ISO9001 in 2021 Week by Week - Week 19 – Support 7.1.6 Organizational knowledge

This is a 52 week discussion of ISO9001:2015. Each week, we discuss a specific clause of the ISO9001:2015 standard in detail and look for ways to trim the fat. (As a member of TAG/TC176, the committee responsible for review and revision of ISO9001, (possible revision in 2023), I’ll keep you posted on what I learn all year!)

(It is strongly recommended that you purchase a copy of ISO9001:2015  for reference).  And, be sure to do your homework!

7.1.6 Organizational knowledge

Well, here we are at week 19 already!  I hope you’re enjoying the discussion thus far. 

Like I’ve mentioned in previous weeks, I’m still not a fan of the structure or layout of this particular section, with “resources” jumping back and forth from level to level, but I do like the content of this section.  It makes one think both of the collective knowledge of all of our team members combined, AS WELL AS the overall (including) intangible general knowledge the company should possess.  Think of both an org chart or an idea of what sort of team needs to be put together AS WELL AS the whole bundle of knowledge the organization must maintain, regardless of how the individual team members (or positions) are moved into, around and out of the organization. 

ISO9001 states, “The organization shall determine the knowledge necessary for the operation of its processes and to achieve conformity of products and services.”  What I like about this is its simplicity.  It really sets the stage to answer the question about how much documentation the organization should create.  Who’s following me here?  The whole problem with the ISO standards (or just about any standard for that matter) is the misunderstanding that they are all about documenting everything.  This simple statement helps draw boundaries about exactly how much stuff should be documented!  There are very specific places in the standard where it clearly states documentation is required (and those are more records than anything else).  But when an organization sets out to write a quality manual (which has been removed as a requirement in the 2015 revision), or procedures, how does one decide what should be documented?  One way is to ask “what knowledge do I need for the operation of my processes and to make good product/service?”  This section doesn’t say these things should be documented, but boy, it does say the organization must have a collection of knowledge, so what better option than a library of sorts or a learning plan for each position?  Could be a series of videos, could be a manual and procedures, could even be primarily OJT (on-the-job) training and even osmosis!  Could be just about anything as long as there is a known treasure of knowledge that is recognized, shared and maintained (and continuously analyzed for gaps in the organization overall).

I like this particularly because I think it does a pretty good job at trying to build a bridge and dovetail training into the quality system.  Many companies miss this opportunity when constructing their QMS.  The quality system is its own thing (including procedures and work instructions, which ultimately are only used for audit purposes), and then training stands alone somewhere else with the “on the job and real knowledge” needed to actually do the work.   What a waste, and what a shame.  The most important procedures in the building are those which describe the processes well enough that the people can use them to do the work.  Anything beyond that is wasteful and unnecessary.  Writing and maintaining two (or more) sets of work instructions is crazy.

Which brings us to, “The knowledge shall be maintained, and made available to the extent necessary”.  These types of statements are intended to allow latitude in compliance so that there is some common sense in what is the “extent necessary” depending on the complexity and size of the operation.  But I think the real meat of this statement is the requirement that the knowledge be maintained and controlled.  First, we have to know what we need to know, then keep it alive and in good condition and accessible and available.

Next up is, “When addressing changing needs and trends, the organization shall consider its current knowledge and determine how to acquire or access the necessary additional knowledge.”  Think about changes in methods, technology, communications.  How do we keep up?

The “notes” in this section are fascinating to me.  They certainly encourage us to capture the “tribal knowledge” all organizations share and then institutionalize it so that each generation needn’t revisit the same learning curve over and over.  Isn’t that something we all struggle with?  Think of tool and die makers and other very specialized skills.  These skill sets tend to be coveted by the people who have worked very hard to attain them.  And without a viable apprenticeship program (or understanding the knowledge we need), knowledge is difficult to capture and maintain.

“NOTE 1 Organizational knowledge can include information such as intellectual property and lessons learned.

NOTE 2 To obtain the knowledge required, the organization can consider:

a)  internal sources (e.g. learning from failures and successful projects, capturing undocumented knowledge and experience of topical experts within the organization);

b) external sources (e.g. standards, academia, conferences, gathering knowledge with customers or providers).”

I've seen companies get very creative in capturing this tribal knowledge.  Here are a few good ideas:

- (obviously) include a knowledge transfer step when anyone leaves the company (perhaps part of the "offboarding" process).  Not ideal, but better 'n nuthin.

- Discuss as a point of management review  - ask "where are we most vulnerable (or most thinly resourced) in terms of critical knowledge"?  Make a plan. 

- Create a specific collection mechanism for "lessons learned" - this can take the form of a suggestion box, a log by job/project/part number/part family/product line, etc,

- Create an "FAQ" resource wherein employee questions are catalogued and accessible,

- Create a company-wide list of "sorcery" or "witchcraft" that is thoughtfully considered and then shored up.  Ask "which activities are known by one or two key individuals, but are "witchcraft" to everyone else?" 

- Create your own "YoCo (your company) University" with a simple curriculum created from your collection of pieces and parts of knowledge that can be valuable to everyone on your team.  Be sure to update it regularly with industry trends.

- Amass a collection of reports, white papers, presentations summarizing knowledge gained by team members attending outside training, tradeshows, etc to be shared by all.

These are just a few ideas, but something to get you thinking...

THIS WEEK’S HOMEWORK

Look back at the processes you listed as critical for your organization.  These are the processes your organization must understand and have sufficient knowledge to support.  What is the process for understanding (inventorying) what knowledge should be maintained?  Is it reviewed?  How does your organization spot trends or changes?  How does it update its knowledge when it’s needed?  Look at the “notes” section as well.  Is there a system for addressing these opportunities in particular?  Please share your thoughts!

For more information on building your organizational knowledge, check out my book,
TRIBAL KNOWLEDGE – The Practical Use of ISO, Lean & Six-Sigma Together

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And the options don't stop there.  

Watch this 3-minute video about another great resource to accompany this series.   Get the self-directed, on demand, online learning series  ISO9001 in Plain English, today and you'll get:

• A clear understanding of the requirements of ISO9001:2015
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• Ways to reduce documentation and paperwork (yes, really!!)

Each video is about 15 minutes and targets a specific element of ISO9001, (with over 6 hours of total content!).  We translate all the gobbledegoop into Plain English you can understand and leverage the requirements to get maximum VALUE from your quality efforts. 

For a deeper dive into the process side of your quality system, get Tribal Knowledge - The Practical Use of ISO, Lean and Six Sigma Together, a simple guide to UNITE ISO9001, lean and Six Sigma to create a robust quality system with better results.  Read what ASQ American Society for Quality – Quality Progress Magazine  had to say about it. 

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