A companywide quality management system is defined as a

A companywide quality management system (QMS) is a structured, formalized system that documents processes, procedures, and responsibilities for achieving quality policies and objectives. It is designed to coordinate and direct an organization's activities to meet customer and regulatory requirements and continuously improve its effectiveness and efficiency. This formal structure provides the framework for setting and pursuing quality goals across all organizational levels, ensuring a consistent and systematic approach to quality.

B. This describes only the policy development aspect, which is a component of a QMS, not the entire system.
C. This is too narrow, focusing only on policy development at the department level; a QMS involves all levels, led by top management.
D. While customer focus is a key principle, a QMS balances various requirements, including regulatory and internal ones, not making customer needs supreme over all others.

1. American Society for Quality (ASQ). (2015). The Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence Handbook (4th ed.). ASQ Quality Press. p. 115, Section III.A. The text defines a QMS as "a formal system that documents the structure, responsibilities, and procedures required to achieve effective quality management."

2. International Organization for Standardization. (2015). ISO 9000:2015 Quality management systems — Fundamentals and vocabulary. Section 3.5.4. Defines a management system as a "set of interrelated or interacting elements of an organization to establish policies and objectives and processes to achieve those objectives."

3. Foster, S. T. (2016). Managing Quality: Integrating the Supply Chain (6th ed.). Pearson. p. 134, Chapter 5. Describes a QMS as "a system of management activities that is formalized into a written system."