How to Handle Out-Of-Calibration Equipment Appropriately

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 …

How to Boost Your Preventive Action Program

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 …

Do You Need a Consultant to Achieve ISO 9001 Certification?

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 …

How to Pass an ISO Audit?

I’ve worked with several companies over the years and dealt with different individuals, different processes and different levels of ISO 9000 understanding. However when an organization is getting ready to apply for ISO 9000 certification, the question remains: “Are we going to pass the audit? Similar questions I have been asked are: How many of …

ISO Audit Results and Nonconformities

There are some misconceptions about what ISO audit findings are. In this article, I attempt to explain clearly what audit findings are, what types of findings may be generated in an audit and the guidelines that is widely use to categorize audit findings. What are the results of audits? Depending on the audit style adopted …

Understanding the Background and New Approaches of ISO 9001

Philosophical Background of ISO 9000 When ISO 9001 started more than 20 years ago, it started as a progression to the guidelines applied to a defined set of institutions, specifically the military, whose functions, products and services were always the same. The standards where indeed tweaked a few years after so that they could be …

Effective Evaluation & Reevaluation of Suppliers – Part 1

The ISO 9001standard’s requirements in regards to suppliers are very short and concise but carry a lot of punch. This requirement can be very deceiving and in fact is very often misinterpreted and carried out poorly or partially. By implementing this clause correctly, an organization will get the full extent of the benefits sought out …

The Right Time to Implement ISO 9001?

Although ISO 9001 is a certification claimed by thousands of organizations all over the world, some companies still have a tough time taking the step to world class quality. We are too busy, we don’t have enough people, our customers don’t require it, we don’t need it, etc, etc. Let’s look together at the pros …

Beginning the ISO 9001 Journey: The Quality Policy

Quality Policy The quality policy is meant to be a statement or a group of statements that reflects your organization’s culture. It does not necessarily have to repeat the sentences or paragraphs contained in the ISO 9001 standard nor include some words contained in the ISO standard, or much less be similar to another company’s …

Free Essential Guide

The Essential Steps to Jumpstart your ISO/API Certification Journey!

These are the same steps our own Consultants use to successfully guide our clients to achieve ISO/API certification