Internal Audits of QMS Corporate Basics at the Local Plant Level

[SimpleIsGood]

I am confused and need help--on lots of issues--but here's one you might be able to help with.

I'm setting up my SO internal audit schedule. My company has ONE quality manual and basic procedures for several divisions. All the BASICS (like mgr. commitment, customer focus, quality policy, quality objectives, even management review) are covered in the manual and done at the overall CORPORATE level. It appears these issues are, depending on how you think about it, NOT covered at the local plant level. (The local plant managers do fly to one, central location to cover many of these topics on a yearly basis).

In terms of auditing, I'm not sure they are going to let me fly off to interview the president of the company and ask him to show me his copies of the last three management review meetings.



So, do I need to encourage my OWN plant manager to have his OWN version of, for example, a management rep (that would be me), and his OWN management review meetings, his own quality objectives or plans?

Or would I, for example, ask my local folks, "Can you show me the input you brought to the last MR meeting? What kind of output did you take away from the meeting?"

I'm just wondering how you folks handle this sort of thing. Thanks.

 

[John Broomfield]

I am confused and need help--on lots of issues--but here's one you might be able to help with.

I'm setting up my SO internal audit schedule. My company has ONE quality manual and basic procedures for several divisions. All the BASICS (like mgr. commitment, customer focus, quality policy, quality objectives, even management review) are covered in the manual and done at the overall CORPORATE level. It appears these issues are, depending on how you think about it, NOT covered at the local plant level. (The local plant managers do fly to one, central location to cover many of these topics on a yearly basis).

In terms of auditing, I'm not sure they are going to let me fly off to interview the president of the company and ask him to show me his copies of the last three management review meetings.



So, do I need to encourage my OWN plant manager to have his OWN version of, for example, a management rep (that would be me), and his OWN management review meetings, his own quality objectives or plans?

Or would I, for example, ask my local folks, "Can you show me the input you brought to the last MR meeting? What kind of output did you take away from the meeting?"

I'm just wondering how you folks handle this sort of thing. Thanks.

SimpleIsGood,

The scope of your management is stated in the Quality Manual. In effect it defines the top managers (at the top of the scope pyramid). Your Plant Manager should be bringing the results of the corporate management review back to your Plant to communicate to the Plant's employees the effectiveness of their part of the overall management system (see clause 5.5.3).

You should also be able to see the audit reports from corporate so you can avoid unnecessary duplication of audit samples. In other words you coordinate your Plant audits with corporate. Strictly speaking corporate should be doing this for you so you can play your part in the Corporate Audit Programme that is designed and run to fulfill the objectives of top management.

I see no point in creating a Plant Quality Manual unless it is needed to explain the management system to the employees, but the existing Quality Manual should already do that.

So, ask for a copy of the Corporate Audit Programme (CAP) so you can schedule and conduct your audits at plant level to full the Programme's objectives.

If the CAP is missing then audit what you have at the Plant level and copy your schedule and reports to Corporate so they can fill any gaps. Do not agonize over what is being missed.

John

 

[SimpleIsGood]

Thanks, John. Excellent answer.