Quality Manual for ISO 9001:2000 Standard
A quality manual is the main, top-level document of a quality management system. It is similar to a constitution of a country or a manifesto of a party. This type of document establishes the policy level position of a government, party or in the case of a quality manual, a company. There are two published definitions of what a quality manual for an ISO 9001 quality management system should be:
ISO 10013, Guidelines for Developing Quality Manuals, element 4.2, gives detailed suggestions for creating a quality manual. It defines a quality manual, among other requirements, as a document that should “consist of, or refer to, the documented quality system procedures intended for planning and administration of activities which impact on quality” ISO 9001:2000, element 4.2.2 describes a quality manual as a document containing:
– your QMS scope and justified exclusions;
– quality managemet system procedures or reference to them;
– a specified interaction between the processes of your QMS.
If we follow the requirement 4.2.2.a of ISO 9001:2000 Standard, we simply need our quality manual to clearly define the scope of our QMS, exclusions, if any; reference our procedures and define interactions between the processes.
Definition of the scope is usually placed into the ?Scope? section of the manual. It simply states what activities your company performs. For example: ?My Company, Inc. designs, manufactures and distributes card board boxes for high volume customers? or ?My Company, Inc. provides ISO 9001 consulting and training services for service companies?
When the scope is defined and exclusions are determined, it?s time to describe used processes and determine reference to the corresponding procedures. As I found through my consulting and auditing work, the best way to start this step is to transform the standard from a set of applicable requirements into your company?s commitment to satisfy those requirements. For example: If the standard in element 5.6.1, requires that the “Top management shall review the organization?s quality management system at planned intervals, to ensure its continuing suitability, adequacy and effectiveness,” our manual will state: “My Company, Inc.?s top management review the quality management system on at least a quarterly basis to ensure its continuing suitability, adequacy and effectiveness per the Management Review Procedure.”
Following this simple method, we can answer to all the requirements of ISO 9001:2000 standard and reference procedures supporting corresponding elements of your manual and quality management system. SO we will comply with two first requirements of the standard.
Now we need to choose a method to document interactions between our processes. There are a few ways to do it. One typical method is to utilize Figure 1 in ISO 9001:2000 standard. This figure shows a model of a process-based QMS. In addition to that, referenced documents will show what processes are “attached to those listed in our quality manual. Some models are available on the Internet. Just, type “process interaction matrix” and you will find your answers.
After completion of your quality manual, think about other benefits a well written and professionally designed quality manual may bring you. It can communicate to your prospects, customers and vendors that your organization is not only a quality-conscious organization, but that it also knows how to document and communicate its commitment to quality through your quality manual.
Surprisingly, many companies do not recognize that their quality manual may be a powerful communication tool. These organizations mark their manuals with “internal use only” and “confidential” stamps, while those quality manuals can serve a company externally. We recommend to all our customers make their quality manuals public, assuming that your manual does contain proprietary information.
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