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What new thing can you try to improve quality?
A discussion of trying new things to improve quality and improve your business.
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When “epic fail” is on the menu
An example of implementation of a new process with inadequate communication
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How COVID-19 is schooling us on “errorproofing” and lean manufacturing
Ok, let’s start by talking about what error-proofing really is. According to the American Society for Quality, “Mistake proofing, or its Japanese equivalent poka-yoke (pronounced PO-ka yo-KAY), is the use of any automatic device or method that either makes it impossible for an error to occur or makes the error immediately obvious once it has occurred.” The…
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ISO9001:2015 52-Wk Challenge (Wk 51 & 52) FINAL EDITION 10 Improvement
Well, this is it, folks! Thank you to everyone for your participation for the past 52 weeks. Your comments have been thought provoking and helpful to many. And with so many companies beginning to seriously consider their strategy for conversion to ISO9001:2015, these weekly posts will be there to look back upon as we move forward. With the New…
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ISO9001:2015 52-Wk Challenge (Wk 49 & 50) 9.3 Management review
9.3 Management Review This week’s topic is near and dear to my heart. Every business I’ve worked with has underutilized this tool. Many companies do it simply to meet the requirement, and do not fully embrace the idea that this IS the heart and soul of a good management system. “9.3.1 General Top management shall…
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ISO9001:2015 52-Wk Challenge (Wk 47 & 48) 9.2 (9.2.1 & 9.2.2) Internal audit
9.2 Internal audit (9.2.1, 9.2.2) This week is a double feature to include the entire 9.2 Internal audit clause. Internal audits are one of the most underutilized tools in management systems. The whole notion of internal audits can invoke fear for the auditees, and nuisance work for auditors. This is one of the most important…
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ISO9001:2015 52-Wk Challenge (Wk 46) 9.1.2 Customer satisfaction, 9.1.3 Analysis and evaluation
9.1.2 Customer satisfaction Let me start this week’s discussion with the observation that this section is awkwardly constructed (in my opinion). The section introduces itself as being about performance monitoring, then shifts gears and pulls out one of the specific areas to be monitored, then shifts back to describing types and methods of monitoring performance. …
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ISO9001:2015 52-Wk Challenge (Wk 45) 9 Performance evaluation
9 Performance evaluation 9.1.1 General We are starting to enter the place where organizations can lose their way and ultimately miss out on the intended value-add they’re looking for when they decide to pursue certification to ISO9001 in the first place. I’ve seen companies write documentation and do internal audits and have records and forms…