8.5) Production and Service Provision.
What the Standard is asking for:
Clause 8.5 asks to provide control of the products and services using trusted resources to monitor and measure the processes involved. Appointing qualified, competent people, making sure of the availability of monitoring resources, meeting post-delivery requirements, and getting post-delivery customer feedback.
What this means and the approach:
Clause 8.5 requires that your products and services show several quality control processes before being provided to the customer. Competent, qualified people using the production control processes will make sure that your product and services continually conform to their requirements.
8.6) Release of Products and Services.
What the Standard is asking for:
Clause 8.6 shows that planned arrangements at appropriate stages have been completed to verify that the product and services have met their requirements before being released to the customer. These requirements should include traceability and conformity.
What this means to you and approach:
This means that in clause 8.6, all the required 'checks and balances 'have been satisfactorily done and approved before the release of the product and services to the customer, making sure that all the output requirements have been satisfactorily met.
8.7) Control of Non-conforming Outputs.
What the Standard is asking for:
In clause 8.7, any product or service that does not conform has to be identified and controlled so that its unintended use and delivery are prevented. Non-conformance should be dealt with in several ways, including correction, segregation, informing the customer, and suspension of the product or service. Documentation should be kept detailing the nonconformity, actions taken, and concessions made to the customer.
What this means to you:
When things go wrong with a product or service, there are ways of documenting what went wrong, how it went wrong, and the impact on the business and customer. Necessary steps in the form of corrective actions should be documented and retained to prevent further nonconformities.
Examples of Relevant Records:
Corrective action log shows the following:
- corrective actions are adopted to ensure that non-conforming products/services are identified and controlled, and unintended use or delivery is prevented
- Non-conforming items are corrected
- Root-cause analysis is performed, corrective actions are taken, and effectiveness evaluated
- The customer is informed if applicable
- If decided to "as is", an authorised person allowed formal acceptance under concession
9) Performance - Monitoring, Measurement, Analysis and Evaluation.
What the Standard asks for:
Clause 9, what needs to be monitored and measured must be determined, including the methods of monitoring, measurement, analysis, and evaluation. This process can include monitoring customer perceptions with surveys. Relevant data and information from monitoring, measurement, and analysis are required to evaluate products, services, and customer satisfaction.
Results will indicate the performance, effectiveness, and the need to improve the management system and address the risks and opportunities. Regular planned internal audits are necessary to provide information on the requirements of the management system and the Standard.
The internal audit program results need to be documented and communicated to the relevant management, and the information is retained as evidence of the implementation of the audit program. When considering the organisation's strategic direction, planned intervals to review the management system are necessary to continue its suitability, adequacy, effectiveness, and the need for changes.
What this means and how we approach it:
Understanding the performance of your management system can be achieved by using monitoring, measurement, analysis, and evaluation. The results of this will evaluate your products, services, and customer satisfaction. Having planned internal audits will highlight any weaknesses, ensure your management system is suitable, adequate, and effective, and indicate any need for change.
Examples of Relevant Records:
- Definition of what needs to be monitored and analysed, methods used, and monitoring/measurement/analysis frequency for all the mandatory issues:
- Conformity of products and services
- Customer satisfaction
- Performance of the management system
- If planning has been implemented effectively
- Effectiveness of actions taken to address risks and opportunities
- Performance of external providers
- The need for improvements
- Documented evidence of monitoring and measuring results achieved
- Definition of the method used to ensure maintenance, calibration, and verification of monitoring and measuring equipment used to evaluate Quality, OH&S and Environment performance
- Evidence of calibration and verification of monitoring and measuring equipment
- Updated Internal audit program
- Internal audit plans
- Internal Audit reports
- Evidence that the results of the audits were communicated to relevant managers and other interested parties
- Corrective action log showing actions taken to address nonconformities and these actions were effective
- Documented Management review(s) containing all the mandatory inputs and outputs
- Recurrence of Management review if adequate
