Wed, 09/26/2012 - 09:18
No matter how much effort we put into meeting a quality standard’s requirements for continual improvement, there are times when we are not sure whether to call for a corrective action. Although there is no instrument that points to yes or no and…
Wed, 09/12/2012 - 12:58
When implementing a new management system based on ISO standards, experts usually invoke the grandfather clause as a way to relieve the enforcement of some requirements. When, where, and how often can the grandfather clause be invoked?
The…
Wed, 08/15/2012 - 13:05
Your ISO management rep is leaving the company, and you have yet to reassign the post. If you’re wondering whether there are any formalities that must be followed, don’t worry. There’s no need to hit the panic button. With some simple planning, you…
Fri, 07/27/2012 - 13:28
Deciding how to control your documents can be difficult. ISO 9001, the quality management system (QMS) standard from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), requires you maintain accurate and up-to-date procedures, but doesn’t give…
Mon, 06/25/2012 - 10:25
There you are, in the middle of an internal or external audit, and the auditor asks you a question that you are truly not sure about. What do you do?
1. Hit the panic button.2. Ask the audience for a hint.
3. Phone a friend. Well, there…
Tue, 06/05/2012 - 11:39
So, you think you’ve got them all figured it out, and then, bam! Somebody else comes up with a new quality acronym to throw you off your game. But don’t give up too soon. Acronyms are confusing, but they all boil down to continual improvement. The…
Thu, 09/08/2011 - 15:09
So you have been in the quality world for many years. Admit it, you are the underdog. No matter if the whole company revolves around your statistics and process controls, you are not the operations manager, and neither are you the sales leader.…
Wed, 06/29/2011 - 10:52
You’ve heard about “measuring training effectiveness” but aren’t quite sure how to do it. You’ve been filling out training attendance sheets for as long as you can recall, and they have served the purpose. So why is training effectiveness all of the…
Thu, 04/07/2011 - 06:00
In my March 24th column, I discussed how you should handle audits that point out a minor or "Mickey Mouse" nonconformance. In this column, I am going to look at this from the auditor’s point of view, when it’s obvious that the auditee did not take a…
Thu, 03/24/2011 - 05:30
Have you ever been audited and felt like the auditor’s findings were almost irrelevant in the context of your organization’s major challenges and goals? Did you sometimes feel like you've been handed a Mickey Mouse nonconformity given the issues…