Difference between monitoring and measurement

Monitoring and measurement are used together throughout the ISO 9001 standard, but they
each have different meanings. To monitor is to watch closely in order to observe, record, or
detect; in effect, it’s an act of surveillance. Meanwhile, measurement is the act of
determining the actual traits of something (such as dimensions, capacity, etc.). So, what are
some monitoring and measurement examples?

Monitoring could be used as a method to determine if a process is starting to approach a

limit. This could include a process control chart, where measurements of a product created
by the process indicate tool wear in a machine, or a monitoring alarm on the temperature of
the process, which will alert you to the temperature increasing to a level that the process
will not work or will become dangerous. On the other hand, measurement would be used to
determine the actual value of the characteristic in question and how much it differs from a
required value, possibly for use in a test report. For instance, the measurement of the actual
temperature of a process that is used to determine if the process works.

Both monitoring and measurement are valuable tools, but give different evidence for
decision making. Remember, monitoring and measurement can include product
measurement and product monitoring to gather the necessary information as well.

For some more direction on the use of monitoring and measurement in the QMS, see the
article: Practical tips for measuring your QMS according to ISO 9001:2015 clause 9.1.
ISO 9001:2015 monitoring and measurement procedure
Many of the procedures for monitoring and measurement may be embedded in other
procedures. For instance, your purchasing process may include information on how you
will monitor suppliers (such as on-time delivery and percentage of acceptable product
received), and your test and inspection procedure will guide employees on what to measure
to ensure products and services meet their requirements. You may have one procedure that
dictates all of the monitoring and measurement in the company, but this is not a formal
requirement of the ISO 9001:2015 standard.

The critical steps in monitoring and measurement that could become part of a procedure
include:

1. Identify where monitoring and measurement are needed within your processes.

2. Identify what type of monitoring or measurement you need to use.

3. Identify the monitoring and measurement equipment that is necessary for each
instance.

4. Ensure necessary calibration or verification of monitoring and measurement

equipment.
 5. Identify how monitoring and measurement data will be collected, and who will do
it.

6. Identify how monitoring and measurement data will be reviewed, and who will do
it.

7. Identify how monitoring and measurement information will be escalated to senior

management when necessary.

Learnwhat ISO 9001 evidence-based decision making is, key steps in the ISO 9001
monitoring and measurement procedure, and how to implement into your QMS
 

For more on the relation between monitoring and measurement and the monitoring
and measurement equipment, see the article: Monitoring and Measurement
Equipment Control.
What section in the ISO standard defines the requirements of
measurements?
ISO 9001 clause 9.1 is called “Monitoring, measurement, analysis and evaluation” – it
includes the requirement to take measurements in the QMS, but it also points out the crucial
step of the review of these measurements. The intent of the standard is not to measure
everything you do in the QMS, like some sort of activity that is just to make people busy;
instead, clause 9.1 addresses the need to also review the data you are collecting to
determine if action is needed. You don’t need to simply collect data if it is not going to tell
you something important; the reason to collect data is to use it.

One critical part of the QMS that relies on accurate measurement is the quality objectives,
as per clause 6.2 of ISO 9001:2015. These quality objectives, and the plans to achieve
them, are one of the main ways to work towards improvement. The decision on which
objectives to set, and tracking how well the objectives are progressing, rely on monitoring
and measurement data.

For more information on the requirements for monitoring and measurement and quality
objectives in ISO 9001, see the article: Analysis of measuring and monitoring
requirements in ISO 9001:2015 and How to Write Good Quality Objectives.
Monitoring and measurement – The path to improvement
As you can see, the requirements of monitoring and measurement in ISO 9001 clause 9 are
intended to give you the tools that will lead to improvements, not to add complexity and
costs to your company. By focusing your monitoring and measurement on what is
important to know in order to see improvement, you can help make your company better in
the long run.