Improv-comedy is one of the oldest forms of comedy that there is. Dating back to the original art of clowning and commedia dell’arte, improv-comedy has stronger roots than one might consider upon first glance. One of the reasons improv-comedy functions as an art-form is because there is form to it. There’s structure, there are rules to follow, there’s a plan. The plan looks chaotic to the viewer, but to the players; everything that’s unpredictable is happening in a semi-predictable pattern.
The point? Creating a plan doesn’t mean every step of that plan is going to be followed or pan out perfectly; however, it gives those in play a framework within to work and manage any unexpected chaos. A similar theory governs the development of an effective quality manual.
A Quality Manual is a business document that states the companies intentions for operating processes within the quality management system. The quality manual has multiple purposes and can be as broad to include all areas of your company that affect your ability to produce high-quality products or deliver high-quality services that meet both ISO and industry regulations, as well as customer expectations.
As you can imagine, then, developing an effective quality manual is important for a variety of reasons. For starters, in the pursuit of a quality management certification, a company is going to need to produce a quality manual for both the internal and external audits.
This is one of the very first steps in pursuing an ISO quality management certification in the ISO 9001 family: creating the business documents and internal definitions that govern the company’s quality management system.
Key Aspects of an Effective Quality Manual
The quality manual is a rather comprehensive document. As mentioned above, it can be as broad to include any aspect of the business that affects the high-level decision making or the companies ability to produce high quality products or services.
While there are many components to a quality manual, there are a few that are absolutely vital to include. These are the aspects of the quality manual that actually determine how effective your quality manual will be.
Quality management principles are the first of these integral ingredients. The quality management principles are going to be the governing principles that persist throughout the entirety of your QMS and your organization as a whole.
Context of the organization is another key component – this is important because it helps frame the rest of the quality manual and the QMS in the right context. Certain QMS principles that apply to your company and industry wouldn’t apply to others.
Leadership and management system planning are the last two of the crucial components that your quality manual must include. Leadership is integral because the executive management team needs to buy into the quality management plan from a decision making level. On top of that, management system planning is the aspect that actually defines policies, processes, and procedures for the staff and QMS to take in various business activities and situations.
Wrapping Up
Nothing is ever going to go exactly to plan, but creating a plan nonetheless, assists us in managing the chaos in a predictable and stabilized manner.
For more information on quality manuals, quality management systems, ISO certifications, or just general ISO information, visit Glacier Consultants and get in touch with an expert ISO consultant today.
