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

[Antonio Vieira]

We are audited by a well respected british accreditor and a lead autitor suggested a 5-6 page manual. I have a copy of doc, will post latter on

I don’t think that is a good practice the registration lead auditor suggests any method to any organization...
At least I can not do that..., and specially about the way an organization should make their fundamental quality document.
Even when I see those short Quality Manuals, that I generously call “expendable”, I only make comments to my self, even though I would like to ask the owner what’s the use of that...

 

[Martijn]

Hi all, brilliant thread this is! Different perspective on QMS manuals:

What I've been missing in this discussion is the form of the QMS manual. I've seen the brochures which were really neat, but I haven't seen powerpoint presentations or webpages or how's about video's with voice over, etc.

The form has got a lot to do with the audience you seek with the QMS manual. Decreasing the number of pages is not the only way to make a QMS manual as lean as possible. I'm working on a powerpoint manual at the moment with lots of graphics and hyperlinks. 20 slides or so, audience are all employees + interested customers.

Anyone with more ideas on the form of the QMS manual?

 

[Helmut Jilling]

Hi all, brilliant thread this is! Different perspective on QMS manuals:

What I've been missing in this discussion is the form of the QMS manual. I've seen the brochures which were really neat, but I haven't seen powerpoint presentations or webpages or how's about video's with voice over, etc.

The form has got a lot to do with the audience you seek with the QMS manual. Decreasing the number of pages is not the only way to make a QMS manual as lean as possible. I'm working on a powerpoint manual at the moment with lots of graphics and hyperlinks. 20 slides or so, audience are all employees + interested customers.

Anyone with more ideas on the form of the QMS manual?

The format can be any type of media you want to use, paper, electronic, DVD, Powerpoint, etc...as long as it is accessible to the users. In fact, I would encourage you to use your creativity.

 

[ralphsulser]

Hi all, brilliant thread this is! Different perspective on QMS manuals:

What I've been missing in this discussion is the form of the QMS manual. I've seen the brochures which were really neat, but I haven't seen powerpoint presentations or webpages or how's about video's with voice over, etc.

The form has got a lot to do with the audience you seek with the QMS manual. Decreasing the number of pages is not the only way to make a QMS manual as lean as possible. I'm working on a powerpoint manual at the moment with lots of graphics and hyperlinks. 20 slides or so, audience are all employees + interested customers.

Anyone with more ideas on the form of the QMS manual?

This sounds unique and interesting. Perhaps you would be willing to share it here on the Cove when completed.

 

[Peter Fraser]

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

What I've been missing in this discussion is the form of the QMS manual. I've seen the brochures which were really neat, but I haven't seen powerpoint presentations or webpages or how's about video's with voice over, etc.

The form has got a lot to do with the audience you seek with the QMS manual. Decreasing the number of pages is not the only way to make a QMS manual as lean as possible. I'm working on a powerpoint manual at the moment with lots of graphics and hyperlinks. 20 slides or so, audience are all employees + interested customers.

Anyone with more ideas on the form of the QMS manual?

If you publish your system electronically, as it sounds as though you do, why have a "manual" at all? Publish your process definitions and document register, find some software which will let you automatically create job descriptions as a by-product of saying who does what in your processes, and you have covered all the "requirements" for a manual (which I have never understood the need for anyway...)

There is another thread about which flowcharting software people are using - I would suggest that you can benefit from going beyond "just" drawing separate flowcharts to define individual processes, and create an integrated management system to describe how the business is run. That way you can meet individual requirements from the standards almost by default.

 

[Marc]

5 Page Quality Manual

To those who asked for an example of the 5-page manual: I promise to post it here later, I'm on the road now and will be home later this week.

I'm happy to share, the approach has worked for me.

I'd like to see the 5 page manual. If you get a chance, can you post it?

 

[JaneB]

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

If you publish your system electronically, as it sounds as though you do, why have a "manual" at all?

Totally agree with you Peter. I consider the term 'manual' a broad one, and if necessary explain to the auditor that the manual is a virtual one, not a physical entity.

Inexperienced & not very good auditors often prefer what they're familiar with, which I consider is their problem, & reflects badly on them & their employer. A good auditor will welcome the chance to understand how THIS particular organisation has chosen to document its own system, & will be unfazed by a different media used for the doco.

The hard thing for those who haven't seen any examples like that, is that it's usually impossible to demonstrate it to you outsidethe organisation, because it's usually a collection of electronic files/html files/whatever, and not a single thing one can easily 'take away' and post somewhere like here.
The closest I can come is: look at a good help section for something on the web and then imagine what it might be like to present a 'quality manual' like that: to really give people just what they need, quickly and exactly when & where they need it. Magic when it's well designed & presented!

 

[Peter Fraser]

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

Totally agree with you Peter. I consider the term 'manual' a broad one, and if necessary explain to the auditor that the manual is a virtual one, not a physical entity.

Inexperienced & not very good auditors often prefer what they're familiar with, which I consider is their problem, & reflects badly on them & their employer. A good auditor will welcome the chance to understand how THIS particular organisation has chosen to document its own system, & will be unfazed by a different media used for the doco.

The hard thing for those who haven't seen any examples like that, is that it's usually impossible to demonstrate it to you outsidethe organisation, because it's usually a collection of electronic files/html files/whatever, and not a single thing one can easily 'take away' and post somewhere like here.
The closest I can come is: look at a good help section for something on the web and then imagine what it might be like to present a 'quality manual' like that: to really give people just what they need, quickly and exactly when & where they need it. Magic when it's well designed & presented!

Jane

Agreed. As a matter of interest, have you ever come across an auditor who explains WHY the standard says you must have "a manual" (rather than the standard just listing certain things that you must define)?

 

[Helmut Jilling]

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

Totally agree with you Peter. I consider the term 'manual' a broad one, and if necessary explain to the auditor that the manual is a virtual one, not a physical entity.

Inexperienced & not very good auditors often prefer what they're familiar with, which I consider is their problem, & reflects badly on them & their employer. A good auditor will welcome the chance to understand how THIS particular organisation has chosen to document its own system, & will be unfazed by a different media used for the doco.

The hard thing for those who haven't seen any examples like that, is that it's usually impossible to demonstrate it to you outsidethe organisation, because it's usually a collection of electronic files/html files/whatever, and not a single thing one can easily 'take away' and post somewhere like here.
The closest I can come is: look at a good help section for something on the web and then imagine what it might be like to present a 'quality manual' like that: to really give people just what they need, quickly and exactly when & where they need it. Magic when it's well designed & presented!

In my opinion, a well developed electronic approach is one of the best ways to do the job efficiently and effectively. There may be a few paper pieces here and there where electronic is no accessable, but the rest can view it onscreen. Actually, I see more and more of my clients moving in that direction, and the standard specifically supports the idea it can be any form of media.

 

[JaneB]

Interesting question, Peter. The answer is yes: but only the good ones. But that goes for not just explaining about why a manual is necessary, but being prepared to explain in sensible terms, often tailored to the particular organisation or its field, why any of the elements in the Standard are necessary.

And hjilling, I agree also that electronic can be a great way to go. (But again, it's the old horses for courses. Some documents don't lend themselves well to reading online - some research suggests that people read & process up to 40% slower online.)