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96 PCB007 MAGAZINE I NOVEMBER 2020 Introduction While documentation is often viewed as a necessary evil, it is a very important aspect of any quality system but needs to be functional. The documentation system needs to be lean, mean, and user-friendly to the workforce. The KISS Principle Documentation can make or break a qual- ity system and is usually the source of most unfavorable audit results in some way, shape, or fashion. A robust document control system can not only minimize unfavorable results but with some critical thinking and a little creativ- ity, your documentation system can become a competitive weapon. One of the best ways to make your documentation as bulletproof as possible is to follow the KISS Principle: Keep it simple, Steve. Big Hairy Monster Over time, a company's QMS documentation system becomes bloated, overgrown, and in- effective. What typically happens is that with every customer complaint and external audit, things get added to the system in a knee-jerk reaction, and the documentation set grows, grows, and grows until it is an unrecognizable big hairy monster. It is not uncommon to find procedures 30+ levels high and just as many transactional work instructions. It is also typical to find many of these documents to be over 20 pages long, beg- ging the question: "Is anyone really going to read and use these?" I suggest a resounding, "No." If that is true, then what is the point? Simplify Your QMS Documentation Through KISS, Part 1 The Right Approach by Steve Williams, THE RIGHT APPROACH CONSULTING