New Communcation Requirements
(Clause 7.4 of ISO 9001:2015)
By Lynn Clyde, BRC Quality Consultant
The new ISO 9001:2015 standard addresses communication requirements under clause 7.4 Communication. This is the equivalent of 5.5.3 Internal Communication in ISO 9001:2008, but with some specific planning requirements and more of a proactive approach to communication.
Although there is no requirement for documentation, I encourage organizations to have some sort of communication strategy or plan that is written down. Otherwise, it would be difficult for employees to understand what is expected. The standard requires five aspects to be identified: what, when, with whom, how and who communicates, for both internal and external communications.
The following is an example of a communication plan that could be developed by an organization in order to meet the requirements. It is not suggested that every single type of communication be included, but at least the key ones.
Company Communication Plan
|
What |
When |
With Whom |
How |
By Whom |
|
Management Review |
Twice/yr |
Senior Management |
Management Conference Room |
Plant Manager & Quality Manager |
|
Marketing Meeting |
Monthly |
Marketing Department |
Teleconference |
Marketing Manager |
|
Safety Meeting |
Monthly |
Senior Management Supervisors, Leads |
Production Conference Room |
Safety Manager |
|
Town Hall Meeting |
Annually |
All Employees |
Union Hall |
Plant Manager & Senior Management |
|
Company Newsletter |
Monthly, first Monday |
All Employees |
Emailed to each employee, Posted on all bulletin boards |
HR Department |
|
Daily Production Meetings |
Mon-Fri 10am |
Department Managers, Supervisors, Leads |
Production Conference Room |
Plant Manager |
|
Technical Department Meeting |
Quarterly |
All Technical Department Employees |
Production Conference Room |
Technical Department Managers |
|
Board of Directors Meeting |
Annual |
Board of Directors |
Management Conference Room |
President |
|
Design Review Meeting |
As determined in Project Plan |
Appropriate Project Team Members |
Teleconference or Management Conference Room |
Project Leader |
|
Employee Suggestions |
Ongoing |
All Employees |
Company Intranet in SharePoint |
HR Department |
|
Effectiveness of QMS |
Monthly |
All Employees |
Company Intranet and Bulletin Boards |
Quality Manager |
