Here’s how you can reap some benefits of an ISO9001-2008 quality management system without incurring any of the costs.
Archive for the ‘General quality system’ Category
Reap benefits of ISO9001-2008 without any cost
Thursday, June 16th, 2011Is it possible to get ISO9001-2008 accredited before you start a business?
Wednesday, November 17th, 2010Recently I had a few phone calls, and a brief introductory meeting, with a gentleman who claimed he and his partner were in business making electronic devices. He said a large, well-known company wanted to do business with him, and the potential customer insisted he have his ISO9001-2008 certificate. We talked quite a bit, I [...]
ISO9001-2008 Similarities to Government
Tuesday, October 19th, 2010The other day it dawned on me that ISO9001-2008 performs a function similar to governments. How so?
Are you ISO9001-2008 certified? There are 2 kinds of ISO9001 companies. Which one are you?
Tuesday, October 5th, 2010In my opinion there are basically 2 kinds of companies that are registered to ISO9001-2008. Which one are you?
Advice on writing your ISO9001-2008 quality system documents
Tuesday, August 10th, 2010Tips on writing your quality system documentation, from someone who’s done it many times.
Writing Your ISO9001:2008 Documentation? KISS!
Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010There’s no need for your ISO9001:2008 quality system documentation to be overly complex. The more complicated you make it, the harder it is to follow, and the less your people will want to do it. So why do people insist on lengthly, complex documents?
Writing a Corrective Action Request to a Vendor
Thursday, June 17th, 2010Corrective action requests are not limited to your internal operations. You can issue them to suppliers as well. But there are things to consider when sending a vendor corrective action request.
Your ISO9001:2008 quality system: A real effort at improving, or the bare minimum?
Thursday, May 20th, 2010Do you have ISO9001:2008? Does your company genuinely want to improve? Or do you do the bare minimum needed to keep your certificate?
ISO9001-2008 Helps Auto Dealer Get Paid!
Thursday, March 18th, 2010Fitzgerald Auto Malls successfully implemented an ISO9001 quality management system, and it has paid off for them. Last summer, during the “Cash For Clunkers” program, there were reports that some auto dealers were not being paid by the federal government. Fitzgerald Auto Malls used their ISO9001 system to develop work instructions for their employees as [...]
Why the very first ISO9001-2008 audit is the easiest you’ll ever have.
Friday, January 15th, 2010You might think your first ISO9001-2008 audit will be your hardest. While the preparation may take a long time, in some ways this will be your easiest audit.
Jitters about first ISO9001:2008 registration audit
Wednesday, December 30th, 2009Have you gone through your first ISO9001:2008 registration audit? How nervous were you? How did you do? Was the nervousness justified?
Differences between ISO9001:2000 and ISO9001:2008
Friday, November 27th, 2009Is your quality system ready for the latest revision of the ISO9001 quality system standard?
ISO9001:2008 clause 7.5.3 how do you identify your products?
Thursday, October 15th, 2009ISO9001:2008 clause 7.5.3 requires us to identify products throughout the production process. There are many ways to do this, some not so obvious. How do you do it?
How much can you tailor ISO9001:2008 to your company?
Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009One of the beautiful features of the ISO9001:2008 quality standard is that it gives users a lot of leeway in how to structure your quality system. But there’s a limit to how far you can go.
Information on ISO9001:2008 – its almost here!
Wednesday, September 10th, 2008The ISO9001:2008 revision is almost here. Will you have to rewrite your manual? Inquiring minds want to know.
So you’ve got your new ISO9001:2000 certificate. Now what?
Friday, July 4th, 2008Hooray! You’ve just passed your first ISO9001:2000 registration audit. Now what do you do?
How many Corrective Action Requests are enough in ISO9001:2000?
Monday, May 5th, 2008Ok, you’ve got your ISO9001:2000 quality management system in place. You know you’ve got to write up corrective actions, right? But you would really rather not, right? OK, so to satisfy the auditor at the next audit, how many corrective actions should you do?
Notes on ISO9001:2000 Management Review
Monday, April 21st, 2008Management review meetings are a necessary part of your ISO9001:2000 quality management system. But are they a complete waste of time? What can you do to keep them short and effective?
ISO9001:2000: Is An Easy Auditor a Good Thing?
Saturday, April 5th, 2008Working as an ISO9001:2000 consultant, I’ve seen all manner of auditors. Tough ones can make life very difficult. Easy ones are much more pleasant to work with. But is there a point where an auditor can be “too easy”?
ISO9001:2000 Frequently Asked Questions – FAQ’s part 1
Monday, February 18th, 2008ISO9001:2000 FAQ’s – Frequently Asked Questions. What is ISO9001? Does it apply to my company? Why would I want to get certified? What will it cost me?
To Calibrate or Not to Calibrate Devices in ISO9001:2000
Monday, February 4th, 2008What devices do you use to make measurements in your processes? Do you keep gauges around that aren’t calibrated? If so, why? What value is there in keeping “reference only” measuring devices on hand?
Preventive Action Request- Ambiguous? Ever done one?
Saturday, January 26th, 2008One of the six required procedures in an ISO9001:2000 quality system is regarding preventive action requests. You gotta have a procedure, but have you ever done a preventive action request? Ever seen one? Would you know one if it hit you in your face?
ISO9001:2000 section 5.5 Responsibility, Authority, Communication
Sunday, January 6th, 2008The ISO9001:2000 quality standard requires that appropriate communication processes are established and documented, and that you’re actually communicating within your organization regarding the effectiveness of the quality system. How are you going to do this?
How to satisfy section 8.4 Analysis of Data in ISO9001:2000
Monday, November 26th, 2007How do you deal with ISO9001:2000 section 8.4? What kind of data must you gather and analyze? This is the one area of ISO that is probably the most confusing to people trying to implement a new quality management system.
In an ISO9001:2000 quality system, how do you write work instructions?
Monday, November 12th, 2007How should you write your work instructions? Is there a standard format? Are work instructions a requirement of your ISO9001:2000 quality management system?
How do you get people to cooperate with ISO9001:2000?
Monday, October 22nd, 2007You’re trying to implement an ISO9001:2000 quality system. You can’t do it alone. How do you get others in the organization to get on board? Whips? Threats? Cursing? If these sound good to you, you need to read this.
Management Responsibility in an ISO9001:2000 Quality Management System
Monday, October 1st, 2007What, exactly, is your top management responsible for in your ISO9001:2000 quality management system? Clue: its not just writing a check to pay for the audit.
Review of product requirements in an ISO9001:2000 Quality Management System
Tuesday, September 25th, 2007The ISO9001:2000 quality standard says that you must review product requirements prior to your organization commiting to supply the product to your customer. Different companies handle this in wildly different ways, it all depends on what kind of company you are, and what your product is. For some companies this is easy. You get a [...]
Control of Monitoring and Measuring Devices in an ISO9001:2000 Quality Management System
Tuesday, September 18th, 2007Do you have measuring devices as part of your quality control system? Ever wonder how you need to control them if you want to get ISO9001:2000 registered?
Does Your Company Take Its Quality Policy Seriously?
Tuesday, September 11th, 2007ISO9001:2000 section 4.2 states the requirement to have a documented quality policy. Cynical people might look at the quality policy as a bunch of horse dung. And lord knows I’ve seen quite a few companies that don’t take any part of their quality system seriously. So its not surprising that some folks might not take [...]
Control of Nonconforming Product in an ISO9001:2000 Quality
Wednesday, September 5th, 2007What is nonconforming product? Do you really have to deal with it? How would YOU deal with it?
More on Document Control for an ISO9001:2000 Quality Management System
Tuesday, August 21st, 2007There are so many nuances to document control within an ISO9001:2000 quality management system. Here’s some more to chew on.
Should you buy an ISO9001:2000 quality manual on the internet?
Monday, August 13th, 2007Thinking about doing ISO9000 yourself? Ever wonder if you should buy one of those do-it-yourself manuals online? Read more here.
What is Product Realization in an ISO9001:2000 quality system?
Tuesday, August 7th, 2007One of the somewhat nebulous and confusing terms in ISO is “product realization”. It took me a while to understand this concept, and I know I’m not alone. The reality is that it is an extremely simple concept. Product Realization is simply realizing your product. OK, maybe that’s a little too simple. Here is Webster’s [...]
Root analysis for someone who makes repeated mistakes
Wednesday, August 1st, 2007One question that I’ve struggled with over the years…and still struggle with…is how to properly address the problem of an employee who makes the same mistake over and over. Sure, in the magical fairy tale land of ISO9001:2000, it’s easy to blame it on “insufficient training” and be done with it. But there are times [...]
When is the next revision to the ISO 9001 quality standard?
Wednesday, August 1st, 2007According to reliable sources, it looks like ISO9001:2009 will be the next revision. The ISO Quality Standard has been undergoing much debate over how much to change it, and what kind of changes to make. There was a lot of speculation that 2008 would be the year, but it has been delayed until, most likely, [...]
ISO9001:2000 Registration
Thursday, July 26th, 2007Here are some useful tips on what you and your organization should do, and NOT do, during your ISO9001:2000 registration audit: 1. Make sure everyone has been trained and knows as much as possible about what their areas of responsibility. 2. Don’t lie. 3. If you don’t know the answer to a question, tell the [...]
ISO9001:2000 minimum requirements for one person shop
Friday, July 13th, 2007Let’s say you own a small shop that manufactures spare parts. It is a sole proprietorship with you as the sole full time employee. You want to streamline your manual and procedures as much as possible, to include only the bare essentials to conform to ISO9001:2000. You’re the only person there, you need to maximize [...]
Quality Manual Prep: How Long Does It Take?
Tuesday, July 10th, 2007The time needed for preparing your quality manual and quality management system can vary greatly. It largely depends upon the pressures you have to deal with.
4.1 General Requirements of an ISO9001:2000 Quality Management System
Monday, July 2nd, 2007The ISO9001:2000 quality standard requires that you ensure control over outsourced processes that affect your product’s quality. How are you going to do that?
ISO9001:2000 Section 4.1 General Requirements Part 2
Tuesday, June 26th, 2007This is part 2 of a series on the General Requirements of an ISO9001:2000 quality management system, which is section 4.1 in the standard.
ISO9001:2000 Section 4.1 General Requirements Part 1
Thursday, June 21st, 2007This is part one of a primer on the general requirements of the ISO9001:2000 quality management system. You can find the general requirements in section 4.1 of the standard.
Can you have defined objectives that are not measurable?
Tuesday, June 19th, 2007Can you have quality objectives that are not measurable?
How would you implement an ISO9001:2000 quality system for your website?
Friday, June 15th, 2007Does ISO9001:2000 apply to every type of business? What about a website that’s a forum, with advertising? What’s your product? Who are your customers? Does ISO apply here?
Customer Related Processes
Thursday, June 14th, 2007Customer Related Processes are particular to your company, but some may be pretty common. Here we discuss how to handle customer sales order changes to prevent the wrong items from being shipped.
Do you need a formal purchase order to satisfy ISO9001:2000?
Wednesday, May 23rd, 2007It’s a really good idea to have a written purchase order, but if you’ve had a long lasting relationship with your customers, and have done business for years verbally or by e-mail, there are ways to continue such business while still satisfying the requirements if ISO9001:2000
Incorporating your Employee Manual into your Quality Manual?
Saturday, May 12th, 2007Is it necessary to incorporate your employee manual into your ISO9001:2000 quality manual? Would you want to do this? What are the pros and cons?
Measuring Top Management Committment to your ISO9001:2000 Quality Management System
Monday, April 30th, 2007You don’t really have to measure top management’s commitment to your Quality Management System. This is a topic that quality people often discuss, it can reveal a lot about the potential for success…or disaster…for a company’s quality system.
Controlling external documents in your ISO9001:2000 Quality Management System
Wednesday, April 25th, 2007Does your organization use externally generated documents? Do you wonder if you have to control these? How should you control these?
Do you know a company that is ISO9001 certified, but maybe should not be?
Monday, October 10th, 2011Have you dealt with a company that allegedly has ISO9001-2008 certification, but you wonder how they keep their certification?
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