Your law firm processes are only rumours about how you do things if you haven't documented them

Previously I gave definitions of terms such as policy, process, procedure and working instruction used to describe the elements of the quality management system.

It may be obvious but it should be emphasised that all of your policies and supporting documentation that will help you put your policies into effect must be documented.

The second principle is that you should "say what you do and do what you say". It is of no use having a pile of policies and procedures which don't reflect what you do in your firm. Your quality management system is not a wish list of what should or might be done, it is what you do now.

With the above two principles in mind I now turn to the quality manual as a requirement of your QMS.

The quality manual is a collection of all your policies, procedures, work instructions and requirements of the QMS and describes the interactions between the processes.

Requirements under the LAW 9000 standard

The quality manual should include:

• the scope of your QMS - since all activities performed within your practice will affect the quality of service delivery no activities should be excluded from the scope

• all your policies and procedures or reference to where they can be found

• a description of the interaction between the processes of your QMS.

All of your policies and procedures form part of your QMS so they all should be included or referenced in your quality manual.

I have enclosed an example of a quality manual establishing procedure.

In the next post I will cover the requirement of the standard to control the documents of your QMS.

Is superior quality service a way of life at your law firm?

I guess that like most lawyers you believe that you are doing a good job at delivering a good quality client service.

But unless you have stated and communicated your quality policy and quality objectives to staff and clients you may be only preaching what you should practice.

In the LAW 9000 standard words about quality service alone are meaningless. They have to be backed up by your commitment to action. 

The question you should ask yourself is: "What evidence do I have to show that I really deliver a superior quality service to my clients?"

The starting point is to state what you and your organisation stand for. The quality policy should reflect the overarching commitment  of your organisation to comply and improve your QMS and to set up and review your quality objectives. The quality policy is a great place to state your mission, vision and values.

Quality policy - practical hints

Your quality policy should include:

• a commitment to comply with requirements

• a commitment to improve the effectiveness of the QMS

• a commitment to set up and review your quality objectives

• the firm’s ‘mission, vision and values statement’

• a commitment to meeting client requirements 

• an image the practice wants to convey to your clients

• staff characteristics and how the practice treats staff

• quality or legal goals

• a description of the work that the practice undertakes.

Your firm should also have a process:

• To review periodically the quality policy to keep it current

• About how the quality policy is communicated to staff and clients.

An example of a procedure about your quality policy

1. Purpose

To define our firm's quality policy.

2. Scope

This section covers the overall intentions and direction of our firm as they relate to quality and as expressed by management.

3. Example of a Quality Policy

State the firm vision, mission and values to guide and drive the organisation towards its goals.
The [name of firm] is committed, at all levels of the company, to total customer satisfaction. To meet this commitment, we provide products and services that fulfil customer expectations, and provide quality at levels greater than that available from any of our competitors at a competitive cost. Our quality management system is based on the International Standard LAW 9000, and we are fully committed to continually improve the effectiveness of our system with constant top management review and oversight. This level of attention is complemented by formal management reviews, internal audits, extensive training, and an aggressive corrective and preventive action program that includes cross-functional teams for root-cause analysis and problem resolution. To ensure the integrity of our system, quantitative quality objectives based on operational metrics are established, monitored, measured, and reviewed by lawyers held accountable for their results. In addition, all of our employees are thoroughly trained in quality management methods and are supplied with the resources required to ensure that such methods are effective. At [firm name], business objectives and quality objectives are synonymous.
Signed:
Dated:

4. Review of Quality Policy

This quality policy is appropriate for our firm and consistent with our overall business policies and shall be reviewed on an on-going basis to ensure its continuing suitability.

5. Communication of Quality Policy

The firm shall ensure this policy is communicated and understood by all levels within the organisation by providing training sessions and by conducting internal quality audits under this quality manual.

In the next post I will discuss the quality objectives and give an example of a procedure that will assist you to establish objectives which are measurable and consistent with your quality policy.