Business Plan - Quality Objectives and Measureables - TS 16949 Para 5.4.4

krishkaar

Involved In Discussions
Sec. 5.4.4- Organisation's quality objectives abd measurements included in the Business Plan and used by.........
How does an organisation protect itself from any confidential information that may be present in the Business Plan if the Auditor were to Audit the Business plan / Objectives?
 
R

Rob Nix

Auditors usually work under a nondisclosure agreement and they are also not allowed to see the contents of the business plan if you do not want it (i.e. it is proprietary).

As an alternative, you could show them the Business Plan's table of contents, or show supporting evidence outside the business plan, e.g. discussions shown in meeting minutes.

Others here at the forum may have other ideas.
 
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Wes Bucey

Prophet of Profit
Existence, not details.

The point some auditors don't understand is that their job is to determine the organization has a business plan, preferrably written. It is not the job of the auditor to inspect or evaluate the business plan. I agree with Rob in saying it is OK to make the auditor's job of verifying the existence of a business plan easier by showing him/her the table of contents. Any auditor who persists after being told the details are proprietary should be referred to his manager. If you have a one-man shop doing the auditing, then you may reexamine the relationship with that auditing entity.
 
M

Mustang

According to our auditor, the only parts of the business plan that are auditable are the quality objectives and measurements. We typically make him copies of only that part, and wave the binder with the rest to prove we have it, but he doesn't open it.
 
T

TownDawg

My experience has been similar. Most auditors I've had think along the following lines:

1) Your business plan is an outgrowth of your management review and discussion to implement action plans to achieve the targets/measureables that your management team has identified.

2) These targets/measureables are an outgrowth of process effectivity indicators, and reflect whether your COPs (and possibly other QPs) are encouraging continual improvement, and there is high-level data to support those conclusions.

3) Linkage should exist between your quality policy, and the targets/measureables to show.. etc.. etc..


but hey, that's only in a perfect world, ehHh?
 

Howard Atkins

Forum Administrator
Leader
Admin
As I read it there is no actual requirenment for a busines plan in TS as there was in QS.
There are only references to the content.

In QS it was stated that the content could not be audited.
There shhould be no problems with auditors
 
K

karin

business plan

Mustang said:
We typically make him copies of only that part, and wave the binder with the rest to prove we have it, but he doesn't open it.

We have a separate tabbed area in the business plan just for the objectives and measurements and flip to it for the auditor. He sees nothing else and everyone is happy. Gotta love it

Karin
 
D

db

Howard Atkins said:
As I read it there is no actual requirenment for a busines plan in TS as there was in QS. There are only references to the content.

This is what I call a "back door" requirement. It doesn't say "The organization shall develop, implement, document and maintain a business plan...", but how can you meet the requirement without one? So they require one without saying they require one.
 
G

gaboring

Just my own thoughts

During our registration assessment last year, the Auditor asked if we had a business plan and how was it reviewed and maintained. My bosses response was, "Yes, I have a business plan and it is reviewed and it is where it needs to be." No further questions were asked about it. The Auditor was happy with that comment :confused: and didn't pursue anything alse relating to that matter.

We had an automotive customer demanded to see our business plan several years ago during a 2nd party audit. We sent them packing.

Rule #1:
No customer should ever consider it their right to scurtinize a suppliers' business plan.
That is pure fascism. Plain and simple.

If that is what our field is turning toward, maybe I need to consider a career change?
Just my own thoughts!
 
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