Is your quality system fact or fiction?
You might hear quality and compliance people say things like "if it is not documented, then it does not exist" but do you hear them say "well, it is obviously documented, but does it exist?" as often?
The lack of documentation is a big problem in many enterprises, but I would say that the amount of documention that does not reflect the reality is an even bigger, though more hidden, problem. It is more convenient to look for a specific document or to review an existing document to see if it conforms to certain requirements or standards than to go around asking each and everyone if the contents of a document reflects their reality. I would say that accuracy is the quality which is hardest to measure and ensure.
The lack of documentation is a big problem in many enterprises, but I would say that the amount of documention that does not reflect the reality is an even bigger, though more hidden, problem. It is more convenient to look for a specific document or to review an existing document to see if it conforms to certain requirements or standards than to go around asking each and everyone if the contents of a document reflects their reality. I would say that accuracy is the quality which is hardest to measure and ensure.