Evaluation & Monitoring
Evaluation & Monitoring
9.1.1 General
Measurement, monitoring, analysis, and evaluation are critical for the assessment of the performance of the quality
management system (QMS). The goal is to reflect the quantitative and qualitative performance of the QMS and to
report the degree to which processes meet their stated objectives. This activity is regarded by the ISO 9001 Standard
as one of the tools that promotes improvement of the QMS. Clause 9.1.1—General—lays the required principles to
be considered while determining and creating methods for monitoring measurement analysis and evaluation of
processes or process results. In other words, when you plan, determine, and define how you will monitor, measure,
analyze, and then evaluate a process or its outputs, make sure that you are applying and practicing the following
principles (the ISO 9001Standard requirements):
o The organization shall determine which quality elements shall be monitored and measured.
o Methods for monitoring, measurement, analysis, and evaluation shall be determined.
o The methods shall define which activities are needed to ensure valid results of monitoring and
measurements.
o The methods shall define the stages and the intervals in the process when activities of monitoring and
measurements must be performed.
o The methods shall define when results of monitoring and measuring shall be analyzed and evaluated.
o The results shall enable the evaluation of the performance and the effectiveness of the QMS.
o Documented information on the results of the monitoring, measurements, analysis, and evaluation shall be
retained.
o Monitoring—a continuous inspection or observation of process performance or process output for a special
purpose through a defined scope (e.g., with a sample size or over a period of time) and maintaining records
of those observations
o Measurement—the activity of delivering data to a method in order to define objectively a quantitative or
qualitative measure and capturing a situation without any references to the significance
o Analysis—a set of techniques for examining trends and tendencies of measurements of an output (process
or product)
o Evaluation—the action of comparing a process or process output measurements against given criteria to
determine the performance of the process or conformity of a process output
These needs should be known and available through the outputs of the process approach—which processes must be
measured in order to control their performance and verify their conformity. In clause 4.4—Quality management
system and its processes—you were required to
When monitoring and measuring a process, the following issues shall be referred:
o Identification of the processes or process outputs that must be monitored and measured
o Identification of those parameters or outputs that may indicate how the process behaves
o Identification of the function or the role responsible for conducting the activities of measurement (designated
employees, a certain department, organizational unit, etc.)
o Definition of parameters for monitoring such as process conditions, interval, sampling rates, batch loads,
and quantities
o Description of the stages during the process where measurement activities shall be undertaken
o Tools, equipment, or software required to perform or assist in the measurement
o The activities and the use of techniques of measuring the process
o Where and how the results must be documented
o The criteria necessary for the evaluation of the results (the objectives)
o Action required in case nonconformities are detected
This webpage contains only a fragment of the chapter 9 – Performance Evaluation from the book: ISO 9001: 2015 –
A Complete Guide to Quality Management Systems published by: