I am currently working toward ISO 9001:2008 certification. One of our primary customers is "suggesting" that our procedures need more detail, i.e. the calibration procedure should mention the temperatures at which calibrations are conducted.
He would prefer that every procedure include who, what, when, where, you get the picture. My understanding of the standard is that detail on that level belongs in work instructions, not procedures. Where can I find guidance on what is and isn't required in written procedures? Thanks!
He may have a point about the temperatures. As for the rest... not necessarily.
As with Andy, I wonder how has this come about? Has your primary customer experienced or identified some kind of problem with your service/product, to which he's suggesting a possible solution?
Ultimately, it's your system, and what he would 'prefer' is just that - his preference. He may belong to a school of thought that always insists on huge amounts of detail in procedures... your system may put the detail elsewhere (eg, in work instructions). There's no right/wrong way!
Here's a couple of oft-overlooked bits out of the Standard that may help (my emphasis added):
0.1 General
The design and implementation of an organization's quality management system is influenced by
a) its organizational environment, changes in that environment, and the risks associated with that environment,
b) its varying needs,
c) its particular objectives,
d) the products it provides,
e) the processes it employs,
f) its size and organizational structure.
And immediately after that (0.1) again:
It is not the intent of this International Standard to imply uniformity in the structure of quality management systems or uniformity of documentation.
Under 4.2.1 (Documentation):
NOTE 2 The extent of the quality management system documentation can differ from one organization to another due to
a) the size of organization and type of activities,
b) the complexity of processes and their interactions, and
c) the competence of personnel.
NOTE 3 The documentation can be in any form or type of medium.
Ultimately, your system, your decision! Has to work for you, NOT him. BUT if he's an important customer, you may want to seek some kind of happy middle ground. eg, If he is uneasy about something, can you ease his mind by for example, showing him how your various parts of the
system (which includes documentation but documentation is NOT the be-all and end-all of a sound system, just a part of it) fit together to produce the desired result?