Sunday, August 21, 2011

Develop Quality Management System Documentation In ISO 9000 Standards

Develop Quality Management System Documentation In ISO 9000 Standards

Documentation is the most common area of non-conformance among organizations

wishing to implement ISO 9000 quality management systems. As one company

pointed out: “When we started our implementation, we found that documentation

was inadequate. Even absent, in some areas. Take calibration. Obviously it’s

necessary, and obviously we do it, but it wasn’t being documented. Another area

was inspection and testing. We inspect and test practically every item that leaves

here, but our documentation was inadequate”.

Documentation of the quality management system should include:

1. Documented statements of a quality policy and quality objectives,

2. A quality manual,

3. Documented procedures and records required by the standard ISO 9001:2008, and

4. Documents needed by the organization to ensure the effective planning, operation and control of its processes.

Quality documentation is generally prepared in the three levels indicated below that follows. Use ISO 10013:1995 for guidance in quality documentation.

Level A: Quality manual

States the scope of the quality management system, including exclusions and

details of their justification; and describes the processes of the quality

management system and their interaction. Generally gives an organization

profile; presents the organizational relationships and responsibilities of persons

whose work affects quality and outlines the main procedures. It may also

describe organization’s quality policy and quality objectives.

Level B: Quality management system procedures

Describes the activities of individual departments, how quality is controlled in

each department and the checks that are carried out.

Level C: Quality documents (forms, reports, work instructions, etc.)

1. Work instructions describe in detail how specific tasks are performed; include

drawing standards, methods of tests, customer’s specifications, etc.

2. Presents forms to be used for recording observations, etc.

ISO 9000 Document Control Procedures

The ISO 9000 Standard requires that a documented procedure be established to define
the controls needed.
This requirement means that the methods for performing the various activities required
to control different types of documents should be defined and documented.
Although the standard implies that a single procedure is required, should you choose
to produce several different procedures for handling the different types of documents
it is doubtful that any auditor would deem this noncompliant. Where this might be
questionable is in cases where there is no logical reason for such differences
and where merging the procedures and settling on a best practice would
improve efficiency and effectiveness.
Documents are recorded information and the purpose of the document
control process is to firstly ensure the appropriate information is available
where needed and secondly to prevent the inadvertent use of invalid
information. At each stage of the process are activities to be performed that
may require documented procedures in order to ensure consistency and
predictability. Procedures may not be necessary for each stage in the process.
Every process is likely to require the use of documents or generate documents
and it is in the process descriptions that you define the documents that need to
be controlled. Any document not referred to in your process descriptions is
therefore, by definition, not essential to the achievement of quality and not
required to be under control. It is not necessary to identify uncontrolled
documents in such cases. If you had no way of tracing documents to a
governing process, a means of separating controlled from uncontrolled may
well be necessary.
The procedures that require the use or preparation of documents should also
specify or invoke the procedures for their control. If the controls are unique to
the document, they should be specified in the procedure that requires the
document. You can produce one or more common procedures that deal with
the controls that apply to all documents. The stages in the process may differ
depending on the type of document and organizations involved in its
preparation, approval, publication and use. One procedure may cater for all the
processes but several may be needed.
The aspects you should cover in your document control procedures, (some
of which are addressed further in this chapter) are as follows
Planning new documents, funding, prior authorization, establishing need
etc.
- Preparation of documents, who prepares them, how they are drafted,
conventions for text, diagrams, forms etc.
- Standards for the format and content of documents, forms and diagrams.
- Document identification conventions.
- Issue notation, draft issues, post approval issues.
- Dating conventions, date of issue, date of approval or date of distribution.
- Document review, who reviews them and what evidence is retained.
- Document approval, who approves them and how approval is denoted.
- Document proving prior to use.
- Printing and publication, who does it and who checks it.
- Distribution of documents, who decides, who does it, who checks it.
- Use of documents, limitations, unauthorized copying and marking.
- Revision of issued documents, requests for revision, who approves the
request, who implements the change.
- Denoting changes, revision marks, reissues, sidelining, underlining.
Amending copies of issued documents, amendment instructions, and
amendment status.
- Indexing documents, listing documents by issue status.
- Document maintenance, keeping them current, periodic review.
- Document accessibility inside and outside normal working hours.
- Document security, unauthorized changes, copying, disposal, computer
viruses, fire and theft.
- Document filing, masters, copies, drafts, and custom binders.
- Document storage, libraries and archive, who controls location, loan
arrangements.
- Document retention and obsolescence.
With electronically stored documentation, the document database may provide
many of the above features and may not need to be separately prescribed in
your procedures. Only the tasks carried out by personnel need to be defined in
your procedures. A help file associated with a document database is as much
a documented procedure as a conventional paper based procedure.

Sunday, June 12, 2011

ISO 9001 Equipment Maintenance Procedure

The purpose of this ISO 9001 Standards procedure is to regulate the planning and inspecting maintenance of equipments and machines while implementing process of production industry. The maintenance is to minimize and prevent from unexpected incidents caused by machines influencing the plan and schedule of production.

This procedures include steps as follows:

1. Need of equipment maintenance:

Due to the fact is that maintenance of machines and equipments is very important to the implementation of production industry, so the need of machines maintenance is set up to eliminate and prevent from unexpected incidents by machines and equipments that may affect to the plan and progress of production.

2. Making list of equipments

All machines and equipments that are working are conforming to requirements of production. The maintenance will coordinate with other Heads of departments (HODs) to make a list of each equipment for checking, preparing to replace, or repairing to submit to Technical department for approval.

3. Making a schedule of investigation:

Based on the machines and equipments that are using and depending the capacities and purposes of specialized equipments, the maintenance will make a schedule of investigation accordingly identifying the machines that serve requirements of practical products and give schedule of maintenance periodically or regularly maintained according to frequency of using.

4. Implementation of Investigation:

Based on plan of investigation, the maintenance department will investigate machines and equipment and record clearly:

o The duration of time used
o The duration of time maintained previously
o Trouble shootings earlier.
o Status of machines and equipments.
o Need repairing, replacing or maintenance.

5. Making schedule of maintenance:

After investigation and examination, the maintenance department will review the frequency of using of each machine so as to make a schedule of specific maintenance for each kind of machine and equipment.

o After identifying purpose and the importance of each machine in production, the maintenance department will make a schedule of maintenance for each of equipment as regulated by designers.

6. Material estimate:

Once having schedule of maintenance or repair, the maintenance will inspect to identify the causes leading trouble shootings, make a material estimate request to supply accessories of the equipment that need repairing at definite time. At the same time, there will be supervision and inspection from Head of department where machines or equipments are used.

7. Implementation:

Once having made material estimate and provided, Maintenance Department carry out repair based on the plan of maintenance and approval for repair. After the maintenance is finished, the maintenance will coordinate with the using department to make a report of inspection and evaluating quality of equipment and machines to put into operation and stating clearly about status of equipments that are replaced.

8. Updating files:

When finishing maintenance and repair, the maintenance Dept. will file each of machine whose accessories are repaired and for how long they can work as well as make a file for each machine.

More information on ISO 9001, kindly go to http://www.iso9001store.com

What Are The Differences Of ISO 9001 And ISO 14001?

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is a managing body that was founded to provide quality and environmental management systems to industries across the world. The ISO 14001 and ISO 9001 standards are accreditations that are issued to organizations that meet or exceed the criteria set by the ISO. The certifications, which differ in criteria, have been proven to increase profitability and commercial status for the holding parties.

Some of the core differences between ISO 14001 and ISO 9001 stem from the criteria covered by each standard. As a quality management certification, ISO 9001 is awarded based on set standards being met in key areas. These areas include quality management systems, management responsibility, resource management, and how quality performance is measured, analyzed, and improved.

The standard ISO 14001 is an environmental management certification that is designed to assist organizations as they develop in-house environmental management systems. This standard is based on a model of continual improvement, which differentiates it from the fixed criteria that must be met to be awarded ISO 9001 accreditation. For an organization to achieve the certification, it must develop an ISO 14001-compliant environmental management system through a process of planning objectives, implementing processes, measuring and monitoring the processes, and improving the system based on the results of the monitoring stage.

As a part of ISO 14001 accreditation, a continual improvement process (CIP) is required. This CIP is based on expanding the environmental management system across all sectors of the business, using the system to enrich other processes and improving over time by continual monitoring. Many organizations seek to be awarded both ISO 14001 and ISO 9001 certification as it demonstrates a high overall standard of quality and environmental management structures.

The scope of each standard is what defines the differences between ISO 14001 and ISO 9001. The routes to accreditation and methods of maintaining the systems once certification has been achieved are similar across both standards. Both ISO 14001 and ISO 9001 standards can be applied for once a compliant management system has been implemented following the ISOguidelines. An intensive external audit will be required for either standard with an additional internal audit required for ISO 9001.

Both ISO 14001 and ISO 9001 are measures of the processes used by an organization, not the end product. This means that a company that holds ISO 9001 accreditation can still produce a poor end product providing the correct paperwork is in place and the quality is consistent. Similarly, ISO 14001 certification simply means that there is a system in place to meet that organization’s specific environmental targets.

Read more on ISO 9001 Standards at http://www.iso9001store.com

Integrating Management Systems

At times, it seems like we’re being inundated with ISO standards these days. Scott Adams has found a lot of material for his Dilbert comic strips from the ISO requirements. If developed and implemented properly though, companies find that these systems do in fact have value beyond meeting customer requirements. Improvements can occur in efficiency, quality, compliance, environmental impacts, health & safety risk reduction, and even costs (cost savings tend not to occur until after the initial investment to develop the systems). For companies that need or want to develop systems that conform to more than one of these management system standards, a cost-effective way to do so is to integrate these systems.

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has issued ISO 9000 standards for Quality Management Systems (QMS), and the ISO 14001 standard for Environmental Management Systems (EMS). More recently, a consortium of standards bodies have issued the OHSAS 18001 occupational health & safety management systems (HSMS) standard. It is anticipated that the OHSAS 18001 standard will also become a future ISO standard. Additional standards exist for specific applications such as the automotive industry QS 9000 and TS 16945 standards. Many organizations have seen the benefits of these systems of management, and have encouraged or required their suppliers and vendors to implement similar systems.

Consider some of the following opportunities for integrating systems:

  • Combine EMS and HSMS manuals, particularly if the same department is involved in the implementation of both systems
  • Combine Objectives, Targets, & Programs, especially in cases where there is overlap. For example, substituting less hazardous chemicals or alternative processes can have a positive impact on the environment AND it can also reduce occupational health & safety risks and hazards.
  • Combine Audit Systems. Often, the same internal auditors can audit areas for environmental as well as health & safety at the same time. Additionally, internal EMS audits can be combined with internal HSMS audits in the many areas of overlap.
  • Combine Corrective & Preventive Action Systems. The standards for the quality management systems (QMS), the environmental management systems (EMS), and the health and safety management systems (HSMS) all require similar corrective & preventive action systems. When non-conformances to these systems are identified, corrective actions must be identified and implemented to fix the specific non-conformance. In addition, the root cause of the specific non-conformance must be identified so that a preventive action can be identified and implemented to prevent similar non-conformances or repeat instances of nonconformance’s from occurring. The same or similar tracking systems can be used for QMS, EMS, and/or HSMS. Electronic forms and databases are a very effective way of tracking these items to closure and ensuring the responsible persons identify, implement, and verify actions.
  • Combine Documentation Systems. Many companies already have formal documentation procedures for engineering design and manufacturing specifications. Companies who have already implementedISO 9000 systems often have very sophisticated electronic document control systems. Avoid “re-inventing the wheel” by taking advantage of existing systems that already meet the ISO standards or just need minor “tweaking” to meet the standard. Using the same system makes it easier for employees to use too.
  • Combine Management Review Systems. Consider incorporating the environmental, health and safety (EH&S) management reviews into existing management review systems. Take advantage of processes learned through quality management systems (such as development of effective process and result metrics) to present useful and meaningful information to management.

Read more on ISO 9001 Standards at http://www.iso9001store.com

Thursday, November 25, 2010

ISO 9000 Standards Document Control System


ISO 9000 Standards Document Control System
The ISO 9000 Standards requires that a documented procedure be established to define the controls needed.

This requirement means that the methods for performing the various activities required to control different types of documents should be defined and documented.

Although the ISO 9000 standards implies that a single procedure is required, should you choose to produce several different procedures for handling the different types of documents it is doubtful that any auditor would deem this noncompliant. Where this might be questionable is in cases where there is no logical reason for such differences and where merging the procedures and settling on a best practice would improve efficiency and effectiveness.

Documents are recorded information and the purpose of the document control process is to firstly ensure the appropriate information is available where needed and secondly to prevent the inadvertent use of invalid
information. At each stage of the process are activities to be performed that may require documented procedures in order to ensure consistency and predictability. Procedures may not be necessary for each stage in the process.

ISO 9000 Standards Document Control System


ISO 9000 Standards Document Control System
The ISO 9000 Standards requires that a documented procedure be established to define the controls needed.

This requirement means that the methods for performing the various activities required to control different types of documents should be defined and documented.

Although the ISO 9000 standards implies that a single procedure is required, should you choose to produce several different procedures for handling the different types of documents it is doubtful that any auditor would deem this noncompliant. Where this might be questionable is in cases where there is no logical reason for such differences and where merging the procedures and settling on a best practice would improve efficiency and effectiveness.

Documents are recorded information and the purpose of the document control process is to firstly ensure the appropriate information is available where needed and secondly to prevent the inadvertent use of invalid
information. At each stage of the process are activities to be performed that may require documented procedures in order to ensure consistency and predictability. Procedures may not be necessary for each stage in the process.