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HyperdoQs 1.0 by IMS Inc. System requirements: 486/33 or higher PC, Microsoft Windows 95/NT 4.0 or later; Microsoft Word 97 or later, 16 MB RAM, 10 MB of free disk space. Price: $2,500 for HyperdoQs templates; consulting contracts also available if implementation assistance is desired Contact: IMS Inc. 2250 N. Rock Road, Suite 118-275 Wichita, KS 67226 USA Telephone: (800) 788-5114 Fax: (316) 777-9330 www.hyperdoqs.com

One-Time, One-Place Documentation
HyperdoQs

You've decided to bite the bullet and make your company's quality system compliant with an ISO 9000-type standard. What do you do now? Well, at some point in your implementation process, you're going to have to write operating procedures that state precisely what your company does to deliver consistent products and services.

You can take a number of roads to document your operating procedures. If you have an existing quality system and existing procedures, you can modify them to meet ISO 9000's requirements, but this is often rather messy. Or, you can have each department document the procedures associated with its work, and have the quality department monitor the entire process. This requires a lot of coordination and training and doesn't always result in a consistent set of procedures. A third possibility is to bring in consultants to assist you or even write the procedures for you, but this can be rather costly and the consultants may present the solution they think you need instead of one you actually want.

As a final option, you can purchase a set of existing procedures and modify them according to your own needs. This approach, sometimes referred to as "ISO 9000 in a Box," gives you a set of standardized procedures, typically in a word processing format, for customization by each company. Some deride the use of "canned" procedures, stating that they can't possibly work in every situation; however, my experience is that they can and do work, especially for small companies with limited resources. And let's face it: The processes of standard functions, such as purchasing, are very similar from company to company.

One "ISO 9000 in a Box" solution worth looking at is HyperdoQs from IMS Inc. This product is based on Microsoft Word 97 and relies extensively on that program's macro and built-in programming functionality. Hence, it's most useful in the Windows environment.

HyperdoQs was developed around IMS' "One Time, One Place" content organization, designed to eliminate redundant procedures and facilitating writing, modifying and controlling. By having each procedure in one place and allowing hyperlinks between referenced documents, HyperdoQs lets users move quickly within the quality system's documentation.

The version of HyperdoQs reviewed here is oriented toward a company interested in AS9000 (aircraft/aerospace) compliance. At first look, HyperdoQs appears to be organized by ISO 9000 elements. However, it is actually organized around a typical business process, eliminating some of the nomenclature used by ISO 9000 in favor of more recognized business process elements.

A key benefit of HyperdoQs is its use of Word 97, because Word is such a familiar word processing program. This familiarity reduces training requirements for users and makes document editing faster. The product's hyperlinks are also quite valuable, allowing users Web-like accessibility and fast access to all the procedures. Note, however, that document managers may need to learn a little more about Word bookmarking and links to fully take advantage of HyperdoQs' features during document creation.

 HyperdoQs also provides an automated documentation compliance matrix that reduces the time required for internal or external auditors to conduct an audit of the quality system documentation. This matrix provides audit questions based on the appropriate quality standard (ISO 9000, AS9000 and so on) and supplies automatically updated hyperlinks between the matrix and the appropriate procedure. IMS believes the matrix is most important to large corporations.

 A mail merge/macro capability automatically customizes the procedures with company details such as name, address, department and supplier codes. This saves a lot of time formerly spent on mundane editing or inappropriate use of the "search and replace" function in Word.

 One thing HyperdoQs lacks is detail in its procedures. Although HyperdoQs does provide the basis for an ISO 9000-type quality system, it still requires users to customize the procedures for their own operations. It's true that not all companies have the same requirements, but a little more detail could be included.

 HyperdoQs can save you time and money in documenting your quality system, controlling your documents and preparing for quality system audits.

 IMS offers free product demonstrations, sample procedures and technical support.

About the author

 Jeff Kempton is quality assurance manager and mechanical engineer at SpaceAge Control Inc. He is an ASQ-certified lead auditor and has led two companies through the ISO 9001 certification process. .Kempton can be reached by telephone at (661) 273-3000, by fax at (661) 273-4240, or via e-mail at jkempton@qualitydigest.com .