A Rose By Any Other Name

Previously, we discussed the fact that ISO 9001:2008 requires documentation of the organization's Quality Management System, including a Quality Manual, some procedures, and probably other types of documents of an indeterminate type. The need for any form of documentation is actually defined in the standard, under 4.2.1, in the phrase "documents...determined by the organization to be necessary to ensure effective planning, operation and control of its processes. This gives people quite a lot of freedom to create whatever quantity, content and format of documents it chooses, especially if they choose NOT to be constrained by the hierarchical "pyramid" we discussed previously.


We've established, in a previous blog entry, that the need for and content of many documents is going to be, in good part, dependent upon the competency of the people who use them. In general terms, the higher the competency of the person using documents, the less detailed the description in the document needs to be. A key consideration is that someone will probably figure out pretty quickly what the document is about, if they are competent.


Try this simple example; write down the preparation and cooking of scrambled eggs - for yourself! How detailed would such a task need to be for someone with experience in a kitchen? These are fairly simple concepts and practices, so why do people make the creation of "ISO" documentation so complex?


Form Over Function?


Where people start going off the rails in the design (format) of their Quality Manual (see 4.2.1.b). If we take a look at the ISO 9001 section which defines what should be included in a Quality Manual (4.2.2) it says:


"The organizations shall .... a quality manual that includes:-


a) the scope of the quality management system (and some stuff we won't concern ourselves with here)


b) the documented procedures - or reference to them, and


c) a description of the sequence and interaction of the QMS processes"


Pretty simple, really. If we add a couple of other requirements of ISO 9001 which would seem appropriate to include in such a manual:

• and organization chart or some way to show who 'top management' are (5.1, 5.5.1)
• the Quality Policy (5.3)
• Quality Objectives (5.4.1)
• Who the "Management Representative" is (5.5.2)

Then, maybe assign a page to each of these (which might be considered overkill), adding a nice cover page, we have a total document of some 7 pages. Going beyond what ISO-says, perhaps including some really useful information, like a description of the history/background to the company, details of markets served, products, office/factory locations, contact details, including a web address etc. we might expand it to 10 pages.


One example of an ISO 9001-compliant Quality Manual I saw was actually a tri-fold, made from an 81/2 x 11 sheet. It was prepared in the same way as a company marketing brochure might be, from the front outer cover showing a photograph of the building, the 4 "inside" pages containing the "ISO stuff" and the back page being a map, address, phone numbers etc. What a good looking, useful and very readable document! Imagine being given that on your first day at work, or as a potential customer...

It's interesting, then, to note that in spite of these (minimal) requirements, many people create (or even buy) a document which closely resembles the layout of the ISO 9001 standard itself. Since the Quality Management System is supposed to describe the key or core processes of the organization, which are responsible for determining customers' requirements, through to delivering product/service to those customers, and also the process which support and enable the key/core processes, why use ISO 9001 as a template? It clearly isn't laid out in this manner! 

If we take a look at other types of documents the standard mentions (or people think are necessary), it's common to employ the following format for procedures and work instructions, which often  includes:

• Purpose
• Scope
• Applicability
• Definitions
• ISO 9000 reference(s)
• Responsibilities
• Flow chart (possibly)
• Procedure
• Records
• Change History

In one (extreme case), even the office stationery needed to complete the work was listed!


Good grief! Look at how much "stuff" has to be waded through before any mention of a procedure is made! Plus, with all this content, how many pages are the result? No wonder people have heard that "ISO" is a paperwork nightmare!


Good Design - You Know It When You See It!


Rigorous adherence to a format is NOT what is required. Well communicated requirements and controls are! The documented management system is a product first and foremost. And good product design considers, first and foremost, the needs of the user. In fact, good product design is elegant! If you look up “elegant” in a dictionary, one of the definitions is:

"gracefully concise and simple; admirably succinct"

Notice it doesn’t just say “concise” or “simple” or “succinct”, but “gracefully concise” and “admirably succinct”. And, for many of us, we know it when we see it. Consider Apple products, if you want a really good example. People actually get "carried away" with their ownership of Apple iPhones, Macs etc. OK, so maybe that's a little extreme as a comparison for QMS documentation, but why shouldn't an organization strive to make its documentation at least "friendly" to users? Why does everything have to be forced to fit this structure?

The answer is, of course, that it doesn't. Now, we all use documentation in our everyday lives - outside of any ISO based QMS - without the need for an similar format. Take, for example a humble bank note, or a bus or train ticket. Often they contain a lot of information. Some of it is for us, some used by the issuing agency. Do they need the structure above, to enable them to be used by a huge population of users with all levels of education etc?


Frankly, I see no real reason to force such a set of descriptors on what should be simple documents. What are we attempting to use QMS documents for? Convey the requirements for effective process "planning, operation and control", elegantly...