What is a Quality Manual? A Quality Manual is an authorized document created by a business, detailing how its quality management system operates. In other words, it’s a Table of Document Contents and all features contained in a Quality Management System. Additionally, it’s a step-by-step guide, a map, that contains the controls that assure quality and service.
Therefore, having a Quality Management System in action, quality assurance and provability is possible. At that point, quality is NOT just a slogan used for marketing, with NO way to prove the claim.
Ready to Double Business Overnight?
It’s not every day a business receives the opportunity to double sales overnight. Therefore, when that kind of opportunity knocks, you had better be ready. In other words, a business should have systems in place, giving them the ability to scale up quickly and smoothly. Moreover, ready to double the demand of delivering quality product and service on time every-time. Having said that, a Quality Management system guided by its Quality Manual is the ticket to success.
As the old idiom goes, some opportunities knock but once. Sadly, most businesses are NOT ready when a once in a lifetime opportunity shows up unexpectedly.
Knock, Knock | Who’s there? | Nintendo of America
One of our biggest opportunities for the printing company I owned came in early 2001. I received a telephone call from a gentleman who worked with a Nintendo licensed video game company. He asked if I was interested in printing for a few of these well-known game companies. He explained that their current vendor was unable to meet their demands; therefore, we had an amazing opportunity to get that business.
However, he informed me their quality standards and delivery times were stringent. In fact, before becoming a preferred vendor, we had to receive Preferred Vendor status via an intensive quality audit. In addition, the approval process had to meet ISO standards, because Nintendo is an ISO-Certified company.
Therefore, a Quality Management System with a Quality Manual had to be in use.
This person was familiar with our reputation for quality, however, they weren't sure if we had the necessary systems in place whereby we could PROVE our quality of product, service and delivery.
Proven quality is what separates “Mom and Pop shops” from the “big boys.” When it comes to quality systems, we definitely ran with the “big boys.” Seems we were “Rare Birds!”
FREE Quality Manual for Opportunity Seekers
HERE’S A FREE GIFT! A Quality Manual Template and Guide for those seeking to run with the “big boys.” This is a tool to get ready for opportunity coming over the horizon. In fact, this is the very Quality Manual we presented to the Quality Auditor for Nintendo of North America. We took the auditor step by step through our detailed quality manual, one system at a time. In addition, we showed him our Preventive Maintenance systems for equipment, HR Systems, CAPA - Corrective Action, Preventive Action reports, Document Management system and many more.
Yes, we had them all. We were ready! Our Operations Manual was in place.
Consequently, as the Quality Auditor for Nintendo was leaving our facility, he said, “Mr. Beyer, you have one of the most organized and cleanest printing plants I have ever audited. In fact, you go beyond ISO requirements for quality certification. I think you are ready for ISO Certification now.”
Needless to say, it was one of those proud moments at our company.
Did I mention? Great systems work!
Philip Beyer, founder/president of Ebiz Products LLC and founder of Beyer Printing Inc. in Nashville Tenn., is a chronic entrepreneur, business systems analyst and consultant. Author of "System Busters: How to Stop Them in Your Business" and recipient of an InterTech Technology Award for the design and development of System100 business process management software. Beyer speaks to business owners across the country on how to bring lean, sustainable order to their businesses. Contact him at (615) 425-2652.