QMS (Quality Management System) Manual - The Boss Wants a 4 Page Manual - What to Do?

[Laura M]

DB - right on. I was just about to reply the same - well stated.

 

[Justin]

Have been following this thread for awhile and finally decided to add my .

After several years of refinement, I have a quality manual template that is only 9 pages and satisfies both ISO 9001:2000 and AS 9100 B requirements for a quality manual.

What adds up is all the supporting documentation which explains how you do what your quality manual says you do.

I bet if I increase the margins and reduce the font I could get it down to 7 or 8 pages.

The manual is the easy part as the standard tells you exactly what needs to be there. It's all that supporting documentation that is the real work because it is different for every business.

JMO

 

[psyched1]

It seems unclear what the purpose of what the "manual" is there for. The manual is just there to address the requirement to have a manual, but what does it do? By the way, I agree the other documents can be "lower level" though I don't know if TS particularly addresses the old multi level pyramid of documents. I think it regrds them as documents, which is fine.

But, what is the purpose of the manual? It doesn't address very much. There may need to be more in define the interlinks between processes as well. Recent witness auditors have required more detail than that, I am told. ...my two cents...

Hjiling has asked the right question "What is the purpose of the manual?". I've seen Quality Manulas used as the main document supplementing procedures and working directly to work instructions which is an older more traditional use requiring additional pages due to content. Ive seen Quality Manuals used as sales pamplets pointing out key aspects of the system that appeal to customer. I've even seen a larger Quality Manual used literally as a door stop (DoD facility).

If you really belive managers not assigned direct quality responsibility are going to read your manual you are in for disappointment.

During an implementation I set up the Quality Manual as a prinicple auditing tool. I provide the traditional org chart, procedures list with a responsibility matrix, a plant map (I hate it when I lose auditors ) and a process flow. I provide a uncontrolled copy for auditors use.

The bottom line is determine the use of the manual if your hand cuffed to a standard then make sure it is appleid as required without waste.

 

[AndyN]

Hey - just got a 4 pager in the mail.........

from Comcast of all companies!:mg: It includes lots of things which look amazingly like 'policies' and 'procedures' and stuff like that to tell us cable customers what's what with Comcast products and services

Maybe my model of a 4 page quality manual wasn't so far off, after all

Merry Christmas everybody!

Andy

 

[wilsonmm]

Have been following this thread for awhile and finally decided to add my After several years of refinement, I have a quality manual template that is only 9 pages and satisfies both ISO 9001:2000 and AS 9100 B requirements for a quality manual.

The QA office of our business sector will always tell me to "keep it short and simple," but every time they audit us there are always 5-7 suggestions of things that should be added. My current plan is 37 pages in an old format that doesn't relate to ISO. When I redo it next year in ISO format, I'm going to shift a lot from the body of the document into appendixes, but still think it will wind up at least 40 pages long.

 

[fqm1001]

hello
i am a consult, i have consulted many companies, most of the quality manual are about 30-40 pages,i think it is normal level,

 

[kaliko81]

We just had a TS 16949 surveillance audit. Our auditors said that best practice is 4 pages for a TS 16949 Quality Manual.

What bothers me is that this discussion is based upon number of pages. Do we care about functionality and purpose or the number of pages that an external auditor is suggesting?

I care about functionality which is affected by number of pages for sure. People generally not read long documents (or postings ).

I think we need to discuss effectiveness and efficiency and not number of pages.

By the way, looking at the requirements in TS 16949, a quality manual can be 4 pages. All you need is a scope and exclusions statement, a reference to documented procedures, and a description of the interaction between processes. This is... all you need if it effectively and efficiently meets your busness requirements.

Regards, Dirk

Hello,

Two years ago we went from QS to TS. Our quality manual in the QS time had 80 pages and when we got to TS, we build a pretty efficient process flow that explain it all in only 8 pages. What would made the difference is the number of and the structure of your processes.

Hang on!

Kaliko

 

[juliedrys]

Chiming in on this one...

Most of my clients are using a model I developed a few years ago, it's about 5 pages and it's booklet-sized (half-sheet).

It includes the scope statement/exclusions, a blurb about the company, the policy statement, the overview map, and a reference to the next level of docs. Some clients also want other things in there, photos of the product, etc., but I leave that up to them.

I did this because my experience as a consultant taught me that the quality manual was the least used document in the system; this booklet-style manual, when designed well, is an attractive and easy-to-read handbook that can also be used for marketing. Most clients put their registrar's logo on the back after they get registered, and the registrars like that.

I had one auditor/registrar tell me that it was the best design for a manual that he'd ever seen. I don't know about that, but at least it's not a waste of paper anymore -- it only has information that people need, and it's likely to be read by most of the employees.

 

[Howard Atkins]

Perhaps you would be willing to share it with us

 

[kei_ko]

Most of my clients are using a model I developed a few years ago, it's about 5 pages and it's booklet-sized (half-sheet).

i would like to see a sample too, if possible