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This Quality Assurance Policy is made between:
1. Stack8s Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales whose registered office is at Mappin House, 4 Winsley St, London, W1W 8HF
2. Any individual or company that receives or uses services provided by Stack8sLtd.
3. General Information about Stack8s Ltd
3.1 Stack8s Ltd is an artificial intelligence company incorporated in England and Wales.
3.2 Stack8s Ltd is engaged in the business of developing and providing AI-based solutions to its customers.
3.3 This Quality Assurance Policy is implemented to ensure Stack8s Ltd delivers its products and services to the highest standards of quality and in accordance with customers' requirements and expectations.
3.4 Effective quality assurance processes and continuous improvement are important to Stack8s Ltd to maintain customer satisfaction and compliance with relevant regulations.
3.5 Appropriate documentation and record-keeping relating to quality assurance will be maintained by Stack8s Ltd.
3.6 Consistent, high-quality deliverables will enhance customer satisfaction and outcomes. Compliance with this Policy should also reduce errors and re-work over time.
4. Definitions
4.1 In this Policy:
Company means Stack8s Ltd.
Customer means any individual or entity that purchases or receives services from the Company.
Deliverables means any products, services, reports or other work product delivered by the Company.
Parties means the Company and the Customer.
Policy means this Quality Assurance Policy.
Quality Assurance Procedures means the internal processes and controls implemented by the Company to ensure appropriate quality standards are met in relation to the provision of Deliverables to Customers.
4.2 In this Policy, unless the context otherwise requires, any references to:
4.2.1 a "person" include any natural person, company, business or partnership, and references to a "company" shall include any company, corporation or body corporate, wherever and however incorporated.
4.2.2 "writing" or "written" includes emails but not faxes.
5. Scope
5.1 This Quality Assurance Policy shall apply to all activities, processes, products and services provided by Stack8s Ltd (the "Company"), including but not limited to:
5.1.1 The development and provision of artificial intelligence-based solutions and services;
5.1.2 The software development lifecycle from requirements gathering and design, through development, testing, deployment and maintenance;
5.1.3 Customer support and after sales maintenance services;
5.1.4 The collection, storage, processing and use of data.
5.2 This Policy shall not apply to purely administrative functions of the Company which are unrelated to the deliverables it provides to customers, such as financial accounting.
5.3 Where any work is subcontracted to third parties, the relevant requirements of this Policy shall apply to such subcontractors to the extent appropriate. The Company shall ensure that all subcontractors comply fully with this Policy.
5.4 The scope of this Policy shall be reviewed by the Company on an annual basis, and more regularly if required due to changes in the Company's business, operations, products or services. The Company may update the scope at its discretion to ensure ongoing compliance with all legal and regulatory requirements.
6. Policy Statement
6.1 The Company is committed to delivering products and services to its customers and clients to the highest standards of quality.
6.2 The Company shall comply fully with the terms of this Quality Assurance Policy and its associated procedures at all times.
6.3 The Company is committed to understanding the needs and requirements of each customer and client and meeting their expectations. Customer satisfaction is a key objective of the Company's quality assurance processes.
6.4 The Company shall engage regularly with its customers and clients for feedback and to continually improve its products, services and quality assurance standards over time in response to such feedback.
6.5 The Company is committed to complying with all applicable statutory and regulatory requirements relating to quality assurance including but not limited to the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982.
6.6 The Company shall also comply with any additional quality standards or requirements specified by its customers and clients in relation to particular products or services provided.
6.7 The Company aims to continually improve its quality assurance processes and standards on an ongoing basis. The Company shall regularly review this Quality Assurance Policy and its associated procedures to identify areas for improvement and update them as necessary.
7. Responsibilities
7.1 The Board of Directors shall be ultimately responsible for approving this Policy and overseeing its implementation within the Company. The Board shall ensure adequate resources are made available to support the quality assurance processes set out in this Policy.
7.2 The Quality Assurance Manager shall have day-to-day responsibility for implementing, monitoring compliance with and administering this Policy and its associated procedures. The Quality Assurance Manager shall produce regular reports on quality assurance for review by the Board and senior management.
7.3 The Quality Assurance Manager shall lead any internal quality audits of the Company's operations and ensure appropriate corrective actions are implemented to address any identified issues. All quality assurance records and documentation shall be maintained by the Quality Assurance Manager.
7.4 Line managers shall be responsible for ensuring their departments and teams comply with this Policy and the relevant quality assurance procedures on a day-to-day basis. Line managers shall identify any training needs to support quality assurance compliance and processes.
7.5 Line managers shall report any quality issues, risks or non-conformances identified within their areas of responsibility to the Quality Assurance Manager without delay.
7.6 All employees shall follow the quality assurance procedures applicable to their roles and responsibilities. Employees shall report any quality issues, risks or opportunities for improvement to their line manager or the Quality Assurance Manager.
7.7 The Data Protection Officer shall advise on compliance with data protection laws in relation to this Policy and the Company's quality assurance processes. The Data Protection Officer shall review any new quality assurance procedures for potential privacy impacts.
7.8 Employees shall participate fully in any relevant internal or external audits, reviews or inspections of the Company's quality assurance arrangements and compliance with this Policy.
8. Quality Assurance Procedures
8.1 Testing and Validation
The Company shall conduct unit, integration, and system testing of its products and services at appropriate stages of the development lifecycle. Testing shall be conducted in accordance with predefined test plans and cases to validate that deliverables meet specified requirements.
8.2 Change Management
Any changes to deliverables shall be requested through the Company's change management system. All change requests must be approved by an appropriate manager before implementation. All changes shall be properly documented, implemented according to an approved project plan, and subject to re-testing as necessary. Appropriate version control procedures shall be followed.
8.3 Issue and Defect Management
Any issues or defects identified shall be reported through the Company's issue tracking system within 5 working days. Issues shall be properly classified, investigated, and prioritised according to severity levels. All defects shall be resolved and re-tested according to documented resolution timeframes appropriate to the severity level.
8.4 Customer Feedback
The Company shall conduct customer satisfaction surveys, interviews or focus groups no less than 14 working days to obtain feedback. All feedback shall be properly documented and escalated to relevant managers. Appropriate measures shall be put in place to address any feedback and ensure continual improvement.
8.5 Continuous Improvement
The Company shall conduct regular management reviews of quality assurance processes and metrics to identify areas for improvement. Changes to processes, deliverables or other aspects shall be made as necessary to implement identified improvements.
8.6 Record Keeping
The Company shall maintain records of all testing, issues, changes, customer feedback and quality assurance management reviews for a minimum period of 2 years.
8.7 Responsibilities
Responsibility for quality assurance processes shall be allocated as follows:
Board of Directors:
- Approve and oversee the QA Policy.
- Ensure adequate resources for QA processes.
Quality Assurance Manager:
- Implement and monitor QA Policy.
- Lead internal audits and ensure corrective actions.
- Maintain QA records.
Line Managers:
- Ensure departmental compliance.
- Identify training needs.
- Report quality issues to the Quality Assurance Manager.
Employees:
- Follow QA procedures.
- Report issues or improvements.
Data Protection Officer:
- Advise on data protection compliance.
- Review new QA procedures for privacy impacts.
Participation in Audits:
- Fully participate in relevant audits.
- All key stages shall include appropriate sign-off by responsible managers.
9. Documentation Requirements
9.1 The Company shall maintain accurate and complete records of all documentation relating to quality assurance including audit reports, non-conformance reports, corrective action reports and management review minutes (the "Quality Records").
9.2 Quality Records shall be retained for a minimum period of five (5) years from the date of creation except for non-conformance reports which shall be retained for two (2) years.
9.3 Quality Records shall be stored securely on the Company's computer servers and physical copies shall be kept in locked storage when not in use. All reasonable technical and organisational measures shall be taken to prevent loss, damage or alteration of Quality Records.
9.4 All relevant staff shall have access to Quality Records as necessary for performance of their roles. Quality Records containing any personal data shall be handled in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018.
9.5 Quality Records shall be treated as confidential and not disclosed to any third party except as required by applicable law. Any requests for Quality Records under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 shall be handled in accordance with the Company's internal policy on responding to such requests.
10. Internal Quality Audits
10.1 The Company shall conduct internal audits of its quality management system on at least an annual basis to check compliance with this Policy and identify any areas for improvement.
10.2 The audits shall be conducted by one or more auditors appointed by the Company's board of directors. Auditors must have sufficient training and experience of quality management systems and internal auditing, and shall be independent of the functions being audited.
10.3 Audits shall involve a review of documentation such as quality records, procedures and reports, as well as interviews with relevant staff and inspections of premises and processes. Audits shall be conducted giving at least 14 days' prior written notice.
10.4 Auditors shall prepare a written audit report identifying any non-conformances against this Policy, applicable laws or contractual requirements. Non-conformances shall be classified as either minor or major.
10.5 Major non-conformances must be addressed through a corrective action plan to be implemented within 30 days of the audit report. Corrective actions must then be closed out within an agreed timeframe.
10.6 The Company's management shall review all audit reports and monitor the timely closure of any corrective actions. Management may approve or require changes to this Policy or related quality procedures based on audit findings.
10.7 All audit records including reports, evidence and corrective action plans shall be retained for a minimum of six years.
11. Management Review
11.1 The quality assurance manager shall convene management review meetings on a quarterly basis to assess the effectiveness of this Policy and the quality assurance systems.
11.2 The management review meetings shall be attended by the line managers, employees, and the quality manager.
11.3 At each meeting the following documentation shall be reviewed:
(a) quality assurance reports and records of internal audits carried out since the previous meeting;
(b) details of any non-conformances that have arisen, including corrective actions implemented;
(c) performance data and metrics relating to the achievement of quality standards and objectives.
11.4 The management review meetings shall:
(a) assess the continuing effectiveness and sufficiency of this Policy and the quality assurance procedures in ensuring that the Company's quality standards are achieved;
(b) monitor progress against any plans for continual improvement of quality assurance systems;
(c) identify and address any issues relating to resourcing of quality assurance functions or other constraints affecting the quality assurance process; and
(d) set quality objectives and targets to be achieved in the period until the next review meeting.
11.5 Accurate minutes shall be taken of each management review meeting and retained on the Company's files. Any actions agreed at a meeting shall be documented and followed up on at subsequent meetings.
12. Non-conformance and Corrective Action
12.1 Any employee who identifies or becomes aware of any non-conformance with this Policy, the quality assurance procedures or required quality standards shall promptly report the matter to their line manager or the Quality Assurance Manager.
12.2 Upon receipt of a report regarding a potential non-conformance, the Quality Assurance Manager shall evaluate the issue to determine its impact, urgency and the likely root cause. Where appropriate, input may be sought from relevant subject matter experts.
12.3 Where a non-conformance is confirmed, the Quality Assurance Manager shall develop and implement an appropriate corrective action plan on a timely basis. Any immediate steps required to address the impact on customers shall be taken without delay.
12.4 Corrective actions shall be aimed at remedying the non-conformance, preventing its recurrence and restoring ongoing compliance with this Policy and required quality standards. Timeframes for completing corrective actions shall be set based on the nature and severity of the issue.
12.5 The implementation and effectiveness of corrective actions shall be monitored by the Quality Assurance Manager. Records of monitoring activities shall be retained. Once all corrective actions have been successfully completed to the required standard, the non-conformance shall be closed.
12.6 Where a non-conformance has affected customers, they shall be informed of the issue, actions taken to address it and the resolution. Customers shall also be provided with a point of contact to raise any complaints regarding the handling of the non-conformance.
13. Continual Improvement
13.1 The Company is committed to the ongoing monitoring, review and improvement of its quality assurance processes, procedures and documentation on a continual basis.
13.2 Senior management will review reports on quality assurance audits, customer feedback and other quality indicators at least annually to identify any areas of the Company's quality assurance system that could be improved.
13.3 Any non-conformances identified through internal or external audits, complaints or other means will be addressed through corrective and preventative actions to improve relevant processes and procedures and to prevent reoccurrence.
13.4 Key quality indicators such as customer satisfaction levels, results of audits and complaint statistics will be monitored on an ongoing basis in order to identify trends and areas requiring corrective action.
13.5 Identified improvements to the Company's quality assurance system will be documented in a written action plan including allocation of responsibilities and defined timelines for implementation. Progress against the action plan will be monitored.
13.6 Customers will be kept informed of any significant improvements made to the Company's quality assurance processes, procedures, or documentation through email newsletters.
13.7 The effectiveness and suitability of this Quality Assurance Policy shall be reviewed, and if necessary updated, by the Company on at least an annual basis.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the PARTIES have caused this QUALITY ASSURANCE POLICY to be executed by their respective duly authorised representatives as of the 13 Dec 2024.