The quality manual: a living document

In order to ensure quality and food safety, every food company is required to define and implement procedures and work instructions. This translates into an extensive collection of documents, forms and reports, which can be bundled in a quality manual, for example. However, such a handbook must remain a living document at all times. Under no circumstances should it become a forgotten pile of paper in a back room. But how do you do that?

Cindy De Wolf has worked as a QA consultant at KTBA Belgium since 2014, during which time she has guided numerous clients through their quality issues. Evaluating, drafting, managing and controlling quality manuals is a central focus of this. In order to make optimal use of these documents and remain compliant with the various standards and regulations, four characteristics are indispensable, according to De Wolf.

"A quality manual collects everything needed in a company to maintain quality and food safety. That includes general policy documents, procedures, regulations for audits, cleaning and maintenance plans, lab analyses, forms ... In that multitude of documents, it can sometimes be a struggle, especially when the quality manual has grown organically over the years. A clear and workable structure is primordial." De Wolf recommends organizing the various documents thematically. "When we draw up or evaluate a quality manual, we invariably work according to the same structure, with purchasing, cleaning, pest, HACCP, lab, audits, etc. as sub-domains. If an audit is carried out on cleaning, only one folder needs to be consulted. We also distinguish between general and working documents, such as reports, completed forms ... They are kept in a separate folder, but according to the same thematic structure." At the same time, it is important that the handbook not include unnecessary information. "Our basic manual is designed to comply with all GFSI standards, but obviously not all those rules apply to every company. So for each new QA handbook, we select the standards and domains that apply to the company in question."

However, GFSI standards are constantly changing. This means that even a quality manual is by definition changeable. "Changes in the relevant standards should in principle be incorporated into the procedures immediately. For the QA manager, however, it is not always easy to be aware of them. Thanks to KTBA's knowledge center, however, we can respond to this quickly. The knowledge center adapts the basic manual immediately when applicable. This is done through a very clear version management, so we can quickly check whether the client's version still corresponds to the latest version and is therefore up-to-date. If not, we adjust the relevant issues and inform the QA manager of the adjustments and practical implications. So they can rest assured that the quality manual always complies with the latest regulations."

Of course, not only should the procedures described conform; they should actually be implemented that way. "Theory and practice must be aligned at all times. This also applies in the other direction. After all, we regularly see that procedures change in practice, but the manual is not updated. That kind of thing can lead to problems in external audits, so it is important to pay sufficient attention to it in internal audits." Although, above all, it starts with good communication between the parties involved, at all levels. "For example, it is not enough for the QA manager to know about a certain change regarding the use of cleaning agents. The person in charge of the department concerned, the cleaning crew itself as well as the purchasing department must also receive and be able to consult this information."

In other words, it's about making sure the right people have access to the right documents. "Paper versions have quietly disappeared, but we still see companies collecting everything in one text document. This is not very workable, because it means that everyone has to work and search in the same document. By working with a clear folder structure, it not only remains clear, but you can also adjust permissions in a targeted way. Companies also have a choice with us: either we place the manual on the server, or they work through our online QA platform. Either way, they also have their own control over the quality manual we implement with them."