ISO 9001:2026 Changes and What Your Company Should Review
ISO 9001:2026 builds on the familiar QMS framework. See which requirements are new or strengthened, how they compare with 2015, and what your company should review.
API Q2 3rd Edition: What Changed and Where to Start
Changes That Matter Most Overview API has published the 3rd Edition of Specification Q2. Its September 10, 2026 announcement introduces a clearer focus on well-site services and updates to how organizations manage service quality. I have now completed a clause-by-clause review of the 2nd and 3rd Editions. What stands out most is not just what […]
Leadership Notes – Don’t Compromise on Quality
To all my colleagues and fellow executives, If you have not made a New Year’s resolution, here is my humble advice for one, from a cohort who also has a company to run…
Red Tag, Green Tag: Color-Coded Tags
When it comes to red tags and green tags, which does your company use? A reader shared this material identification issue with us after a recent audit…
Numbering Schemes: Would a Document Register Help?
A reader recently asked us, “When generating a new form, procedure, or document, how do I know which number to use? How do I know which numbers are available? Let’s say I create a Receiving form…
Procedure vs. Work Practice
A reader recently asked, “What is the difference between a procedure and a work practice? For example, when a job is completed it is sent to Invoicing…
How to Write an ISO or API Compliant Quality Manual
How To Build A Perfect Quality Manual Quality Manual Series: Part 3 of 3 Ah, so you read my part 1, “The Abominable Quality Manual,” and part 2, “How Did We Get Here,” and now you are ready to learn how to build a perfect Quality Manual. Well, I have good news and bad news …
Farmington Nights – API Spec Q2 Certification: Not for the Faint of Heart
On a beautiful January afternoon in Houston, I prepare to go to Farmington, New Mexico, a town of 45,000 that most people have never heard of. It’s 60 degrees and sunny in Houston…
How did the Quality Manual Come to be a Mirror of the Standard?
How did this all start? Quality Manual Series: Part 2 of 3 Way back when, we used to have a Quality Manual with the following elements: A picture of our process map (to satisfy the sequence and interaction of the processes) …
The Abominable Quality Manual
Is a Quality Manual that simply regurgitates the standard useful for continual improvement? Quality Manual Series: Part 1 of 3 Have you ever seen a Quality Manual that did not look exactly like the ISO standard? Not lately, probably …
Who is in Charge of Customer Satisfaction? Quality or Sales?
If your company is ISO certified or thinking about becoming ISO certified, you may already know that meeting customer requirements and achieving customer satisfaction is paramount to the certification …
Most Frequently Asked ISO Audit Questions
Have you ever been audited by an ISO auditor? If you have, then you should know that there are a set of questions that are frequently asked during audits against various ISO standards …
What’s the Difference Series: Compliance vs Certification
Recently, one of our readers asked, “What does it mean when a company says they operate under a Quality Management System that is in compliance with ISO 9001:2000? I’m assuming they are not ISO certified. If not, isn’t this a claim that just anyone can make?” Right off the bat, the statement that company has …
My ISO Audit is Coming Up and I Have an Emergency – Can We Reschedule?
Can we reschedule an ISO audit? A reader recently asked, “We got certified last year in April. Does our audit this year have to be in April, or can we have it a few months before or after?” …
What if our Politicians Were Required to Implement an ISO 9001 Quality Management System on Themselves?
Are you fed up with our politicians? Do you feel they don’t have any morals or goals, or that they do not listen to their constituents’ suggestions for improvement? Do you feel sometimes they don’t know what they are doing?…
