Customer Related Processes – Part

Wow, that is some good quality speak.  Well not really but in conjunction with the three sub clauses; 7.2.1 Determination of requirements related to the product; 7.2.2 Review of requirements related to the product, 7.2.3. Customer communication is surely has drifted into quality speak.  Just remember that in all these cases, product means service as well.  Today’s blog is an overview and some comments on 7.2.1.  I will cover 7.2.2 and 7.2.3 in the next blog.

Really, all we are trying to achieve from this clause and it’s sub clauses is how do we interact with that most troublesome of all beasts – the customer.  The sub clauses actually set it out pretty well.  Find out what the customer wants, check that they really want it and then tell them about the first two steps.  Pretty easy.  There are of course a number of points to each of the sub clauses that you need to address, but if you get the intent right, you should do well.  And so on to the first sub clause.

Here is the cut and paste; 7.2.1 Determination of requirements related to the product.  The company must determine; a) requirements specified by the customer, including the requirements for delivery and post-delivery activities; b) requirements not stated by the customer but necessary for specified or intended use, where known; c) statutory and regulatory requirements related to the product, and d) any additional requirements determined by the company.  Quick note in d), the additional requirements as determined by you, not the customer.

a) and c) are self-explanatory and if you have been in business for any length of time, you probably have these down pat.  b) is a doozy.  You have to try and anticipate what they want, even when they don’t know what they want but because you are the product / service expert, you need to inform them of what they want.  A bit like explaining terms, technical specs and so forth.  Thank goodness for the ‘where known’ at the end of b).  Because if you do not know what the customer don’t know or won’t tell you, then how can you be expected to deal with the blah, blah, blah.  I suppose it is a bit like when you buy a computer from the US, there is always a checklist of questions concerning that you are only going to use the machine for good and not evil.  The d) is an interesting bit of bumpf with you once again trying to outguess the customer with any particular needs or conditions which I think could have been merged into a) but hen that’s another blog I suppose.  Stay tuned.