Q1 definitions (Value-based definitions) are useful in establishing a company's quality philosophy from which a corporate Quality Manual is derived. This manual, required by most of the international and domestic standards organizations, regulatory agencies and large OEM purchasers does not need to go into detail. However, it should set the tone for management guidelines, the goals for a quality program and the general mechanisms of how the program is to be established and managed. Contrary to popular belief, a quality manual can be short and to the point, just as long as it covers the corporate concerns and philosophy. Specific Quality details should be outlined in a Product Plan for each product, service or process (see reference 3 - note... this is a real sit-down read). Past experience with bloated quality manuals reveals bureaucratic quality statements where everything-in-the world is added to the manual - this is not necessary. Short and to the point is all that is needed.

The Quality Manual is the starting point for any corporate Quality program; this is the definition of what needs to be done and how it will be set up and managed.

• Quality program Philosophy
  This is the corporate statement of Quality. It tells why the Quality issue is important to the organization, its markets, employees, vendors, investors, the community and customers. It usually boils down to the enterprise's desired effects on people.
  
  
• Goals of the program
  The goals prescribe what the Quality program is intended to do such as requiring product development, marketing and manufacturing processes to reflect product benefits to the customer.
  
  
• Management of the program
  The Quality program management prescribes, for example, how to achieve and verify the program, how to sustain the program and how to improve the program.
  
  
• Quality Assurance Guidelines
  The QA guidelines indicate what needs to be done to demonstrate that the products or services will satisfy customers: i.e. the organizational structure, processes, procedures, ethical standards, review & training support for Quality Control.
  
  
• Quality Control Guidelines
  The QC guidelines provide direction, inspection and coordination of activities to ensure that products meet defined standards for content, accuracy and precision. They also provide processes for maintaining standards (not for creating them - this is done by QA), for regulating performance and to ensure that those products or services which emerge from the process meet the standards.
  
  
• Quality measurement and improvement guidelines
  These guidelines ensure quality improvement, better ways to meet customer needs, better ways of meeting standards, improving processes, etc.