ABSTRACT
Self-assessment can be a very useful tool to identify possible areas for improving an organisation's capability and ISO 9004:2009 helps organisations by providing an annex containing 'guidelines for self-assessment'. An audit plan determines whether the Quality Management System is effectively achieving its stated quality objectives and should be established as soon as possible. Indeed, it is a requirement of ISO 9001:2008 that an assessment is regularly completed by the organisation of all the elements, aspects and components belonging to its QMS. The format and structure of the manual, however, will vary between organisations depending on the organisation's size. 'Proper control of documents' is required by the standard, which means that we need to ensure that all our QMS documents have been correctly identified, reviewed, authorised, issued and distributed. One method of achieving this is to use a process mapping software tool which not only describes the organisation's business processes but also provides direct access to existing documentation.
