Document Pyramid – Level 1: Policies

“These posts are not necessarily for the experienced SME Quality Professional. This is for those individuals that may be new to the OpEx/Quality profession or those who desire to learn methods of operational excellence and continually improve quality.  My desire is your growth and hope you find some value.” - Carl

Clarity

In the first post on Documented Information Management, we looked at the document pyramid (shown below) from a high level.  In this second post on Documented Information and those that follow, we’ll dive into each level to provide a little more clarity of each hierarchical tier. 

The document pyramid is not an ISO (International Organization for Standards) requirement, rather a functional organization system for your documented information. Document requirements are described in ISO 9000:2015-3.8.6 & ISO9001:2015-7.5 Documented Information and ISO/TR 10013 Quality Management System.

Level 1

Level 1 of the Document Pyramid is the top-tier information of your company’s business and management system.  Included and defined by Top Management is why the organization exists and its policies and processes of the organization. These policies and processes are used to ensure business operations, its people, and resources are able to consistently meet or exceed defined objectives, customer requirements, and the standard(s) the company chooses to reference, such as; ISO9001, ISO14001, ISO45000, AS9100, etc.  There are only a few documents in this level and all should stand the test of time with relatively few changes across many years.

Top-level organizational references (although not limited to) may include one or more documents;

• Provides a company overview and Quality Policy.

• Defines the Quality Management System, processes, and resources needed to achieve objectives.

• Determines the Context of the Organization, defines and reviews internal and external factors that affect their purpose, objectives, and sustainability.

• Considers all relevant interested parties, their risk effect on the organization, and how to minimize,

• Defines human roles, responsibilities and authorities within the organization.

• Ensures human resources are competent to perform their role and responsibilities. Aware of the QMS and how their actions affect and contribute to achieving objectives.

• Defines the actions and communications to maintain knowledge, evaluate risks, improve results, and provide evidence of actions.

Previous Post; Documented Information Management (first in the series)

Next post; Document Pyramid – Level 2: Procedures