Have to disagree on that one, GoKats, for surely Document Control – just like any other required ISO 9001 procedure such as Record Control, Internal Audit, Corrective / Preventive Action, Nonconforming Product Control and others – is a process which depend on inputs and outputs to deliver intended results.
The fact that you have to have a Document Control procedure proves this is a process (by definition), not because of the lack of a “shall” within the Standard, as I am assuming your justification for:
ISO 9000 defines process as a “set of interrelated or interacting activities which transforms inputs into outputs”. Combine that with the definition of procedure as a “specified way to carry out an activity or a process”, and you can see why. Document Control is also more than simply an “activity” in that many things are going on during its execution, elevating it from a mere task to a full-fledged process.
If you still don’t believe me, I stated earlier that processes depend on inputs and outputs to deliver intended results…well consider the following example sequence of events:
Document Control inputs: Change Request, Need for New Documents Identified
Document Control process applied: (reviews, gathering signatures, etc.)
Document Control outputs: Approved Change Request Record, Updated Documents, Updated Master List
Notwithstanding the required 6, not all processes have to be documented, but saying that a process you have documented is not a process is simply incorrect.
Brian
The fact that you have to have a Document Control procedure proves this is a process (by definition), not because of the lack of a “shall” within the Standard, as I am assuming your justification for:
ISO 9000 defines process as a “set of interrelated or interacting activities which transforms inputs into outputs”. Combine that with the definition of procedure as a “specified way to carry out an activity or a process”, and you can see why. Document Control is also more than simply an “activity” in that many things are going on during its execution, elevating it from a mere task to a full-fledged process.
If you still don’t believe me, I stated earlier that processes depend on inputs and outputs to deliver intended results…well consider the following example sequence of events:
Document Control inputs: Change Request, Need for New Documents Identified
Document Control process applied: (reviews, gathering signatures, etc.)
Document Control outputs: Approved Change Request Record, Updated Documents, Updated Master List
Notwithstanding the required 6, not all processes have to be documented, but saying that a process you have documented is not a process is simply incorrect.
Brian
