ISO Implementation & Quality Manual Consultants

It is often a surprise to know that a well written manual is a major sales tool for business development. After being audited, the manual is a validated description of an effective business. Potential customers often treat marketing material with skepticism, but an audited manual gives them a true high level description of how your organization operates. It does not give away the details of your business. Those are in your procedures. Your manual gives them confidence to give you their business. A number of our clients have even secured new business using their Quality Manual before registration.

However, this is not the only role of a Quality Manual.

The Challenge with Implementing ISO

Management Systems are complex and need to be captured concisely and in a clear structure. You need a Quality Manual that is easy to read and is specifically about your business. A Quality Manual is no longer a requirement for ISO 9001:2015 but most organizations find it to be valuable tool in operating the Quality Management System (QMS).

When properly designed, and well written, the Quality Manual is a 'Hub' for the QMS and as you develop your Management System, this hub is essential.

How can Quest help Implement ISO?

Quest gives you a published author to write your ISO Quality Manual. 

We create the Quality Manual using the knowledge from the ISO Gap Analysis and knowledge from the Leadership team and using the ISO 9001 requirements as a framework. We change the text of the standard from ‘future imperative’ (i.e. shall) to the present tense and so make it a statement of current activity as opposed to a future promise. We then take each of the clauses and transpose them into the activities you carry out to meet the requirements of that clause. Where you are not yet carrying out that activity, we will highlight it as an action item. This way the manual is used to monitor the status of your Management System as it is developed.

The ISO Quality Manual as a Hub

Quest will create the first draft of the Quality Manual at the start of the system development. This way you will receive immediate value from us. As the system develops, we will update the manual and eliminate the action items. The Quality Manual is a high level description of the business and will be contained to between 20 and 30 pages. It will be a valuable future reference in managing your business.

We will use the Quality Manual as a hub to point to high risk processes and we will help you define these processes with procedures. The standard no longer requires procedures but you may choose to include them at high risk points. We will use the risk points to identify where measurement is needed. The manual also provides audit points for your internal audit. 

Quest Management Experience

Quest has developed manuals for well over a hundred organizations in manufacturing, service, government and not-for-profit. We know how to avoid ‘clutter’ in wording leaving out or clarifying words such as ‘necessary’, ‘appropriate’ or ‘whenever’. We know how to write a manual that is both professional and easy to understand.

The Result

Quest will provide you with a ISO Quality Manual which is concise, readable and has value. Your Quality Manual will be reference point for capturing the future changes in your organization.