Documentation Levels
Documentation levels is a way of highlighting the importance (as well as the "generality") of some documents against others. An higher level document will typically refer to lower level documents that will complete its meaning.Lower level documents will be shorter in scope and much more detailed (to the task, and eventually to the tool needed for performing that task).
A possible definition for documentation levels for a QMS might include:
The QMS consists of a set of documents and records with different levels of importance.They are organized in a series of levels, ranging from 0 (the higher level, structuring documents) to 4 (lower level, simple support document of optional usage) and aligned with the Quality Management System structure:Level 0: Organisational level descriptions (e.g. IMS Manual / Quality Manual).Level 1: Process overviews, comprising Project Life Cycle, Project Management, Quality Management and Process Improvement.Level 2: Quality Management System process descriptions (e.g. Software Design).Level 3: Procedures which define process activities with details (e.g. Document Review [Procedure]).Level 4: Detailed descriptions of tasks performed to accomplish an activity (Guidebooks, Checklists, Templates or other).
