ISO 9004-1 1994 Guidelines in Plain English

Guidelines for Managing Quality System Elements

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ISO 9004-1: 1994

Control environmental influences 

• Identify, monitor, verify, and control all the environmental
  factors that can influence process and product quality. 
  Control environmental factors such as:

  • Air

  • Water

  • Power

  • Humidity

  • Temperature

  • Contaminants

  • Chemicals

ISO 9004-1: 1994

Control
handling
process 

• Develop and document product-handling methods 
  that will protect and preserve product quality.

  • Develop product-handling methods that will 
    protect the quality of all incoming products.

  • Develop product-handling methods that will 
    protect the quality of all in-process products.

  • Develop product-handling methods that will 
    protect the quality of all final products.

ISO 9004-1: 1994

Control
process
materials 

• Control all materials, parts, components, 
  and products throughout their life cycle.

  • Inspect incoming materials, parts, components, 
    and products before they enter a process.

  • Assign unique identifiers to all incoming products
    and maintain a record of these identities throughout 
    the products' life cycle. This record should allow you 
    to trace products back to their origins.

  • Protect inprocess products through proper 
    monitoring, handling, and storage.

ISO 9004-1: 1994

Control
process
equipment 

• Control the use, maintenance, and storage of all kinds of process
  equipment. Control your process tools, machines, templates,
  patterns, jigs, gauges, and instruments.

  • Verify the accuracy and suitability of your 
    process equipment before you use it.

  • Recalibrate your process equipment 
    whenever accuracy is no longer assured.

  • Establish preventive maintenance programs 
    to control those process equipment characteristics 
    that influence product quality.

  • Protect your equipment when it's not being 
    used; make sure that it's stored properly.

ISO 9004-1: 1994

Control
process
variables

• Monitor, control, and verity those process variables and conditions
  which influence product quality. Monitor, control, and verity the:

  • Accuracy of process data.

  • Reliability of process equipment.

  • Effectiveness of process operators.

  • Suitability of environmental conditions.

  • Acceptability of process records and documents.

ISO 9004-1: 1994

Control
process
changes 

• Develop and document procedures to control process changes. 
  Your procedures should ensure that process changes are:

  • Authorized

  • Documented

  • Approved

    • By management

    • By customers

• Document any change in the relationship between 
  process characteristics and product qualities.

  • Make sure that process changes do not
    undermine product quality.

  • Make sure that all participants are made aware of changes 
    in the relationship between process and product quality.

ISO 9004-1: 1994

Control
process
outputs 

• Develop and document procedures to identify and control 
  process outputs (products). These output control procedures 
  should ensure that you:

  • Distinguish between outputs that have been 
    verified and those that have not yet been verified.

  • Distinguish between outputs that conform 
    to requirements and those that do not conform.

ISO 9004-1: 1994

Verify
incoming
products 

• Develop methods to verify the quality of purchased products. 
  Verify the quality of purchased materials, parts, components, 
  and assemblies. Your verification methods should consider:

  • How much influence the purchased product has 
    on the quality of your final products.

  • How much control your subcontractor (supplier) 
    has over the quality of his own products.

ISO 9004-1: 1994

Verify
in-process products 

• Develop methods to verify the quality of in-process products. 
  Your verification methods will include inspections and tests, 
  and should consider:

  • Where in-process verifications should be performed.

  • When in-process verifications should be performed.

  • How in-process verifications should be performed.

  • What in-process characteristics should be verified.

  • What in-process verifications should be done. 
    Your options include:

    • Setup inspection and testing.

    • First-piece inspection and testing.

    • Operator inspection and testing.

    • Automatic inspection and testing.

    • Stationary inspection and testing.

    • Mobile inspection and testing.

• Make sure that your in-process products are verified 
  before they are released for further processing.

  • But, if an in-process product has been identified as one
    that can be recalled and replaced if it doesn't meet your requirements, then you may release it for further processing without verification.

ISO 9004-1: 1994

Verify
final
products 

• Develop methods to verify the quality of your final products. 
  These methods should include product acceptance inspections 
  and product quality audits. In either case, you will:

  • Verify all or some products.

  • Sample continuously or periodically.

• Make sure that you control nonconforming products.
  Make sure that nonconforming products are:

  • Identified and documented.

  • Segregated or removed.

  • Reworked or repaired.

  • Re-graded or scrapped.

  • Re-tested or re-inspected.

• Make sure that final products are not released until
  all relevant quality plans and procedures have been
  performed, all documents have been completed,
  and all approvals have been granted.

ISO 9004-1: 1994

Control
measuring equipment

• Control all equipment, systems, and methods used to 
  measure, test, and inspect the quality of your products.

  • Control equipment, systems, and methods used during product development, production, installation, and servicing.

  • Control all kinds of hardware and software
    including gauges, instruments, and sensors.

  • Control the amount of measurement uncertainty.
    Make sure that this uncertainty is known and is
    reasonable, given the degree of precision needed
    to verify the quality of your products.

  • Control all personnel used to measure, test, 
    and inspect the quality of your products.

  • Control how your subcontractors measure, test, 
    and inspect the quality of their products.

  • Control how outside agencies measure, test, 
    and inspect the quality of your products.

ISO 9004-1: 1994

Develop measurement procedures 

• Develop procedures to control all equipment, systems, and 
  methods used to measure, test, and inspect the quality of 
  your products. Your measurement procedures should:

  • Control the use of all equipment, systems, and 
    methods used to measure, test, and inspect.

  • Control the selection of all equipment, systems, 
    and methods used to measure, test, and inspect.

    • Equipment, systems, and methods must 
      be suitable, accurate, and robust.

  • Control the testing of all equipment, systems, 
    and methods used to measure, test, and inspect.

    • Automatic measurement equipment and systems 
      should be tested before they are used.

  • Control the calibration of all equipment, systems, 
    and methods used to measure, test, and inspect.

    • Equipment and systems should be calibrated 
      before they are used for the first time.

    • Equipment and systems should be calibrated 
      according to nationally or internationally 
      recognized standards (whenever possible).

    • Equipment and systems should be recalibrated 
      in order to maintain measurement accuracy.

  • Control the documentation of equipment, systems, 
    and methods used to measure, test, and inspect.

    • Develop a system of documents and records
      in order to track the following types of data:

      • Identity numbers

      • Usage patterns

      • Recall status

      • Calibration data

      • Calibration status

      • Repair information

      • Adjustment instructions

      • Handling guidelines

      • Storage rules

ISO 9004-1: 1994

Correct measurement problems 

• Take corrective actions whenever your equipment, systems, 
  and methods fail to accurately measure, test, and inspect 
  the quality of your products.

  • Investigate what happened and pinpoint causes.

  • Evaluate the impact that measurement problems 
    have had on the quality of completed work.

  • Decide whether recalibration, retesting, rework, 
    or rejection will be necessary.

  • Develop corrective actions. Your corrective actions 
    should address causes and consequences, and 
    should prevent recurrence.

    • Recheck previous calibration results whenever 
      your equipment is found to be out-of-calibration.

ISO 9004-1: 1994

Control nonconforming products

• Develop and document procedures to control 
  nonconforming products. Your procedures should:

  • Prevent nonconforming products from being 
    shipped to customers without their approval.

  • Avoid the cost of having to repair, rework, 
    regrade, and retest nonconforming products.

Identification

• Develop and document procedures to identify nonconforming
  products. These procedures should ensure that nonconforming
  products are:

  • Immediately discovered.

  • Properly recorded.

Segregation

• Develop and document procedures to segregate nonconforming products. These procedures should ensure that nonconforming products are:

  • Marked or identified as such.

  • Segregated from those that conform.

Review

• Develop and document procedures to review and dispose of
  nonconforming products. These procedures should help you to:

  • Decide whether nonconforming products should be:

    • Accepted without modification.

    • Reworked or repaired.

    • Re-tested or re-inspected.

    • Re-graded or scrapped.

  • Ensure that your nonconformance decisions are 
    documented with cautionary notes and waivers.

Action 

• Develop and document procedures to ensure that corrective 
  actions are taken to deal with nonconforming products. 
  Your procedures should ensure that you:

  • Prevent the unintentional or inadvertent
    use of nonconforming products.

  • Review other related products or product
    batches that could also be noncompliant.

  • Limit the cost of having to modify, repair,
    rework, or scrap nonconforming products.

  • Re-test or re-inspect products that have
    been modified, reworked, or repaired.

  • Recall nonconforming products whenever
    you or your customers could be at risk.

  • Prevent a repeat of the same type 
    of nonconformity.

ISO 9004-1: 1994

Control corrective
actions

• Control how nonconformities (quality problems) are detected 
  and corrected. Detect nonconformities by studying:

  • Market feedback

  • Customer complaints

  • Nonconformity reports

  • Management reviews

  • Audit reports

Assign responsibility

• Define who is responsible for and has the authority to:

  • Initiate and coordinate corrective actions.

  • Implement and monitor corrective actions.

  • Document and record corrective actions.

Evaluate importance

• Evaluate the importance of each nonconformity.
  Nonconformities increase in importance when 
  they cause:

  • Costs to increase.

  • Safety to decrease.

  • Performance to decrease.

  • Dependability to decrease.

  • Customer satisfaction to decrease.

Analyze
causes

• Determine exactly why nonconformities occur. Identify and analyzethe root causes of each nonconformity and record your findings.

  • In order to thoroughly understand what happened, you might need to study processes, operations, specifications, records, reports, and complaints.

  • In order to ensure that you learn from previous experience,
    consider setting up a permanent nonconformity record
    keeping system.

Eliminate
causes

• Eliminate the causes of each nonconformity. In order 
  to eliminate causes, you may need to modify:

  • Product specifications

  • Production processes

  • Packaging techniques

  • Servicing procedures

  • Delivery methods

  • Storage systems

Prevent
recurrence 

• Prevent the recurrence of each nonconformity by:

  • Monitoring results

  • Controlling processes

  • Institutionalizing change

    • Institutionalize quality solutions by making permanent changes in procedures, process documents, work instructions, specifications, and quality system documents.

ISO 9004-1: 1994

Control
storage
conditions

• Develop and document methods to control product 
  storage. Your methods should ensure that you:

  • Protect products from loss, misuse, 
    damage, or deterioration.

  • Monitor products to detect loss, misuse,
    damage, or deterioration.

ISO 9004-1: 1994

Control
product
delivery

• Develop and document procedures to control product 
  delivery. Your procedures should ensure that you:

  • Protect products from loss, misuse,
    damage, or deterioration.

  • Prevent the shipment and use of products
    that are damage or have deteriorated.

ISO 9004-1: 1994

Control
product
installation 

• Develop and document procedures to control product installation 
  and field assembly. Your procedures should ensure that:

  • Products are properly installed.

  • Product quality is protected.

  • Product safety is assured.

ISO 9004-1: 1994

Control
service
delivery 

• Develop and document procedures to control service 
  delivery. Your procedures should ensure that you:

  • Manage the availability of spare parts.

  • Control the provision of technical advice.

  • Assure the competence of service personnel.

  • Control the distribution of service responsibility.

  • Govern the use of service tools and equipment.

  • Control the use of testing tools and equipment.

  • Validate the effectiveness of service equipment.

  • Control the use of measuring tools and instruments.

ISO 9004-1: 1994

Control
market
feedback 

• Develop and document an early warning system to control market
  feedback. Your early warning system should allow you to:

  • Monitor the quality of your products.

  • Identify product faults and failures.

  • Detect and report customer complaints.

  • Track customer needs and expectations.

  • Ensure that information about problems is fed back 
    to design, production, and service departments.

  • Take rapid corrective and preventive actions.

ISO 9004-1: 1994

Develop
quality
records

• Develop a quality record keeping system. This system 
  should control quality records, documents, and data. 
  It should allow you to:

  • Collect and record quality information.

  • Retrieve information without difficulty.

  • Prove that your quality system works properly.

  • Prove that all quality requirements are being met.

  • Prove that your quality system is implemented.

  • Monitor the effectiveness of corrective actions.

  • Identify quality problems and nonconformities.

  • Discover quality system patterns and trends.

ISO 9004-1: 1994

Control
quality
records 

• Develop and document policies and procedures to control 
  quality records, documents, and data. Your policies and 
  procedures should ensure that you:

  • Control the creation of quality records.

  • Include quality records provided by contractors.

  • Protect quality records from unauthorized access.

  • Control customer and contractor access to records.

  • Produce documents that are dated and easy to read.

  • Prevent records from being altered without approval.

  • Protect quality records from loss, misuse, or abuse.

  • Safeguard records from damage or deterioration.

  • Specify how long old records should be retained.

  • Remove, archive, or destroy old quality records.

ISO 9004-1: 1994

Control
quality
documents 

• Control quality documents such as:

  • Plans

  • Reports

  • Policies

  • Manuals

  • Drawings

  • Procedures

  • Instructions

  • Specifications

ISO 9004-1: 1994

Control
quality
data 

• Control quality data:

  • Collection

  • Creation

  • Indexing

  • Access

  • Filing

  • Security

  • Storage

  • Retrieval

  • Disposal

  • Availability

ISO 9004-1: 1994

Control
personnel qualifications 

• Control the qualifications of anyone directly 
  or indirectly responsible for quality.

  • Define the required qualifications of personnel 
    directly or indirectly responsible for quality.

  • Document the actual qualifications of personnel 
    directly or indirectly responsible for quality.

ISO 9004-1: 1994

Identify
training
needs 

• Identify the training needs of anyone directly 
  or indirectly responsible for quality.

  • Identify executive training needs.

  • Identify staff training needs.

  • Identify new employee training needs.

ISO 9004-1: 1994

Control
executive
training 

• Develop and document procedures to control the training of all
  executives. Your procedures should ensure that executives and
  managers understand:

  • How the quality system functions.

  • How to manage the quality system.

  • How to review the quality system.

ISO 9004-1: 1994

Control
staff
training

• Develop and document procedures to control the training 
  of all non-management personnel. Your procedures should 
  make sure that anyone directly or indirectly responsible for 
  quality receives the appropriate training.

  • Make sure that the following kinds of people 
    understand how they influence quality:

    • Technical staff

    • Operational staff

    • Marketing staff

    • Purchasing staff

    • Engineering staff

  • Make sure that all process operators 
    and supervisors understand:

    • How to assure quality.

    • How to promote safety.

    • How to operate their equipment.

    • How to interpret their documentation.

  • Make sure that all new employees understand 
    how their performance will influence quality.

  • Make sure that suitable training records are kept.

ISO 9004-1: 1994

Motivate
quality
personnel 

• Develop a quality awareness program to motivate 
  anyone directly or indirectly responsible for quality.

  • Motivate your personnel by ensuring that they:

    • Understand how to do their jobs.

    • Understand how they can influence quality.

    • Understand how they fit into the big picture.

  • Encourage all managerial, clerical, operational, production, inspection, design, purchasing, marketing, shipping, and servicing personnel to make a genuine commitment to quality.

ISO 9004-1: 1994

Evaluate
quality
performance

• Evaluate the skills and performance of anyone 
  directly or indirectly responsible for quality.

  • Measure their quality performance.

  • Recognize their quality achievements.

ISO 9004-1: 1994

Control
product
safety 

• Control the safety of your products.

  • Identify and apply relevant product safety standards.

  • Test the safety of product designs and prototypes.

  • Write product manuals and instructions that warn 
    users about potential safety hazards.

  • Establish product-tracking systems that allow 
    you to trace and recall hazardous products.

  • Develop an emergency recall plan in case it becomes 
    necessary to pull a hazardous product off the market.

ISO 9004-1: 1994

Control
statistical
methods

• Develop and document procedures to control the 
  selection of statistical methods and techniques.

• Develop and document procedures to control the 
  application of statistical methods and techniques.

• Use statistical methods and techniques to:

  • Study product performance.

  • Study process performance.

  • Analyze nonconformities.

  • Review product designs.

  • Explore market trends.

  • Evaluate safety.

  • Analyze risk.

• Consider using:

  • Factorial analysis.

  • Regression analysis.

  • Variance analysis.

  • Control charts.

  • Correlation analysis.

  • Sampling techniques.

ISO 9004-1: 1994