Traded Product Specifications Management Procedure

Establish a complete specification for every traded product

The procedure requires a product specification to be available for every traded product and gives Technical / Quality Management responsibility for confirming that its format and content are appropriate to the product. Where a customer provides an agreed specification format, that format is used; otherwise, the specification must contain the key product information needed to meet applicable legal requirements and support safe use, together with parameters critical to product safety, legality or quality.

A specification is not accepted as complete where the available product information is insufficient. Missing or uncertain information must first be resolved by Technical / Quality Management. The detailed methods for technical approval, issue, maintenance, amendment and re-issue sit within the Specifications Management Procedure, preserving a clear boundary between this traded-products control and the wider specification-management process.

Control customer-specific requirements without losing the established product position

Products offered for general sale are managed against their established specification unless requirements specific to an individual customer become applicable. The procedure then requires a demonstrable method for identifying and meeting those customer-specified requirements.

Where a traded product is sourced or developed specifically for a customer brief, the NPD Manager coordinates capture of the applicable requirements through product development and ensures they are incorporated into the product specification. Where an existing traded product becomes subject to an additional customer requirement, Technical / Quality Management decides whether the established specification already satisfies it or needs amendment.

The control extends to supplier communication where compliance depends on information or requirements passed to a supplier: Procurement / Purchasing uses current approved product or purchasing information for that communication. If additional work is arranged before supply, the required outcome is defined and Technical / Quality Management confirms that it has been achieved before the product is accepted as satisfying the customer requirement. Where conformity cannot be demonstrated, the product is not accepted as meeting that requirement until Technical / Quality Management has reviewed the available information and confirmed conformity.

Keep specification agreement identifiable — including when agreement is still outstanding

Formal agreement of each traded product specification is sought with the relevant parties, with Technical / Quality Management maintaining oversight. Customer-facing agreement may be coordinated by the NPD Manager where the specification arises through customer-specific product development, while Procurement / Purchasing may coordinate supplier-facing agreement where supplier agreement forms part of the specification approval process.

The procedure requires formal agreement to remain identifiable to the specification and version to which it applies. Where agreement has not yet been obtained, the steps taken to obtain it must be demonstrable, including evidence that the specification has been issued or otherwise presented to the relevant party and that the agreement process is being followed.

Importantly, outstanding agreement does not automatically make a specification unusable. The procedure allows a specification to remain in use where the steps being taken to obtain agreement can be demonstrated and no separate issue has been identified that prevents continued use. If neither formal agreement nor evidence of the steps being taken to obtain it can be shown, Technical / Quality Management reviews the specification status and ensures that the agreement process is re-established.

Review specification currency and make change decisions traceable

Technical / Quality Management coordinates specification review and determines whether the existing specification remains current or requires amendment. Reviews take place when relevant changes occur and sufficiently frequently to keep information current, with each traded product specification reviewed at least once every three years.

The review considers relevant product and supplier changes, changes to applicable regulatory requirements and other identified risks that may affect specification accuracy or currency. A specification confirmed as current remains in use; where information is no longer current or amendment is required, the specification is updated through the approval and re-issue controls defined in the Specifications Management Procedure.

Review outcomes and changes are documented. The evidence identifies whether the existing specification was confirmed as current or whether amendment was required, and any resulting change remains identifiable through the documented review and amendment history.

Allocate responsibility across specification, development and supplier interfaces

Senior Management provides the resources and organisational arrangements needed for specification establishment, maintenance, agreement and review. Technical / Quality Management owns oversight of availability, content, completeness, customer-requirement conformity, agreement and review decisions.

The NPD Manager owns the customer-requirement interface where a traded product is sourced or developed to a customer brief, including customer-facing agreement where applicable. Procurement / Purchasing communicates applicable customer requirements to suppliers and may coordinate supplier-facing agreement. Employees are required to follow the specifications and customer-specific requirements relevant to their activities and report missing, uncertain or conflicting information to Technical / Quality Management.

Connect traded-product specifications with the wider FSQMS

The procedure deliberately interfaces with other controls rather than reproducing them. Product development is managed through the Product Design & Development Procedure; labelling and artwork requirements through the Product Labelling & Artwork Control Procedure; claims and authenticity through the Product Authenticity, Claims & Chain of Custody Procedure; specification approval and re-issue through the Specifications Management Procedure; and records from agreement, review and change through the Record Completion & Maintenance Procedure.

For technical, quality, NPD and purchasing teams, this gives traded product specification management a defined place within the wider FSQMS while keeping the decision authorities and process boundaries of the supporting procedures clear.