D
Checklists
First of all Richard, I apologize for waiting so long to respond. I have been spending quality time with my best friend (my fishin’ pole). I’m back now, and feeling fully refreshed (thank you very much).
Now to the question at hand (if Martin and Jim will allow): Auditing IS REQUIRED! (even if it is done through our “met via normal management processes” as Jim mentioned – aren’t we playing semantics here) To get the most of your QMS (or EMS) your checklists should include both the standard-based requirements and the organizational documentation.
My recommendation is to begin with a canned set of checklists. I know Marc has at least one set available. Add to that questions based on your own processes and procedures. For each step in the process ask yourself three questions:
1) What activity is being performed?
2) Who is performing the activity?
3) What evidence would show the activity is being done correctly?
I think this is a good start, at least for most organizations?
First of all Richard, I apologize for waiting so long to respond. I have been spending quality time with my best friend (my fishin’ pole). I’m back now, and feeling fully refreshed (thank you very much).
Now to the question at hand (if Martin and Jim will allow): Auditing IS REQUIRED! (even if it is done through our “met via normal management processes” as Jim mentioned – aren’t we playing semantics here) To get the most of your QMS (or EMS) your checklists should include both the standard-based requirements and the organizational documentation.
My recommendation is to begin with a canned set of checklists. I know Marc has at least one set available. Add to that questions based on your own processes and procedures. For each step in the process ask yourself three questions:
1) What activity is being performed?
2) Who is performing the activity?
3) What evidence would show the activity is being done correctly?
I think this is a good start, at least for most organizations?
In this case they are not covered by a “shall”. No checklist is required. However, I believe that auditing (and checklists) should be tools that allow the organization to see the level of compliance and uncover any possible improvement targets. The three questions allow the auditor to have a better understanding of the process and can assist in the audit process.