Review of “Document Everything” by Rick Hermanussen

Overview: “Document Everything” by Rick Hermanussen is a comprehensive guide designed to help quality management professionals understand the importance of meticulous documentation within their organizations. The book emphasizes the significance of documentation in ensuring business continuity, enhancing quality management systems (QMS), and fostering a culture of continuous improvement.

Key Points:

1. The Importance of Documentation:
   • The book begins by addressing common issues organizations face, such as business continuity concerns and resistance to change.
   • It highlights the necessity of documenting everything to prevent mistakes, improve processes, and preserve knowledge when employees leave the organization.
2. Getting Started with Documentation:
   • Hermanussen provides practical advice on beginning the documentation process, starting with defining what needs to be documented.
   • He suggests using simple tools like Google Drive to organize and access documents easily.
3. Building a Quality Management System (QMS):
   • The author outlines steps to build a QMS from scratch, including digitalizing existing documents and creating new ones.
   • He emphasizes the need for a structured and organized QMS that is easy to use and understand by everyone in the organization.
4. Validation in the Process:
   • The book discusses the importance of validation and documentation in reducing errors, improving efficiency, and complying with regulations.
   • It covers various validation methods such as accuracy, precision, specificity, and robustness.
5. Role of Quality Professionals:
   • Hermanussen details quality management professionals’ diverse roles and tasks, from developing quality standards to performing lab validation tests.
   • He stresses the need for quality managers to educate and train their teams, develop clear work instructions, and collect and act on feedback from customers and colleagues.
6. Strategies for Effective Documentation:
   • The author provides strategies for creating easy-to-read and understandable documentation.
   • He advocates for using lessons-learned documentation (LLD) and as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA) documentation to enhance quality and safety.
7. Industry-Specific Considerations:
   • The book addresses the documentation needs of various industries, including heavily regulated sectors like food, pharmaceuticals, and automotive.
   • It discusses how to tailor documentation practices to the specific requirements of different industries.
8. Practical Tools and Tips:
   • Hermanussen includes practical tools, tips, and examples to help readers implement effective organizational documentation practices.
   • He also highlights the importance of continuous improvement and staying updated with industry standards and best practices.

Conclusion: “Document Everything” is a valuable resource for quality management professionals seeking to improve their documentation practices. Rick Hermanussen provides straightforward, actionable advice on documenting processes effectively, building a robust QMS, and fostering a quality culture within an organization. The book’s practical approach and industry-specific insights make it a must-read for anyone involved in quality management and continuous improvement efforts.

You can get the book here