ABSTRACT
A quality system cannot function effectively unless everybody in the organization knows what it is. Not only do people need to know what they are expected to do, they also need to know what their colleagues are doing in respect of operations which border or impinge upon their own responsibilities. Therefore, to make sure that everyone has a common understanding, it needs to be documented. Documenting a quality system renders it amenable to management control. Companies which depend on unwritten systems for the assurance of quality, and many still do, can find it difficult to cope with change. They rely on long-serving members of staff who know how things have always been done to pass on their knowledge to newcomers. In times when change was slow and when people were accustomed to staying in one job with one employer for long periods, such arrangements could be tolerably successful. This, unfortunately, is no longer true. In many industries, and particularly in the construction industry, staff come and go with great rapidity. There is no time for them to absorb company procedures by word-of-mouth, even if such methods of communication could be relied upon. Furthermore, customer demands, designs, materials and methods are all evolving and changing at an unprecedented rate. Procedures for quality management have to be adapted to meet these new demands. It is the role of management to decide what changes should be made and to inform those people who will be affected. This is the main purpose of quality system documentation. It provides a powerful tool for controlling change.
