Re: ISO 9001:2008 Required Procedures
Of course there is. That is exactly why the standard mentions that THE ORGANIZATION must decide the additional documents it needs to implement the processes that affect the quality system.
You should know that one of the biggest criticism to the early versions of ISO 9001 was the emphasis on documentation. Not every process is complex. Some processes can be deployed and improved by "tribal knowledge".
The reduced emphasis on documentation was because, IMO, organizations were being told by consultants and auditors alike that the standard required 20 procedures. When surveyed, organizations expressed a disdain for the voluminous (and awful) procedures (supposedly) required by the standard. But the 20 procedures were never required and never a good idea from any clever perspective. Yet many organizations still use such documentation to define their QMSs.
So, the reduced emphasis on documentation was coupled with the endorsement of the process approach to urge documentation to be based upon processes--which would reduce the emphasis on the **** procedures organizations were depending upon to get them through audits.
Under the 1994 scheme, I would write the number of procedures that were right for my client companies--which had no correlation to the number of requirements that pertained to those processes. It was common in smaller organizations to finish with only ten or eleven QMS procedures (covering the realization and support processes). Three to five pages each.
These same documents are effective in describing those QMSs to meet current 9001 requirements despite the changes in the standard in 2000/2008. A QMS does not depend upon the standard for its existence or its definition. Rather, it depends upon the organization and its processes that impact quality.
Ha! I remember garnering criticism for "not even writing the 20 required procedures" from auditors and other consultants under the 1994 scheme. Those who made such comments didn't get it.
Some didn't even notice that the 2000 revision of 9001 rebuked the element-by-element approach. More than a few still think they are experts at the "processes" "required" of the standard.
But, whatever is documented, for whatever the reason has to be on 18lb light blue paper with a lily watermark 
