Re: Need outsider feedback on quality manual
Excellent feedback, thank you. I don't mean for this post to be argumentative, I'm seeking to understand where the boundaries really are so that I can push the limits a little. We took the path of least resistance last time, and have lived with a burdensome failed system for many years as a result. I have taken on mgmt. rep. duties in addition to my regular job in design, this is not my area of expertise but I know whats right for my company when I see it.
You're welcome & don't worry - open & honest debate is valuable in my opinion, to share opinions and understanding.
I not only understand a desire to understand 'where the boundaries are', I also applaud your desire to push the limits and strongly encourage you to do that. I feel passionately that it is
your organisation and
your system, and you have a right to have it be that. The quality system is
not one that should be done 'just to satisfy the auditor'. In my opinon, that's a waste of a lot of time and a seriously wasted opportunity. After all (as one of my clients said) "we work with it the other 364 days a year". Just so - though let's not overlook weekends & holidays
So - go for it. Where 'the boundaries are' will depend to some extent on how good an auditor/CB you have. (There are good bad & indifferent ones.) But fear not - the best defence in case of a drongo is to know the Standard at least as well they do, and to know how/where to push back should that be needed. (And there's plenty of help here.)
1)
The quality policy is at the end of paragraph 1: "Continually Meeting Expectations". I inherited that, its on hats and coffee mugs, shirts and calendars, and every document.
Thought you might say that. It's a bit, um, vague to me & more of a description of something than an actual policy. But if you really want to go with it/are stuck with it, you may need to add a few bits in. Read on.
2a) Is it necessary to make a commitment to Iso9001?
.
Nope. Not at all.
But IF you want certification, you need to show you meet all requirements. See 5.3 b) which specifically calls for it. (After all, if you won't commit to doing it, why would anyone certify you? )
Trouble is, our current system is all too common in that its tacked on as a parallel thing to business as usual.
Oops - warning, warning, red flag!
We must take full ownership of this thing, which means no garbled paragraphs of Quality this Quality that for Quality reasons jargon.
Yes, I agree. Totally. Speaka da English, not da QS BS (good phrase). But also you see, why in my opinion you need to have a real policy on quality: what it
means to you and what it means in
your organisation. Then 'quality' stops being an obfuscating word used to beat people over the head with, and starts becoming something
real.
2b) We have a Continuous Improvement form, which is an absolute joke. If things are to be improved continually, its going to happen in little bits and chunks, as a result of leadership fostering favorable conditions. It wont happen by prodding everyone in the back with a sword. When an idea is stumbled upon, nobody is going to shout out Eureka! and run for the CI form.
True! I think CI forms
ARE a joke - a bad one. As you say, no one is gonna run to fill out a form to do it.
But as with the commitment to 9001, all the Standard is really asking you to do is
commit to improvement - to getting better. Not just doing the same thing over & over.
Wouldn't the existing statements show/imply clear commitment to continuous improvement?
Um not entirely, though this could be a matter of opinion. I've been pinged a coupla times by auditors demanding a specific commitment to CI. I have to admit that 'encouragement' is not the same as commitment. (Although frankly my literal mind insists that if one has a management commitment to 9001, then that
includes CI. But still...
3)Oops, no measurable objectives.
They do
not have to be in your 'quality manual' - they can be and often are better as entirely separate documents. It was just a reminder. Again, look closely at 5.3.c) - how does your existing 'quality policy' do that? I can't quite see it.
4)instead of "following collection of documents" I might say "The quality manual and procedures".
That would do it for me, although I might be more inclined to say 'this document and our procedures' as a '4-page (or however many) is a small 'manual'