Internal Communication

The cut and paste is…. 5.5.3  Internal communication
Top management ensures that appropriate communication processes are established within the organisation and that communication takes place regarding the effectiveness of the quality management system.

Did you notice the lack of documentation needed. But you do need appropriate processes of communication.  So what are these?  Notice boards, emails, newsletters, tool box meetings, management review meetings, sales meetings, etc.  Do you need to document that you do this stuff?  No.  Should you point to these processes in some fashion to make the auditors life a bit easier?  Well you don’t but you should be aware.  I like to include specific examples in the QMS road map (see previous blogs). 

And there is the second half of this  sentence which directly relates to communicating the effectiveness of the QMS.  I like to include such a statement / minute in the minutes of management review.  Once you do this the first half of the equation is met.  Then you need to decide how appropriately this communicates to the relevant levels of the organisation.  If the minutes are freely available via notice boards, emails, shared drives, then do no more.  If these are secret documents for senior management only, then you need to identify how you are going to communicate this.  Just decide on the mechanism and do it.  Just be sure you include that mechanism in your road map!

previous blogs;
http://johnmasonstuff.blogspot.com/
http://john-mason-stuff.blogspot.com/