Documentation Process and your Company Growth
If a company is well organised, it is less likely to make foolish mistakes or to have dysfunctional areas within the company. Thus there is a great need for some standards of organisation. Documentation processes and ISO 9000 could be the way. There are four levels of documentation required if one is interested in ISO 9000. These documents are:
1 The Quality Manual
2 The Procedures Manual
3 The Work Instructions
4 The Records
1 The Quality Manual
This is a top-level document that states the company philosophy towards providing quality product and work. It states what you plan to do. Since it states the company philosophy and outlines how the business is to be run, it should be written in direct coordination with top management. The Quality Manual usually includes the policy toward each of the ISO 9000 requirements. This goes beyond simply restating the requirement. Instead it needs a mission and vision from management. The approach towards the Quality Manual is to add the rationale for each policy in the manual. In other words, one should include the reason for a given policy in order to show how it will benefit the company, its operations, and its profits. 2 The Procedures Manual
A Procedure Manual should state how you plan to implement the policies stated in the Quality Policy Manual. It also states who is responsible for each section. Procedures often involve several departments or work areas within a company. They often outline the work flow between departments, suppliers, and the customer. 3 The Work Instructions
Work Instructions involve the details of how an individual or group is to perform a specific task or job. This is very important to maintain uniformity, as well as to ensure that the job can still be done if a key employee is unavailable. 4 The Records
Record keeping is certainly important to track design, costs, work, and product. The records should be value-added. Some poorly run companies are careless in keeping records, while others keep unnecessary records. By following standards, along with having a good company policy toward quality, procedures that tell what will be done and who will do it, work instructions to assure consistency of operations, and solid record-keeping, a company can enhance its chances for success. To discuss your concerns, requirements or for more details, please contact ManualClarity. Tel: 0845 310 4210, Mob: 07746 323495, info@manualclarity.com
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