What does a quality manual typically include?

A quality manual is a comprehensive document that outlines an organization's quality management system. It serves as a central reference for all quality-related processes and practices within the organization. The primary purpose of the quality manual is to provide a clear understanding of the company's commitment to quality and the procedures it follows to ensure that standards are met.

Including documentation of the quality management system is essential, as it typically describes the organizational structure, policies, and procedures that adhere to quality standards. This encompasses the processes for quality planning, assurance, control, and continual improvement, helping both internal and external stakeholders understand how quality is managed within the organization.

Other choices, such as findings of previous audits, performance data from audits, or team member evaluations, are important components of quality management but do not capture the holistic view of the organization’s quality policies and practices as effectively as the documentation of the quality management system does. These components may be referenced or analyzed within the quality manual, but they do not encompass the full breadth of information that constitutes a quality manual. Therefore, the inclusion of the quality management system documentation is what fundamentally defines the quality manual's purpose and content.