What is the difference between the quality process and quality procedure?

[sardonyx]

What is the difference between the quality process and quality procedure? Do we need to have a separate document for process and procedure? Such as purchasing process and purchasing procedure as examples? Or is there such a purchasing process procedure combined? Same with Calibration process and procedure, audits process and audits procedure, etc? I'm confused (again) please help! I was searching this forum for a long time but I haven' seen a lot of process documents but our web-based system has provided us some samples of those process documents that confused me a lot with procedure documents. Or do we need a separate procedure documents if they already provided process documents?

The samples they provided for process documents are: Quality Manual, Analysis Process, Audits Process, Calibration, Contracts, Corrective Action, Customer Satisfaction, Design Process, Documentation Process, Purchasing Process, etc.

For Procedure samples: Control of Documents, Control of NOn-Conforming Product, Control of Records, Corrective Action, Internal Audit, Preventive Action.

 

[Jim Wynne]

What is the difference between the quality process and quality procedure?

Procedures are used to document processes.

For Procedure samples: Control of Documents, Control of NOn-Conforming Product, Control of Records, Corrective Action, Internal Audit, Preventive Action.

Each of those is a process. You need a procedure (and perhaps other documentation) for each.

 

[Craig H.]

I think what might be confusing you are process maps. These are a lot like flow charts. A detailed process map might be used as (in place of) a procedure, or a process map could be used to help explain a written procedure. Many people use a process map for their ISO 9001 4.1 a & b.

 

[sardonyx]

Thanks JSW05 and Craig for the reply! So can we have procedure without writing process documents? And maybe include flowchart in the procedure? or just a flowchart for the process is enough?

 

[SteelMaiden]

Thanks JSW05 and Craig for the reply! So can we have procedure without writing process documents? And maybe include flowchart in the procedure? or just a flowchart for the process is enough?

I think you have that backwards yet. I think JSW and Craig were saying that you can have a Process that may or may not require documented procedures, but (to make it more difficult) all of your processes must be documented to show their interaction within your quality system. Documented does not necessarily mean (or equate to) procedure.

A process is some activity made up of inputs and outputs, having controls and mechanisms, and all being checked for effectiveness.

A procedure tells you what is done, how it is controlled, who and what resources are needed, to transform the inputs to the outputs through the process. A procedure may or may not give step by step instruction (typically a work instruction's job) on how to perform tasks.

A process is the work being done, a procedure is a description of the work being done.

 

[Jim Wynne]

A process is the work being done, a procedure is a description of the work being done.

Yes--nicely put.

 

[michelle8075]

Not to try to add anything else to worry about, but at our company many of our procedures read like a procedure work instruction hy-bryid. We are a Japanese owned company, and we found that the Japanese had a hard time understanding that Procedures lead to Work Instructions, lead to forms, etc. So we combined it all so that it could be easily understood. Our auditor has stated that this is fine.

There are (6) procedures that you have to document in 9001:2000. Beyond that it is up to you. We are currently keeping at the procedure level (although we don't have to) are Design & Development, Purchasing and Customer Satisfaction. These are very important to our company, and we felt keeping them at the procedure level was appropraite to the work being done here.

Other key processes such as Sales / estimation, calibration etc, human resource management are becoming work instructions.

 

[WALLACE]

What is the difference between the quality process and quality procedure?

Just keep in mind that: a process is what you do and, a procedure is how you do it.
Wallace.

 

[betterlife]

The difference between quality procedure and quality process can be understood by understanding the difference between year 1994 and 2000 versions of ISO 9000 standards. While the 1994 version adopted a procedure based approach, the new standard has adopted a process based approach.

 

[Antonio Vieira]

The more training and competence of personnel that performs the tasks of the organization, the less procedures and work instructions are necessary.
In my opinion the 6 procedures we have to make to be according to ISO 9001:2000 requirements, are going to be unnecessary in future quality standards.
All of them can be replaced by information in the Quality Manual of what the organization does related to those 6 subjects.
We had 18 procedures in our company and now we only have 6…, perhaps in 2008, we the new standard we’ll have none…, at least that’s what I expect.
For example in ISO/TS 16949:2002 we must make an extra procedure – training. Again in my opinion, considering all the fields of ISO 9001:2000 the one that mostly should need a procedure is 7.6 Control of monitoring and measuring devices, and as we know this is not required by the standard…