ISO 9001 Policies, Procedures, and Forms: Complete Documentation Guide

Introduction

When a company is about to introduce ISO 9001, the largest question that is normally raised is, where to begin? The initial activity of most organisations is to know the type of documents which are required, in particular, the policies, procedures and forms that form the heart of an ISO 9001 Quality Management System (QMS). The documents can be confusing, although they actually introduce a sense of order, clarity, and consistency to your day to day operations. More to the point, they assist your business in gaining better customer satisfaction and being confident in meeting the certification requirements.

Understanding ISO 9001 Documentation in Simple Terms

The ISO 9001 is one of the standards that assists businesses to operate in a more systematic, predictable and customer-driven manner. In order to have this, ISO 9001 demands some documents. These documents are not only meant to be read by the auditors, but they assist your team to understand what to do, how to do it and who is to do it.

Consider the ISO 9001 documentation as a manual of the machine. The machine can operate but not effectively without the manual. Everyone is aware of how things should be with the manual.

The documents of ISO 9001 are divided into three fundamental categories:

• Policies - The way your organization is headed and how it is dedicated.
  
  
• Procedures - Stage-by-stage directions in performing activities.
  
  
• Forms and Records - Documentation of what your team has actually done.

When these three are established, then your QMS is robust, predictable, and is audit-ready.

ISO 9001 Policies: Setting the Direction

Policies are the top-tier declarations that demonstrate your organisation's desire to be quality, customer-satisfied, and a never-ending improvement organisation. They do not get into steps and details, they just outline direction

• The Quality Policy is the most significant one. This is a brief sentence which tells what is meant by quality to your company and how you intend to accomplish it. 
  
  
• A Quality Policy should be known by your employees, should be posted in your workplace and should be revised every so often to make sure that it is still a reflection of what you want to achieve.
  
  
• The other policies that may be considered are customer satisfaction policy, training and competency policy, document control policy and internal audit policy.
  
  
• Although ISO 9001 does not compel you to possess numerous policies, by possessing clear policies, communication and accountability would be much easier in your business.

 

 

ISO 9001 Procedures: How Work Should Be Done

Procedures define the how when policies are the what and the why of your organisation. The core of your QMS is procedures since they outline the process through which every significant activity is undertaken. They provide uniformity- regardless of the person undertaking the task, the result is still the same. This minimises confusion, errors and delay within the organisation.

The ISO 9001 has only a few procedures that are mandatory, yet in reality, organisations develop more as it assists in managing the workflow. The most popular ISO 9001 procedures are:

• Document control procedure
  
  
• Records control procedure.
  
  
• Non-conformity procedure control.
  
  
• Procedure of corrective action.
  
  
• Internal audit procedure
  
  
• Management review process.

As well, most companies develop purchasing, operations, customer service, training, and risk management procedures to make their QMS even more powerful.

There are easy and straightforward processes that will save time, prevent misunderstanding, and get your team more comfortable with their job. They also assist the auditors in knowing the way your system operates.

ISO 9001 Forms and Records: Proof of What You Do

The easiest yet the most significant component of the ISO 9001 documentary is forms and records. When procedures tell them what to do, forms assist them in doing it right and records demonstrate that they did it.

Forms are blank templates, e.g. complaint form, internal audit form or training attendance form. They become records when completed by your team.

ISO 9001 is highly reliant on records since they demonstrate that your organisation is in fact using the QMS. They will give evidence in the audits and will assist you in monitoring performance over time.

Examples of some of the commonly used forms of ISO 9001 are:

• Corrective action form
  
  
• Customer complaint form
  
  
• Internal audit checklist
  
  
• Management review minutes
  
  
• Risk assessment form
  
  
• Supplier evaluation form
  
  
• Training record

With these documents, one can easily verify whether a work has been done, whether there were problems and whether your team is progressing.

Why ISO 9001 Documentation Matters for Your Business

A well-organized work place is achieved through proper ISO 9001 documentation. Such documents would be useful to any organisation even without certification which is mandatory. They assist teams in knowing what is expected, minimize mistakes, enhance consistency, and smooth operations. Above all, properly developed ISO 9001 documents will ensure the process of certification is quick and stress-free. Whenever auditors are presented with clear and complete documentation, they have confidence in your system.

Good documentation also implies to business owners:

• Reduced surprise in the operations.
  
  
• More satisfied customers
  
  
• Better teamwork
  
  
• Stronger risk control
  
  
• Higher efficiency

This is the reason why most organisations invest in quality templates rather than developing all that on their own.

Why Ready-Made ISO 9001 Templates Save Time and Effort

It can take weeks or even months to create ISO 9001 policies, procedures and forms. Most businesses find it difficult to begin, what to write and the right way of using the right ISO 9001 structure. Ready-made ISO 9001 documentation toolkits come in handy at this point. They offer professionally written templates which you may modify with your company name, processes and branding. You do not have to start at the beginning; you have already done 90 percent of the job.

The ISO 9001 documentation toolkit should consist of:

• Policies
  
  
• Procedures
  
  
• Process maps
  
  
• Forms and templates
  
  
• Checklists
  
  
• Manuals
  
  
• Guidance notes

Your team finds time, avoids errors and receives a clear and organised QMS that is certification ready.

 

 

Conclusion

The ISO 9001 might appear to be a complicated thing at the commencement, but all the right policies, procedures, and forms will make everything easy, understandable, and manageable. These are the documents that form the foundation of your QMS, as they assist your team to work in a consistent manner and your organisation to become better. In case your company is seeking to be certified as ISO 9001 or simply wish to reinforce its internal processes, you can save much time and effort having templates that are ready to use.