Sapphire QMS Associates

Business-focused Quality Solutions

ISO 9001:2008 Clause 6 (Part 1) Human Resources

ISO9001:2008 requires that the organization “determine and provide the resources needed to implement and maintain the Quality Management System and continually improve its effectiveness, and enhance customer satisfaction by meeting customer requirements”  Ensuring the availability of resources is a key part of Management Responsibility.  Clause 6 breaks resources into three sections:

  • ·        People
  • ·        Facilities
  • ·        Information Infrastructure

In today’s post, we’ll talk about people. As we run through an example, think of what you need for your business.

The intent of the clause is to ensure that anyone doing work, directly or indirectly, that affects conformity to product requirements must be competent.

To meet this requirement, you must:

1.      Determine the necessary competence

2.      Either hire people with this competence or provide training

3.      Evaluate the effectiveness of the actions taken

4.      Ensure that everyone understands the importance of their jobs and how they contribute to the quality objectives (The setting of quality objectives is another part of Management Responsibility)

5.      Keep records of education, training, skills and experience

Let’s work through an example:

John Frace has an auto repair shop.  What human resources does he need?

After meeting with the entire crew, John came up with key jobs for the shop.  Here’s a partial list:

  • ·        Car Repair
  • ·        Scheduling
  • ·        Billing
  • ·        Purchasing
  • ·        Environmental and Safety compliance
  • ·        Quality Management

He then determined the competence needed and how he would ensure that competence. A portion is shown below.

Next time, we’ll tackle the facilities and infrastructure requirements of Clause 6. Building and maintaining a practical QMS can be daunting.  We can help with your assessment, auditing and training needs.  Give us a call at 508-641-5930 or complete the Contact Form to start the ball rolling.

 

Regards,

DonnaLynn