The Why is definitely more important than the How.

How to make requirements your own.

One of the questions we need to ask ourselves, if we want, as Quality Managers, to help to improve the culture of quality within our company, is to be very clear about why we need to respect any requirement of a standard. Do not try to implement something if you are not 100% convinced about the rationale behind the requirement.

To implement a management system respecting a standard, you really need to make every requirement your own. If you have any doubts reach out for help, in your network, attend official training, or consult approved professionals, but don't let anything unattended. It is not about knowing the standard by heart, but being confident that the requirements are answered correctly in the implementation of your quality and food safety management system.

It will be easier and stronger for you to explain why we need to implement this process or way of working, rather than only say "The standard requires it". For sure some standards, product- and process-oriented, are more prescriptive than others that are more focussed on the management system. But in both cases, it is in your hands to help your organization to give them meaning and life.

When the certification audit time comes, answer the auditor questions in a transparent way, but stay focussed on the question. The auditor should ask you or observe how your organization has implemented the different requirements and draw conclusions based on objective evidence and always related to a requirement. I have witnessed several auditors requesting methods, tools, or documents that are simply not required by the standard:

• Have you seen anywhere a standard asking for a swot analysis?
• Does any standard mention that you need to have a competence/skill matrix of your employees?

Think about it, these may be ways to answer some requirements, but it is not what the standards are asking for. Risk and Opportunities analysis can be done without SWOT, and I would definitely not go to my boss asking him to make one just because ISO 22000 asks for it. That wouldn't be true and not very effective. Ask him rather if he has done a risk analysis for the business. Then you can work in the integration of the specific risk analysis required by the standard.

And when an auditor asks you for something very specific that you didn't think was a requirement, answer directly to the question but if you have doubts don't hesitate to ask him politely where this is requested by the standard. He will surely show you transparently where it is required or recognize that maybe his question led to misinterpretation and rephrase it.

Don't get me wrong: my message is not about questioning the auditors. They are passionate food safety professionals with great responsibilities. It is about you and your company taking full ownership of your management system, working on making it easy to understand, implement and maintain by all, and finally avoiding adding new procedures, records because someone else requires it. And my last hint, for today, is to make sure that you know all the normative documents related to the chosen standard and the guidance provided by the standard owners. I am surprised during my training, to see how many quality managers only focus on checklists.

"If you don't own it, someone else will"

Bruno Séchet