality policy that is appropriate to the purpose and context of the organization, provides a framework for quality objectives, includes a commitment to satisfy applicable requirements and includes a commitment to continually improve the system. The policy must be available as documented information, communicated and understood in the organization, and available to relevant interested parties. AS9100D builds on ISO 9001 with additional aerospace requirements. That is the whole requirement. A policy does not have to be long, and it does not have to be eloquent.
How to write one that auditors and employees believe
Write it in plain words about your shop: what you make, who you make it for and what you promise. Avoid slogans no one can measure, like 'world-class quality'. Then connect it to objectives with numbers pulled from the ERP, such as on-time delivery from shipment lines, customer rejects in PPM from returns, and scrap cost from scrap transactions. If you cannot pull a number reliably, fix the data capture before you publish the target. During an audit, expect to be asked how an operator knows the policy and how objectives were set.
- Keep the policy to under 200 words.
- Use two to six objectives; more than that dilutes attention.
- Give every objective an owner, a data source and a review frequency.
- Review targets annually in management review and record the decision.
Example objective wording and realistic targets
Targets depend on your customer base, so treat the defaults as placeholders. Job shops serving aerospace commonly track on-time delivery in the low-to-high 90s percent, customer rejects in the hundreds to low thousands of PPM, and internal scrap as a small single-digit share of cost of sales. Set a target slightly above current performance so it is a real stretch but reachable, and show the trend in management review. If you are already hitting 100 percent, raise the target or add a leading indicator such as first pass yield.
Common mistakes
Copying another shop's policy word for word is the fastest way to fail an interview question from an auditor. Another is setting objectives nobody measures, or measuring them on spreadsheets that disagree with the ERP. Do not let the policy name processes you do not perform. Post it where operators work, put it in the quality manual, and make sure the revision date matches the controlled document register. Finally, the policy is not a customer promise written for lawyers: keep commitments you can keep.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long should a machine shop quality policy be?
Short: a single paragraph or a few bullet commitments, usually under 200 words. The standard asks for specific commitments, not length. A short policy that every operator can explain is stronger than a long one nobody remembers.
Does AS9100 need a different quality policy than ISO 9001?
The policy clause is similar, since AS9100D is built on ISO 9001:2015. Aerospace shops usually add commitments around on-time delivery, product safety, preventing counterfeit parts and a quality culture, and tie them to objectives. Check the exact requirements with your registrar.
What quality objectives should a machine shop have?
Common choices are on-time delivery, customer rejects in PPM, internal scrap and rework cost, first pass yield, corrective action closure time and training coverage. Each needs a number, a data source, an owner and a review frequency.
Do we have to print and post the quality policy?
The standard requires it be available as documented information and communicated, not necessarily posted. Most shops post it on the shop floor and in the lobby, include it in the quality manual and cover it in onboarding so employees can explain how their job affects it.
If your objectives data lives in an ERP and spreadsheets, we can build a private assistant on your own servers that answers questions like what our on-time delivery and PPM were last quarter, with the query shown.
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