Manufacturing & quality glossary

Plain-English definitions of the SOP, document-control, quality and training terms UK manufacturers use every day. Each one links through to a deeper guide where there is one.

Tribal knowledge

Tribal knowledge is the undocumented know-how that lives in experienced people's heads rather than in written procedures — the settings, workarounds and judgement calls a long-serving operator just knows. It is a risk because it walks out of the door when that person retires or leaves, and it is invisible until it is gone.

Capturing tribal knowledge before it retires →

Standard operating procedure (SOP)

A standard operating procedure (SOP) is a controlled document that describes the whole process for a task: the steps, the order, and who does what. It defines what happens and in what sequence, and sits above the detailed work instructions for individual steps.

Work instruction vs SOP →

Work instruction

A work instruction is a step-level document that spells out exactly how to carry out a single step inside an SOP — the specific settings, tools and technique an operator needs at the bench. Where the SOP gives the process, the work instruction gives the how-to for one part of it.

Work instruction vs SOP →

Digital SOP

A digital SOP is a standard operating procedure that is created, version-controlled and accessed electronically rather than on paper, so the current approved version is available at the point of use and obsolete copies are not left in circulation. The strongest digital systems also make the procedure searchable and answerable, not just viewable.

Document control

Document control is the system that ensures people always use the current, approved version of a document and never an obsolete one. It covers approval, version control, distribution and access, storage, change control, and the removal of superseded copies from use. In ISO 9001 it is required by clause 7.5.3.

ISO 9001 document control software for UK manufacturers →

Control of documented information

Control of documented information is the ISO 9001:2015 term (clause 7.5.3) for controlling both documents and records. It requires that documented information is available and suitable where needed and adequately protected, and that it is controlled for distribution, access, storage, change, retention and disposition — including documents of external origin such as customer drawings.

Control of documented information (clause 7.5.3) explained →

Non-conformance report (NCR)

A non-conformance report (NCR) records that a product, process or system did not meet a requirement. It documents what the non-conformance was, where it occurred and how it was contained or dispositioned. An NCR captures the problem; it often triggers a CAPA, but not every NCR needs one.

NCR vs CAPA: what's the difference? →

Corrective and preventive action (CAPA)

CAPA stands for corrective and preventive action — the systematic process of investigating the root cause of a problem, correcting it, and putting controls in place so it does not recur. Where an NCR records that something went wrong, a CAPA is the structured action taken to fix the cause and prevent repetition.

NCR vs CAPA: what's the difference? →

Training matrix

A training matrix is a grid that maps people against the tasks, skills or procedures they need to be competent in, showing who is trained on what and where the gaps are. In manufacturing it is used to prove operators are qualified for the jobs they run and to plan retraining when a procedure changes.

Competency

Competency is demonstrated ability to perform a task to the required standard — not just having been shown how, but being able to do it reliably and safely. Manufacturers evidence competency through training records, assessments and sign-off, and re-confirm it when the underlying procedure changes.

Single source of truth

A single source of truth is one controlled, authoritative version of a piece of information that everyone refers to, rather than multiple copies that can drift apart. For manufacturing documentation it means there is one current approved version of each procedure, so the answer an operator gets is always today's, not a copy saved last year.

How to keep SOPs up to date →

ISO 9001

ISO 9001 is the international standard for quality management systems. It sets requirements for how an organisation manages quality — including process control, document control, handling of non-conformities and continual improvement — and is the certification most UK manufacturers hold or work towards to win and keep customers.

ISO 9001 document control for UK manufacturers →