Posts Tagged ‘business management system’
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?
Business Management Software For Sustained Success
Business management software has become a great way to improve an organizations business processes and communications while reducing the amount of time and effort it take to manage the system. Years ago everything was done via telephone, in person or by way of formal letter. In the past few years things have become more immediate with the advent of the internet, e-mail and other software applications such as cis software. We are now able to communicate instantly from anywhere in the world, how great is that!
But what are the real tangibles that come with this new technology? Lower costs from reduced travel needs? Faster resolution of critical business issues? Improved communications with customers and suppliers to make the act of doing business more responsive? Or, is it just the knowledge that your overall business management systems are working 24/7 whether you are there or not? My vote would be, all of it. There is no need to struggle with how to implement and maintain a quality management system that not only meets the requirements of iso 9001, or any standard for that matter, but actually reduces costs and improves productivity.
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.
Quality Objectives For ISO 9001
It is the responsiblity of the ISO Auditors tol verify that the organization’s overall quality objectives have been defined, that they reflect the quality policy, are substantially coherent, aligned and compatible with the overall quality management objectives, including customer expectations. If this is not the case, the auditors may further evaluate Top Management commitment to quality.
The fulfilment of quality objectives needs to be measurable and documented.
There is no specified way of identifying or documenting quality objectives, as these may appear through business plans, management review outputs, annual budgets, etc. It is up to the auditors to satisfy themselves that the objectives are adequately documented.
A good rule of thumb when developing quality objectives, is to describe the following:
Example: To improve on time delivery to our customers, from 65% to 95% by December 2010.
- What is the present state of the proposed objective? Where are you now?
- Where do you want to be once you have achieved your objective?
- When do you want to complete the objective? It is o.k. to push the end date out, if it ends up taking longer than anticipated, but you should put a stake in the ground to indicate your commitment to completing them.
Next you will need to show the auditor how you have gotten from point “A” to point “B”. What did you do to achieve your objective? Record all the steps that you took to reach your objective. What is most important is to clearly describe your objective and record progress toward achieving it.
Risk Management Elements
Risk management is the identification, assessment, and prioritization of risks followed by coordinated and economical application of resources to minimize, monitor, and control the probability and/or impact of unfortunate events. Risks can come from uncertainty in financial markets, project failures, legal liabilities, credit risk, accidents, natural causes and disasters as well as deliberate attacks from an adversary.
In ideal risk management, a prioritization process is followed whereby the risks with the greatest loss and the greatest probability of occurring are handled first, and risks with lower probability of occurrence and lower loss are handled in descending order. In practice the process can be very difficult, and balancing between risks with a high probability of occurrence but lower loss versus a risk with high loss but lower probability of occurrence can often be mishandled.
For the most part, these methods used in risk management consist of the following elements, performed, more or less, in the following order.
- identify, characterize, and assess threats
- assess the vulnerability of critical assets to specific threats
- determine the risk (i.e. the expected consequences of specific types of attacks on specific assets)
- identify ways to reduce those risks
- prioritize risk reduction measures based on a strategy
A sound business process management system will have a process established to determine risk and mitigate it.
Obstacles to Sustained Success
What makes a company successful? Is it better leaders? Better products? Better salespeople? What about a better business management system? Any of the above may bring some improvement, but most often sustained top performance can be coupled with one thing; how well people communicate within a company.
In particular, sustained success requires a culture in which open and honest dialogue occurs around even the thorniest topics.
This requires focusing on the issues, not playing political games. It also requires determining the potential consequences of all the solutions uncovered.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that ignoring problems makes them worse, not better. What prevents problems from being dealt with? Leaders who never learned to facilitate conflict; aggressive personalities who use intimidation to maintain the status quo; and apprehensive leaders who focus on maintaining control, instead of doing what’s good for the company.
When open and objective discussion is missing, so is the possibility for sustained success.
ISO 9004:2009 Self Assessment
ISO 9004:2009 allows organizations to enhance the quality of product and service delivery to their customers by promoting self-assessment as an important tool to enable organizations to:
- Benchmark their level of maturity, covering leadership, strategy, management system, resources, and processes
- Identify their strengths and weaknesses
- Identify opportunities for either improvements or innovation, or both.
The self-assessment tool may become a key element during the strategic planning processes in any organization.
“The objectives of customer satisfaction and product quality are extended in ISO 9004:2009 to include the satisfaction of interested parties and the performance of the organization. The combination of ISO 9001 and ISO 9004 will allow you to get the most of your quality management system.
Suppliers: Positive & Negative Affects
Suppliers are an integral part of any organization’s overall process. As such, they have the potential to be a positive or negative force. When suppliers are a positive force, materials arrive on time, materials are processed in a problem-free manner and costs are controlled. When suppliers are a negative force, materials often arrive late, processing problems occurs, and the supplier is of little or no help in resolving such issues. Obviously, it just makes good sense to have good suppliers.
The industry is quickly moving toward requiring their subcontractors and suppliers to be AS9100 compliant and/or certified. By conforming to AS9100 or becoming registered by a third party, suppliers can gain a competitive advantage and benefit from the improved processes and continuous improvement that is the foundation of ISO 9001:2008 certified quality management systems.
General Electric Aircraft Engines (GEAE) was one of the first manufacturers to require AS9000 compliance by all of their direct material suppliers. Currently, GEAE is requiring as9100 certification for all new suppliers, and existing suppliers have a gap audit and a certification audit performed to coincide with their existing surveillance audit schedule.
How Much Will It Cost To Become Certified to ISO 9001:2008 ?
Many small companies have shied away from seeking certification to ISO 9001 simply because they perceive that it will cost too much to achieve. Nothing could be further from the truth. Depending on your level of understanding and how developed your business management systems are, the cost will vary greatly. The following information may help when deciding if ISO 9001 is right for your organization:
- Costs vary dramatically depending on the degree of existing documentation and training currently in place.
- Existing documentation requirements for ISO 9001or for AS9100 can usually be adapted.
- Consultant costs can also vary, and it is always good to shop around before hiring someone to assist with your certification needs. For a small company of 2 to 50 people the cost can range from $5,000 to $40,000. Make sure the consultant spells out exactly what you will get for their fees.
- Registrar costs are, for smaller firms, one of the largest individual costs. Registrars will quote in a flexible format to assist in controlling costs.
- A three year Registrar contract for a smaller firm may be possible at a range of $15,000 to $20,000 for the three year period.
- It is not unusual for cost savings to far outweigh this expense