Quality Systems 3P

Effective Mapping to Establish Identification and Traceability

Posted by Bob under Articles

One of the difficult requirements in ISO 9001 is the establishment of an effective identification and traceability. One of the common approaches to address this is to map-out the needed unique identification of the product as it go along in the product realization process. The extent to which this approach is mapped-out depends on the type of products being processed or the service being delivered and impact of inputs in each subsequent process from external sources (i.e. raw materials) in which the needed raw material identification may have to be mapped-out as well. To do this, one must have the processes as reference, e.g. quality plan, QC flowchart or process control chart. Then, identify the needed record to identify the product (e.g. travel tag, moving slip) with a unique identification number.  The key to a traceable product is that each identification form must bear the reference number of the previous form. Download sample ID and traceability map for better understanding. As indicated, as the products are transferred to another process, there is at least one reference number being carried to another process. The same approach may be used to thoroughly map out the needed traceability for service delivery.