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Quality Management Document

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QUALITY MANAGEMENT DOCUMENT

THIS QUALITY MANAGEMENT DOCUMENT (the Agreement) is entered into as of Effective Date: by and between Client Name: and Provider Name: .

WHEREAS

WHEREAS, Client requires the provision of quality management services and documentation to ensure that goods and services supplied by Provider meet the contractual and regulatory quality requirements; and

WHEREAS, Provider represents that it has the personnel, systems, controls, and procedures necessary to perform quality management, quality assurance, inspection, testing, and corrective action processes in accordance with the standards specified in this Agreement; and

WHEREAS, the parties desire to set forth the scope, performance standards, reporting, payment terms, confidentiality obligations and other material terms governing Provider’s performance of quality management services for Client.

PARTY CONTACT INFORMATION

SCOPE OF WORK

Provider shall perform the quality management services, including planning, inspection, testing, nonconformance management, corrective and preventive action (CAPA), audit support, and preparation of deliverables identified below. Provider shall perform such services in accordance with the standards and acceptance criteria set forth in this Agreement and any attachments incorporated herein.

QUALITY STANDARDS AND COMPLIANCE

Provider shall perform services in compliance with applicable statutory and regulatory quality obligations and the following standards, as required by Client: ISO 9001 (if selected), Client-specific standard operating procedures, and any other written quality specifications agreed in writing. Provider shall maintain documented procedures, records of inspections and tests, and shall make such records available to Client upon request.

Standards required:

PAYMENT TERMS

In consideration for the services rendered by Provider, Client shall pay Provider the fees described below. All fees are exclusive of taxes unless otherwise stated. Provider shall invoice Client in accordance with the schedule below and Client shall pay undisputed amounts within the payment period.

Late payments shall accrue interest at the lesser of 1.5% per month or the maximum rate permitted by applicable law, calculated daily from the due date until paid. Client shall be responsible for reasonable collection costs incurred by Provider for overdue amounts.

TERM AND TERMINATION

This Agreement shall commence on Start Date: and shall continue until End Date: unless earlier terminated in accordance with this Section.

Either party may terminate this Agreement for convenience upon prior written notice to the other party of not less than days. Either party may terminate for material breach if such breach is not cured within thirty (30) days after written notice specifying the breach.

Termination shall not relieve Client of the obligation to pay for all services performed and expenses incurred through the effective date of termination, nor shall it limit any rights or remedies available to either party at law or in equity.

CONFIDENTIALITY

Each party (the Receiving Party) shall maintain in confidence all non-public information disclosed by the other party (the Disclosing Party) that is designated confidential or that reasonably should be understood to be confidential given the nature of the information and the circumstances of disclosure (Confidential Information). The Receiving Party shall not use Confidential Information except to perform its obligations under this Agreement and shall not disclose Confidential Information to any third party except to employees, agents or subcontractors who have a need to know and who are bound by confidentiality obligations no less protective than those contained herein.

Confidential Information does not include information that: (a) is or becomes generally known to the public without breach of this Agreement by the Receiving Party; (b) was in the Receiving Party’s lawful possession prior to receipt from the Disclosing Party; (c) is lawfully received by the Receiving Party from a third party without restriction; or (d) is independently developed by the Receiving Party without use of the Disclosing Party’s Confidential Information. Upon expiration or termination of this Agreement, the Receiving Party shall return or destroy Confidential Information as directed by the Disclosing Party.

GOVERNING LAW

This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of , without regard to its conflict of law principles. The parties submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts located in that State for any dispute arising out of or relating to this Agreement.

ENTIRE AGREEMENT

This Agreement, including any attachments or exhibits expressly incorporated herein, constitutes the entire agreement between the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersedes all prior and contemporaneous agreements, proposals, and understandings, whether written or oral. No amendment or modification of this Agreement shall be binding unless made in writing and signed by authorized representatives of both parties.

MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS

Relationship of the parties: Provider is an independent contractor. Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed to create a partnership, joint venture, or employment relationship between the parties. Provider shall be responsible for its own taxes, insurance, and benefits.

Client Name:

By:

Date:

Provider Name:

By:

Date:

Enter text✕

What the Quality Management Document Is and when it matters

A Quality Management Document is a centrally maintained record that defines an organization's quality objectives, policies, procedures, responsibilities, and control measures used to plan, implement, monitor, and improve product or service quality. It typically covers scope, roles, process maps, inspection and corrective action procedures, recordkeeping requirements, and performance metrics. Organizations use this document to demonstrate consistent quality practices, meet contractual or regulatory obligations, and provide a single source of truth for auditors, certification bodies, and internal stakeholders engaged in continuous improvement.

Why maintaining a clear Quality Management Document matters

A well‑written Quality Management Document reduces variability, supports regulatory compliance, and clarifies responsibilities across teams. It enables repeatable processes, helps capture nonconformances and corrective actions, and forms part of evidence for audits or third‑party certification.

Why maintaining a clear Quality Management Document matters

Who prepares and relies on the Quality Management Document

Clear assignment of roles in the document reduces handoff errors and supports timely corrective actions when nonconformances occur.

  • Quality manager or QMS owner responsible for drafting, maintaining, and updating procedures and records and coordinating audits and corrective actions.
  • Process owner or supervisor accountable for day-to-day adherence, local training, and documenting process changes or deviations.
  • Compliance officer or legal counsel who verifies that procedures meet regulatory obligations, contractual requirements, and internal policies.

Core sections to include in a professional Quality Management Document

A complete document organizes essential elements so users can find requirements, responsibilities, and records quickly during operations or audits.

Scope

Define what processes, sites, product lines, and exclusions the document covers and the boundaries for quality controls and records.

Policy

State the organization’s quality policy, quality objectives, management commitment, and the metrics used to measure success and improvement.

Roles & Responsibilities

List specific responsibilities for management, quality personnel, process owners, and other stakeholders, including approval and review authorities.

Procedures

Describe key operational procedures, inspection points, acceptance criteria, escalation paths, and references to supporting work instructions.

Records & Evidence

Enumerate required records (inspections, audits, training, corrective actions), retention periods, and storage locations for retrieval and audit trails.

Change Control

Explain how revisions are proposed, reviewed, authorized, versioned, communicated, and rolled out to ensure controlled implementation.

Essential data fields to capture

Document Title: Quality Management Document
Version: v1.0, v2.1 etc.
Effective Date: MM/DD/YYYY
Owner: Name and role
Approver: Name and role
Retention: Retention period

Step-by-step: complete and publish a Quality Management Document

Follow these sequential steps to create, review, approve, and distribute the document so it is auditable and usable by operations.

  • 01
    Draft: Compile scope, procedures, roles, and records in a single draft.
  • 02
    Review: Circulate to process owners and compliance for technical and legal checks.
  • 03
    Approve: Obtain formal approval from the document owner and executive sponsor.
  • 04
    Publish: Store the final version in the controlled repository and notify stakeholders.

How to configure an online workflow for the document

Set up routing, fields, and authentication so reviewers and signers follow the required approval path.

Field Configuration
Approval Order Sequential or parallel signers
Required Fields Signature, date, approver initials
Authentication Email, SMS code, or stronger
Audit Trail Enable for every signing event

Where to send, file, and archive the completed document

Route the signed document to operational owners, the quality repository, and any required external parties for compliance.

  • Operations: Store one copy in the team’s document folder
  • Quality Repository: Archive final signed version in controlled QMS storage
  • Legal / Compliance: Provide a copy if regulatory review is required
  • External Auditors: Share secure read-only access for audits

Digital distribution and eSignature considerations

Ensure your chosen platform supports retention, export formats, and the authentication level required by internal policy or regulators.

  • File formats: PDF, DOCX supported
  • Integrations: Connect to Google Drive or SharePoint
  • Authentication: Email, SMS, or SSO

Common timing and review deadlines to set

Define calendar milestones so reviews, internal audits, and version updates occur predictably and meet compliance expectations.

Initial Review Cycle:

90 days after initial issue for maturity checks

Periodic Review:

Annually or when process changes occur

Audits:

Schedule internal audits every 6–12 months

Corrective Action Follow-up:

30–90 days depending on severity

Version Release:

Publish effective dates with each approved revision

Common mistakes to avoid when preparing the document

  • Ambiguous responsibilities that leave process owners unclear about who must act or approve, causing delayed corrective actions and audit findings.
  • Omitting retention periods or legal basis, which complicates records retrieval and can breach regulatory requirements for audits.
  • Using inconsistent versioning or failing to mark superseded copies, leading to multiple ‘live’ versions in circulation.
  • Relying on scanned signatures without an audit trail or clear attribution, which weakens evidentiary value for compliance reviews.

Consequences of incomplete or inaccurate Quality Management Documents

Audit findings: Corrective actions required
Regulatory fines: Monetary penalties possible
Contract risk: Supplier or customer noncompliance
Operational delays: Process interruptions
Product recalls: Reputational damage risk
Legal exposure: Liability from failures

Real-world examples of Quality Management Document use

Organizations use structured quality documents to speed approvals, support audits, and centralize procedures; these examples show practical results.

Optica Ventures (COO)

The interface is simple and easy-to-use for our team; more importantly, it is just as easy for our customers.

  • Faster approvals reduced turnaround time significantly.
  • By consolidating procedures and signatures into one workflow, the company improved traceability and reduced back-and-forth during vendor onboarding.

Tech Data (CEO)

Tech Data uses airSlate SignNow to improve our internal and external customer service while increasing our speed to revenue.

  • Centralized signing decreased processing delays.
  • Standardized templates and audit trails helped the organization demonstrate consistent controls during vendor and customer audits.

Who is authorized to sign and approve this document

Quality Manager

The Quality Manager or designated QMS owner signs operational approval blocks, takes responsibility for updates, and coordinates corrective action reporting and internal audits.

Executive Sponsor

An executive sponsor or department head provides final approval for policy-level changes and confirms resource commitments for corrective actions and training.

Supporting documents and file formats to save

Keep common supporting files linked to the Quality Management Document so reviewers can access evidence quickly.

Work Instructions

Attach step-by-step operational instructions and checklists as PDF or DOCX files to support procedural compliance and on-the-job reference.

Inspection Records

Store completed inspection forms and nonconformance reports as time-stamped PDFs with audit metadata for traceability.

Training Logs

Maintain signed training acknowledgements and competency records in a searchable format linked to the document version.

Change Log

Preserve a versioned change log that records what changed, why, who approved it, and the effective date for each revision.

Comparison: eSignature platform pricing and basic capabilities

This table summarizes starting prices and a few capability indicators across common vendors; signNow is listed first per platform comparison norms.

signNow DocuSign Adobe Sign PandaDoc HelloSign
Starting Price $8/user/mo $15/user/mo $14/user/mo $19/user/mo $15/user/mo
Free Trial 7-day free trial Varied trials Varied trials Varied trials Varied trials
Bulk Send Available on higher tiers Available on higher tiers Available on higher tiers Available Available
Audit Trail Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
HIPAA Compliant Yes (BAA available) Varies by plan Varies by plan Varies by plan Varies by plan
Envelope Cap No cap 100 envelopes/user/year Varies by plan Varies by plan Varies by plan

Key milestones in the Quality Management Document lifecycle

Track milestones from draft through continuous improvement so responsibilities and timing remain clear across teams.

01

Draft Completion

Document drafted and internal review initiated

02

Stakeholder Review

Process owners and compliance complete technical review

03

Formal Approval

Executive sponsor signs and publishes authoritative version

04

Periodic Review

Scheduled reassessment and updates occur on a defined cycle

Frequently asked questions about the Quality Management Document

Answers to common issues when preparing, approving, or storing the document to prevent delays and nonconformances.


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