Rationale

Add the term “top management” to section 3.2 During a previous ballot a negative was withdrawn upon a commitment to address the negative after approval of the work item. The negative was, “Top management is an undefined term. Just replace Top Management with Management throughout section 6.” The use of the term “top management” was reviewed by subcommittee D37.02 during the September 2025 online meeting. The members agreed to retain the term and add the definition to section 3.2. Changing the term from "top management" to "management" changes the meaning. This management section is about the c-suite management responsibilities. The top management must engage with the company's QMS. They will assign lower-level directors and managers to direct details, but quality is not sustainable if the top most level of the company is not supported and managed by "Quality" principles. The term "top management” is used and defined in E2363 and in ISO 9001, 14001, 45001, 17025, AS9100, and other sector specific quality standards. Each occurrence of the word "management" in D8556 has been reviewed and the terms “top management” and "management" are used appropriately. The recommendation is to use the term top management and define it as follows below.