Making a Quality Requirements Handbook for Employees

K

Krocpok

Hi,

I'm going to prepare a simple 'quality handbook', dedicated for operators, that will excplain all of our major quality expectations (for eg. how to deal with nonconforming product, how to understand work instructions, how to participate in continual improvement process, what "ISO/TS" means, FAQ etc.). It is not a quality manual from ISO 4.2.1., but a manual that will explain in understandable way everything that an operator should know about our quality requirements.

Do you know / have any example of such a handbook ?

Thanks for your help
 

John Broomfield

Leader
Super Moderator
Re: quality handbook for employees

Krocpok,

You may find this example useful:

http://www.bywatertraining.co.uk/resources/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Bywater-Quality-Matters.pdf

I would de-emphasize talk about ISO and TS to focus on what quality is and is not, the customer, how the management system works and how to improve it.

I would also have it presented at a talk led by top management showing their commitment to the customer, the requirements and to using and improving the management system.

You could video the talk and use it and the booklet to orient new employees.

John

PS: If you call it an Employee Handbook, HR may steal it!
 

AndyN

Moved On
It is not a quality manual from ISO 4.2.1., but a manual that will explain in understandable way everything that an operator should know about our quality requirements.

Why not? What's the point of having a document, required by the standard (which is written in language no-one understands about topics no-one recognizes -"Product Realization") and then give them something else to read?

What you describe is exactly what a quality manual is for!
 
D

Dooglas

I agree with AndyN: follow the KISS method and everyone will be closer to understanding the QMS.
 
K

Krocpok

Why not? What's the point of having a document, required by the standard (which is written in language no-one understands about topics no-one recognizes -"Product Realization") and then give them something else to read?

What you describe is exactly what a quality manual is for!

Good point. I will think it over.

Maybe the best solution is to rewrite the quality manual, make it easy understandable for everyone, put revised quality manual as a first part of the "handbook" and then give some useful, detailed, illustrated informations for production staff in the second part.

My idea is to put all of the general informations (not related to specific operation or product) that will be useful for operators (it will not be adressed to their supervisors, shift leaders etc.) in one place. I'd like to show them the quality concept in general, describe how everyone's work impacts the customer and that everyone's work does it with some practical examples (that part could be covered in quality manual) and then focus on typicall manufacturing matters causing most problems (tagging, scrap parts, how to read workplace documentation, 5S, "what to do when..." - with some photographs and examples etc.).

I don't want to reduce the importance of quality manual. I only think that it's not enough detailed in some areas (for ex. 5S lesson is not a part of qm).
 

AndyN

Moved On
Good point. I will think it over.

Maybe the best solution is to rewrite the quality manual, make it easy understandable for everyone, put revised quality manual as a first part of the "handbook" and then give some useful, detailed, illustrated informations for production staff in the second part.

My idea is to put all of the general informations (not related to specific operation or product) that will be useful for operators (it will not be adressed to their supervisors, shift leaders etc.) in one place. I'd like to show them the quality concept in general, describe how everyone's work impacts the customer and that everyone's work does it with some practical examples (that part could be covered in quality manual) and then focus on typicall manufacturing matters causing most problems (tagging, scrap parts, how to read workplace documentation, 5S, "what to do when..." - with some photographs and examples etc.).

I don't want to reduce the importance of quality manual. I only think that it's not enough detailed in some areas (for ex. 5S lesson is not a part of qm).

If you incorporate the ISO requirements for a manual (Scope, exclusions etc) please draft it and post it here (without company name and everything sensitive)

Because you have come to this from the "right" point of view - a usable manual - it will be a good model for others to see, instead of these "copy the standard volumes which are - for the most part - totally useless!

Even with the 2015 version of ISO 9001 not "requiring" a QM, something like you are proposing may well be a good document to have under "documented information"...

Good luck!
 
M

maaquilino

I'm going to prepare a simple 'quality handbook', dedicated for operators, that will excplain all of our major quality expectations (for eg. how to deal with nonconforming product, how to understand work instructions, how to participate in continual improvement process, what "ISO/TS" means, FAQ etc.). It is not a quality manual from ISO 4.2.1., but a manual that will explain in understandable way everything that an operator should know about our quality requirements.

Maybe the best solution is to rewrite the quality manual, make it easy understandable for everyone, put revised quality manual as a first part of the "handbook" and then give some useful, detailed, illustrated informations for production staff in the second part.

My idea is to put all of the general informations (not related to specific operation or product) that will be useful for operators (it will not be adressed to their supervisors, shift leaders etc.) in one place. I'd like to show them the quality concept in general, describe how everyone's work impacts the customer and that everyone's work does it with some practical examples (that part could be covered in quality manual) and then focus on typicall manufacturing matters causing most problems (tagging, scrap parts, how to read workplace documentation, 5S, "what to do when..." - with some photographs and examples etc.).

I don't want to reduce the importance of quality manual. I only think that it's not enough detailed in some areas (for ex. 5S lesson is not a part of qm).

Having an easily understood quality manual and procedures is, in my opinion, most important to having a good, well executed QMS, because if people don't understand the QM and procedures, then they can't comply with them. But having another handbook may simply add to your workload, as every time the QM or a procedure is updated, where the handbook addresses QMS issues may need to be updated as well. Some of the items you’ve described – dealing with nonconforming product, scrap parts, ‘what to do when…’ – sound more like they’re procedural items that fall under the QMS and would have a specific procedure for how to do them.

Employees are supposed to be trained to the QM and procedures, so a lot of what you're describing you'd like to do – which is an excellent idea, by the way – could be easily incorporated into your training program. I’ve attended, and given, numerous training sessions on a particular subject (defining requirements, software validation, FDA 820, etc.) where the instructor (myself in some cases) used a PowerPoint presentation that went over many of the ideas you’ve mentioned – why we do what we do and why we do it this way, how one’s work affects another, etc., while also going over the procedure they were being trained on. One of the best I attended was given by my last company’s training group on FDA 820; it emphasized all the compliance issues and used example of why these needed to be followed – and also included examples of what happened when companies didn’t follow them and what affect it had not only on their product but also on their company. That made it very clear why we needed to follow procedures ;)
 
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