Implementing ISO 9001 in just one department of a brewery?

[joanne24783 - 2005]

Thanks for your help boys, In response to your replies I have aranged yet another meeting with the brewery department to discuss the manual.

I have just one concern though, The procedure created for the complaints, I thought works pretty well since it defines who is responsible for each step and shows the auditor what docs are relevant (these will have a reference number eventually) I have started to created flowcharts to give an outline of the step taken however since these do not gointo too much detail i felt the written procedures will also be necessary in certain processes.
Do i really need to change these. I thought ISO was making things work for us in a way that worked for us so long as we met the requirements and could prove this.?

 

[qualitymanager]

...

I have just one concern though, The procedure created for the complaints, I thought works pretty well since it defines who is responsible for each step and shows the auditor what docs are relevant (these will have a reference number eventually) I have started to created flowcharts to give an outline of the step taken however since these do not gointo too much detail i felt the written procedures will also be necessary in certain processes.
Do i really need to change these. I thought ISO was making things work for us in a way that worked for us so long as we met the requirements and could prove this.?

IMO, if you think it meets your needs & the requirements of ISO 9001:2000, then you just need to prove it to the Registrar.

Is what you have effective when the users read the documents? That's what you need to be able to show the auditors.

 

[Paul Simpson]

Let me use my own situation to maybe help you understand as well:

I operate a medical device QMS (ISO13485:2003) & (CE class III-Licence to Kill) and if I wanted to set up a taxi firm, a bottled water plant or a bucket making plant, I could use my current Quality Manual with very little change. I would however be implimenting new procedures, records, etc.

Herein lies some of the problem. A manual should not be transferrable. If a manual is to be relevant to a business it should be business specific. I do work for a range of organizations and I always start with a clean sheet of paper when putting together a QMS.

If the manual is to be of use to anyone with direct knowledge of the business (i.e. customer, staff member, supplier) as opposed to the third party auditor. Then it should be based around what the organization does and should reflect the culture. It is my problem to make sure the manual also addresses relevant ISO standard requirements and it is down to me to provide the road map the auditor can follow through the QMS (or EMS, H & S MS).

 

[Greg B]

Herein lies some of the problem. A manual should not be transferrable. If a manual is to be relevant to a business it should be business specific. I do work for a range of organizations and I always start with a clean sheet of paper when putting together a QMS.

If the manual is to be of use to anyone with direct knowledge of the business (i.e. customer, staff member, supplier) as opposed to the third party auditor. Then it should be based around what the organization does and should reflect the culture. It is my problem to make sure the manual also addresses relevant ISO standard requirements and it is down to me to provide the road map the auditor can follow through the QMS (or EMS, H & S MS).

Well said Paul, In essence, all manuals are the same in that they comply to the standard but in reality they are all different. They MUST fit the business that they represent otherwsie we would all buy 'canned' systems manuals 'off the shelf'.

 

[joanne24783 - 2005]

Quality assurance meetings (testing my sanity here)

Hi guys. Just latching our processes onto the main manual ( not the best way to do things hence why i dont advise implementing ISO merely on a leapfrog jump from 1 department to another basis)
and I need to promote the quality assurance meetings to the team. Since, with this company, ISO has been implemented bit by bit on a departmental basis, there are already 2 lots of running QA meetings. One for Transport and the one for the Brewery. At these meetings a memeber from say Transport will attend brewery and vice versa. I will have no problem encouraging members to attand our operations QA meetuings but i am already getting frustrated by the lack of commitment from anyone to attend the other two!!! Inc Director. How shall i encourage this. Is there anypoint? Help please. I am on a life long learning curve here and would APPRECIATE ANY FEEDBACK I CAN GET OR SIMILAR ENCOUNTERS YOU MAY HAVE HAD.

 

[RoxaneB]

Hi guys. Just latching our processes onto the main manual ( not the best way to do things hence why i dont advise implementing ISO merely on a leapfrog jump from 1 department to another basis)
and I need to promote the quality assurance meetings to the team. Since, with this company, ISO has been implemented bit by bit on a departmental basis, there are already 2 lots of running QA meetings. One for Transport and the one for the Brewery. At these meetings a memeber from say Transport will attend brewery and vice versa. I will have no problem encouraging members to attand our operations QA meetuings but i am already getting frustrated by the lack of commitment from anyone to attend the other two!!! Inc Director. How shall i encourage this. Is there anypoint? Help please. I am on a life long learning curve here and would APPRECIATE ANY FEEDBACK I CAN GET OR SIMILAR ENCOUNTERS YOU MAY HAVE HAD.

Silly question from me...but why should anyone else attend? Where is the value for the Director to attend this meetings? In the long run, yes there is, but initially, s/he may find that attending a Operations meeting (which I assume discusses key points from Transport and Brewery) sufficient.

Our General Manager would like to attend all Key Indicator meetings for each department but he doesn't have the time. So, he goes to Operations Review and Management Review where the vital numbers are and where the internal department discussions are not held.