Keep your documentation short and sweet. Keep a simple documentation matrix. An example is included (disk file name: Document_Matrix.xls).
Don’t over document. Often training and/or experience will be sufficient. You have to think about what documentation people need and what they don’t. If you did not have documentation before (such as work instructions), what you have will probably be sufficient. The key is knowing how to explain why you do or do not have documentation with respect to how people know how to do their jobs.
One of my former clients wrote me:
You're advice was extremely important. Especially important, at least in my opinion, was your help in determining where we did not need to document every last thing (by using training, etc.). I think that without this input, we would have spent a lot more time writing things that we did not need and wasted a lot of peoples' time. We were able to get the audit done in a year while we are achieving record sales and profits. Who can argue with that?
I think that pretty much says it all. Remember. Simplicity. Common sense.
Implementing ISO 9001
Some of you will be implementing in small companies. Some of you will be implementing in very large companies. In this document there is a mix of information. Some is appropriate to larger companies and some is targeted to smaller companies. In general it should be obvious but the rule of thumb is the bigger the company the more complex the issues become. Multi-nationals are the most complex, as one would expect.
While this presentation is aimed at ISO 9001, it applies to ISO 14001 and QS-9000 (now IATF 16949) (now TS 16949) as well, for the most part. There are a number of additional issues associated with QS-9000 (now IATF 16949) (now TS 16949), however in general the intent is the same in so far as the ISO 9001:1994 requirements basis. Implementing ISO 9001 vs. QS-9000 (now IATF 16949) (now TS 16949) is no different. From sweeps to document mapping, you have to determine what you have, what you need and how you want to get to the finish line.
Do not forget that implementing a QMS is a project.
