Posts Tagged ‘Business Consulting’
ISO 9001 Management Rep, Who Me?
Has this just happened to you? You walk into a staff meeting and it is announced that the company has decided to implement a quality management system and you will be the proud own of this system. Does a deer in the headlights come to mind as you struggle to catch your breath. How will I ever be able to run this program and do my real job too? I have little to no experience with ISO 9001 and I don’t have the foggiest idea of how to begin, Help!
Stop panicking and Liston up. ISO 9001:2008 is the newest version of the popular international standard that many manufacturing and service industries subscribe to. Some of the requirements in ISO 9001:2008 include:
- a set of procedures that cover all key processes in the business;
- monitoring processes to ensure they are effective;
- keeping adequate records;
- checking output for defects, with appropriate and corrective action where necessary;
- regularly reviewing individual processes and the quality system itself for effectiveness; and
- facilitating continual improvement
Take a lead auditor course, or hire a professional quality management consultant to help you implement your quality system. Depending on the size and complexity of your organization and its processes, you can find a competent consultant that can help you document your system, train your employees to the system and facilitate your management reviews and internal audits.
If you opt to go it alone, the best advise, get educated to the ISO 9001 standard. Some companies use templates to document their system. This can be a great time saver if done properly. The key with using templates is to make sure you customize them to your individual processes. Another option is software applications that help organize and manage your new system. One in particular that I have found helpful is CIS Software. This software application is an on line SaaS system which includes all of the required criteria of the ISO 9001 standard.
What ever you do, “KEEP IT SIMPLE”. Do not invent processes and producers that you will never use, these will be the land mines that will sabotage your certification efforts.
My Customer Wants Us Certified to AS9100, HELP!
You are a small business owner who has just been told you must become certified to AS9100 in order to continue to receive business from your largest customer. You have been putting this off for some time, hoping you would be able to wait until the economy gets better. Now what, you have a deadline and you haven’t got a clue how to get there from here? The best advice, find a competent consultant and get some training to the standard.
Those organizations who recruit good consultants get the job done roughly twice as fast. By helping you avoid mistakes, a good consultant can help you get the job done faster. But only a good consultant can do this. Not all consultants are created equally, and it is important to select a consultant that is right for you. A reputable consultant works hard to ensure that you fully own your quality management system at the time of registration. Key services you will require, if you have no idea what you are doing or how you will do it are as follows:
1. Required documentation development and implementation
2. Training: Quality policy and objectives, Management review, Corrective and Preventive action, Internal auditing, AS9100 Overview, Risk analysis, Overview of the Complete QMS, Collecting and analyzing data.
3. If software is being used to facilitate and run your quality system, you will also need training and implementation services for this.
4. Implementation of a competency, awareness and training program, internal audit, corrective and preventive action programs, management review and overall continual improvement programs.
5. Conduct internal audits for entire system (all processes), one high level internal audit to the AS9101C checklist in preparation for registration audit.
This is just a short list of services that you may need to accomplish your goal of certification to AS9100. Depending on the size and complexity of your organization and processes more may be needed. A good consultant can help you determine your individual needs.
ISO 9001:Why Do You Need Procedures and Process Control?
Why do you develop and implement policies and procedures in the first place? By adopting policies and procedures, organizations are generally trying to tackle one or more of the following organizational requirements:
- Decrease training time;
- Increase consistency;
- Fulfill compliance requirements for ISO 9001 or some other standard;
- Risks management assessment;
- Improve Communications, internally and externally;
- Preserve and convey knowledge;
- Document continual improvement and manage change;
- Decrease non-conformance rate;
- Streamline access to information; and/or
- Make duplication and growth easier.
If your organization is struggling with how to get started with documenting and organizing your quality management system, you’re not alone. As a Quality management consultant and lead quality management systems auditor, I see so many companies who just don’t get it. If you do a poor job documenting your quality management system you’re in for a lot of pain and heart ache. A competent auditor can tell in five minutes if an organization understands their own system.
So why not start with a firm understanding of how to develop and maintain your system, sounds like common sense, right? If you need help there are many consultants and training programs that can help get you started. Choose wisely and you will find that not only will you be prepared for certification, but also you just might make the improvements that do save money, time, and pain.
Does Your Corrective Action Process Really Work?
When a deficiency in your quality management system is discovered, is it documented and thought of as a good thing? One of the most common problems I have encountered as a third party auditor and consultant is the fear of Nonconformance’s. During initial presentations to a company, particularly if I have senior management in the room, I will ask about their corrective action process, how it’s working for them and how many nonconformance’s they document in an average month. A typical answer is a very proud indication that they have a great corrective action system and they generate very few nonconformances. That is a self-contradicting statement.
Chances are very good that nonconformances are seen as a bad thing in these companies and the person responsible for this horrible offense is hunted down and profusely reprimanded for such callous offenses. Does this sound familiar?
Let me set those who still feel that nonconformance’s are bad, THEIR NOT! If you find 3 things going wrong within your organization this week, and resolve them so they never happen again, do you think you have improved your company’s performance? Hello McFly, guess what the bonus is – there’s a pretty good chance you will improve your bottom line as well! So get out there and find as many nonconformances as you can. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Remember, the whole idea is to continually improve your products and processes so that you can compete and grow.
ISO 9001 Don’t Survive, Thrive!
Why is it that when times get tuff most companies invest most of their time and money in short term short sited goals? The ultimate goal of any company should be more than just survival; it should be forward thinking total sustained success. How can a company reach for and attain sustained success with the economy in such distress? The best way is to invest in continuous process improvements that result in cost reductions and increased market share.
Becoming certified to the industry standards that your industry leaders are requiring is the surest way to stand out and get noticed. If your competition is already certified to ISO 9001, AS 9100, RC 1400, ISO 1400 or some other industry standard, they have a decided advantage over you and how much more business they will receive as a result of this certification. If you are certified, how well you manage your business processes can help or hurt your progress toward sustained success.
Many companies go after certification to satisfy a customer request or simply because they believe it the right thing to do. However, the majority of the organizations that embark on the road to certification, go into the process ill equip and ill informed. The result of such endeavors usually produces a business management system which may ultimately result in certification, but offers no advantages and becomes just another expense to absorb.
My advice, get educated, hire a competent business management consultant if you fell you need one, and make your business management system your own. Every business is different and so each business management system should be unique as well. Don’t waste hundreds of thousands of dollars and years of consulting fees to reach you goals. Take ownership of your system and make it a transparent part of your everyday work experience. When a well designed business management system is implemented, it is effortless and provides real tangible benefits that result in sustained success. Don’t survive, thrive.
Software applications To Better Manage Your Environmental Processes
Lets talk about the “G” word, Green technoloy. Software applications will be one of the top ways that companies will better manage their green management processes. You not only save a tree, but you also improve your entire business management system at the same time.Elements of your environmental program such as the environmental aspects and impacts are all managed using our preventive action module, special requirements and objectives for improvement.
In fact, this software provides excellent template procedures with CIS that meet and exceed the requirements of ISO 14001 and RC 14001 for Environmental, health, safety and security to help you fast-track your system! These template procedures are easy to modify to suit your specific needs and they all work with the CIS Continuous Improvement Software.
What better way to start an environmental program than to eliminate those blue boxes by eliminating paper completely?
AS 9100C What Is New?
The focus of the AS9100C requirements added to ISO 9001 is on Aerospace & Defense Industry needs. An important point is that a company currently registered to ISO 9001 that also has automotive requirements such as APQP, FMEA & PPAP built into their system or with staff that is familiar with these requirements will have an easier time upgrading their current system.
Production Process Verification (Basically the “First Article Inspection” FAI) and Work Transfer processes are AS9100 Specific, but companies experienced in PPAP will find that they are quite prepared to meet these requirements.
The chief new requirements in AS9100C focus on: Project Management, Risk Management, and changes to Configuration Management. A company with a strong, documented design and product launch process will find that they meet most of these requirements and will have suitable process to which they can add any additional items required. Companies that do not have proper processes for the above items will find a will get the most benefit in establishing and implementing these processes (Increasing efficiency & quality and reducing risk).
If the organization does not have the internal resources to implement the changes needed to comply with these new requirements, it would be a good idea to get help from a competent business management consulting firm.
How Much Will It Cost To Become Certified To ISO 9001?
Good question, unfortunately, there is no simple answer. How much it costs depends on a lot of factors. It depends on how long you take to develop your quality management system, how many people are involved, whether you hire outside consultants or not, and how much your registrar charges.
So instead of trying to give a simple answer, let’s try to construct your own answer. One approach is to start with a Gap Analysis if you have already developed a QMS. A Gap Analysis will tell you what steps you need to take to upgrade or develop your quality management system (QMS). Once you know what needs to be done, you can figure out how long the work should take, who should do it, and how much it should cost. With this kind of information, you can plan your system development project and prepare a budget.
A good business management consulting firm can help organize and prepare an organization for ISO 9001 certification. There are many options and price structures available today, but you will need to determine what is right for your organization based on your size and culture. The more you do for yourself, the lower the upfront costs can potentially be. But unless you have someone who understands the standard and can implement it, you may end up spending more than you bargained for.
Reorganizing for Success
When the economic crisis hit last fall, I was forced to rethink many of my business practices. As the owner and manager of my own small business with 25 employees, I was ill-prepared to weather the economic storm. I realized that I would need some help reorganizing my business, and decided to try business management consulting.
The consultants were helpful and gave me practical advice to reform the way I ran my business. After a few minor changes, we were quickly able to get out of the red and were turning a profit within a few months. A year later, I am proud to say that I have not had to layoff a single employee.
Finding Outside Help For Your ISO 9001 Quality Management System Development
Business management consulting can offer a variety of assistance on ISO 9001 quality awareness training, system evaluation, documentation writing/review and internal auditor training. One sign of an experienced consultant is someone who actively engages all appropriate levels of personnel in the process. Experience within your marketplace, specific standard knowledge and the right “chemistry” are other considerations. Using a consultant will increase your cost. However, the guidance and experience of the consultant may reduce the time it takes for you to achieve your ISO 9001 certification.
Registrars are not allowed to consult. They cannot advise you on how to solve a problem. They do highlight where problems exist. The strict separation of auditing and consulting is a fundamental ethical requirement of all ISO 9001 Registrars. Selecting the right Registrar for your situation is critical. Cutting corners at this stage could jeopardize your entire quality initiative. You need to find a Registrar that will work with you as a partner, take the time to learn your organization’s needs within the context of your ISO 9001 effort and reflect your passion for quality.