By Miriam R. Boudreaux on 9/18/2009 2:40 PM
Not complex at all. Basically the KISS principle applies to document numbering as well as document headers and footers. Think about it. When you are reading a document, whether it is a procedure or a record, you are most interested on the contents of the document and the quality of it, rather than how long the document number is or whether the President of the company signed and reviewed the document. Is that allowed by ISO? Well, let’s look at the actual requirements of the standard and figure out what we need to do to add value and reduce pain. |
By Miriam R. Boudreaux on 9/4/2009 2:58 PM
When you think about equipment that is used for measuring and test activities, you think about important equipment that is used to pass/fail product but may not necessarily find correlation with suppliers. However this very equipment – whether is calibrated in-house or off-site - does involve a supply chain one way or the other and therefore adherence to suppliers and supply-chain requirements is imperative.  This article was published by Quality Digest on 10/19/2009.
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By Miriam R. Boudreaux on 8/28/2009 2:03 PM
Since the inception of the ISO 9001:2000 revision it was clear that this version of the standard was so robust and coherent that more people were able to understand its tremendous value and potential for improving a company’s overall processes rather than being a mere documentation guide. So why did the ISO technical committee decided to update the standard then? |
By Miriam R. Boudreaux on 8/21/2009 2:57 PM
If you have ever found equipment that is out of calibration, then you know it is not something to take lightly. Whether you manufacture children’s toys or automobile tires, you know that the implications and ramifications of the decisions you make, can be devastating for your company. Although the requirements from the ISO 9001 standard in regards to equipment found out of calibration are simple and succinct, make no mistake that this is not something to take for granted. If you ensure that the processes for handling non-conforming equipment is in place and if you take into considerations the steps provided below, you will be ready to handle and perhaps be able to avoid out-of calibration conditions. This article was published by Quality Digest on 10/05/2009.  This article was published on the November 2009 edition of the Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG)'s Standard and Tools Newsletter.
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By Miriam R. Boudreaux on 8/14/2009 4:06 PM
One difficult task of many companies is the ability to instill in its employees the mindset of error or problem prevention in order to prevent problems or mistakes from happening and to improve the processes in place. This consequently translates into a low to none ratio of preventive actions against corrective actions issued which may raise an alarm flag that your preventive action is weak. So how can a company boost the number of preventive actions and increase awareness in problem prevention and continual improvement? |
By Miriam R. Boudreaux on 8/7/2009 2:31 PM
Even after many years of hearing the word ISO 9000 and seeing many organizations get ISO certified, there are still companies who are skeptical when it comes to registering for ISO 9001 certification. For some, a misconception on the objectives of the ISO 9001 standard or the lack of knowledge may steer them off this path. For others, it may just be the entry costs and the actual recurrent long-term costs associated with keeping the certification, what stops them from diving in. Whatever your fears may be, allow me to explain the fundamental benefits and try to demonstrate the reason why ISO 9001 is the best management tool that was ever created. This article was published by Quality Digest on 8/24/2009. This article was published on the October 2009 edition of the Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG)'s Standard and Tools Newsletter. |
By Miriam R. Boudreaux on 7/31/2009 3:00 PM
Well, a simple answer is no, you don’t need a consultant to achieve ISO 9001 certification. In fact many companies achieve ISO 9001 on their own, by appointing key employees to the task. The implications however of trying to implement a system on your own can be a set back to your business if resources are stretch too thin and can quickly outweigh any money saved by not hiring a consultant. This article was published by Quality Digest on 8/05/2009. |