And so, the audit is finished, the exit meeting conducted and the audit report has hit your desk. As discussed, there should be no surprises, there should be correctly categorised findings, there should be specific examples and now you have 3, 6, 9 or 12 months with which to fix them.
Now if you have findings that have to be addressed within 3 months, then you have got a nonconformity or a major corrective action (of course the names are different for every certification service provider) and if you have one of these, you normally have to provide details on what corrective actions you will take, what resources and a timeline to at least reduce the matter to an improvement request / minor corrective action if not closed all together. The rest of the categories of findings you will just need to address before the next audit or at least consider if they are an observation.
So it really doesn’t matter what the category is, my recommendation is that you treat each finding as an individual event and include them in your system’s own corrective action process. Make sure you cross reference them so that you can trace them when the auditor returns.
Once in the system, correct the situation as reported. If the finding is the audit report for internal audit of purchasing in October was not signed….get it signed. The matter can be closed. However, if you are using certification as an improvement process, you should look into why the report was not signed. At this point, I would close the original, then open a new corrective action and review the signing process but make sure you still make reference the originating circumstance. Now this not the only methodology, you could keep the original open and make the review as part of the effectiveness review of the matter.
Just remember, don’t go re-inventing the wheel based on the findings and examples of one audit. Be reflective and take only those actions that you need to do to address the findings tabled. Once you have that out of the road and your certification provider, you can then get on with your own continual improvement cycle through your management reviews, internal audits and corrective actions.
previous blogs;
http://johnmasonstuff.blogspot.com/
http://john-mason-stuff.blogspot.com/
Monday, 19 December 2011
Monday, 12 December 2011
Management review
Management review is one of the most simplest of requirements in a quality management system. The standard has its own clause. The standard defines the inputs and outputs. The standard then leaves it up to the organisation to define who, when, where and what format. Just be careful. Some certification service providers have some preconceived ideas. If you have already chosen one, ask them their expectations. Don’t ask what to do, just be aware.
Although the standard does not require a procedure, I always write on. It should no more than a page in length and should focus on; who attends, the minimum attendance, the frequency (no longer than annual is the expectation), define the use of a checklist, a standing agenda, the minutes, reports, attachments, and responsibilities. Try and externalise the data submissions / review before a meeting occurs so as to minimise the time needed. Try and combine with other meetings, so long as they are relevant / complimentary.
Generate the minutes on the same day if possible. Always include reference to and or actual tabled documents. Always have an action list / summary and ensure that they are assigned to people with deadlines.
The rest is purely good meeting / governance best practices and your reviews will ensure the effectiveness of your quality management system is constructive.
previous blogs;
http://johnmasonstuff.blogspot.com/
http://john-mason-stuff.blogspot.com/
Although the standard does not require a procedure, I always write on. It should no more than a page in length and should focus on; who attends, the minimum attendance, the frequency (no longer than annual is the expectation), define the use of a checklist, a standing agenda, the minutes, reports, attachments, and responsibilities. Try and externalise the data submissions / review before a meeting occurs so as to minimise the time needed. Try and combine with other meetings, so long as they are relevant / complimentary.
Generate the minutes on the same day if possible. Always include reference to and or actual tabled documents. Always have an action list / summary and ensure that they are assigned to people with deadlines.
The rest is purely good meeting / governance best practices and your reviews will ensure the effectiveness of your quality management system is constructive.
previous blogs;
http://johnmasonstuff.blogspot.com/
http://john-mason-stuff.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, 7 December 2011
Meet Deadlines
Do you meet deadlines? One of the two most successful strategies I have employed in my business life are; never quit, meet deadlines.
Why? Because it is a bit like common sense. It ain’t that common. People are forever making commitments, promising deadlines and not meeting them. And they don’t have to be big. Every appointment, every meeting, very $1.36m project, has a start, has a finish.
And here is my top 5 list of things to do to keep deadlines; be realistic, delegate tasks, define milestones, do it right the first time (or eliminate waste / rework), communicate.
Easy. Nothing will work against you more than over promising and under delivering. And it’s the smaller things like commitment to being on time that can really make a difference. One of the best compliments ever given to me was ‘He says, he delivers. You can depend on him.’ Isn’t that what we all want, especially in business. Go on, tell a colleague today that you will have it done by 4.00 and do it. Do it twice, they will take notice. Do it thrice and you are the ‘go to’ person from that moment. The doors that open as a result will truly amaze you.
previous blogs;
http://johnmasonstuff.blogspot.com/
http://john-mason-stuff.blogspot.com/
Why? Because it is a bit like common sense. It ain’t that common. People are forever making commitments, promising deadlines and not meeting them. And they don’t have to be big. Every appointment, every meeting, very $1.36m project, has a start, has a finish.
And here is my top 5 list of things to do to keep deadlines; be realistic, delegate tasks, define milestones, do it right the first time (or eliminate waste / rework), communicate.
Easy. Nothing will work against you more than over promising and under delivering. And it’s the smaller things like commitment to being on time that can really make a difference. One of the best compliments ever given to me was ‘He says, he delivers. You can depend on him.’ Isn’t that what we all want, especially in business. Go on, tell a colleague today that you will have it done by 4.00 and do it. Do it twice, they will take notice. Do it thrice and you are the ‘go to’ person from that moment. The doors that open as a result will truly amaze you.
previous blogs;
http://johnmasonstuff.blogspot.com/
http://john-mason-stuff.blogspot.com/
Monday, 5 December 2011
exit meetings
Every audit must finish with one. Make sure you manage the process. This doesn’t mean hijack it, just manage it. Find out what are the expectations from the auditor and certification provider. Ensure an agreed time, location, and duration. Negotiate to a mutually acceptable position and ensure it happens.
Once you have the logistics, communicate the requirements to the management review team and any interested stakeholders. Don’t force anyone to be there. If it the first certification audit exit meeting, it is suggested that at least the management representative and the managing director are present. All subsequent exit meetings should just be sensitive to the requirements of the management team and or the certification provider.
Now as the management representative, you should already know the result. If not, why not? Always ensure open and often communication between yourself and the lead auditor. We have dealt with findings in previous blogs, so just make sure you are aware.
The next step is to school the attendees as to their behaviour and what to expect during the meeting. The most important aspect being not to argue ‘the toss’. Get them to accept that you as the MR have accepted the findings, so should they. If they think that the finding is incorrect, then raise it with you after the meeting. No need to start the dialog during the meeting, it will just drag it out and open the door for more ‘discussion’ for the remainder of the findings. Just take the verbal report on face value and in the knowledge it is just a courtesy communication rather than an opportunity to joust.
As most certification providers will announce the result within the first few minutes of the meeting, accept the overall result (which should be positive), bask in the good news and keep a few notes to demonstrate the importance you place on the process.
Even if the lead auditor should spring a surprise result / finding during the meeting, accept it, then ensure you seek clarification before they leave the site. All forms of feedback, dispute can then be handled through due process with the certification provider as opposed to the individual.
previous blogs;
http://johnmasonstuff.blogspot.com/
http://john-mason-stuff.blogspot.com/
Once you have the logistics, communicate the requirements to the management review team and any interested stakeholders. Don’t force anyone to be there. If it the first certification audit exit meeting, it is suggested that at least the management representative and the managing director are present. All subsequent exit meetings should just be sensitive to the requirements of the management team and or the certification provider.
Now as the management representative, you should already know the result. If not, why not? Always ensure open and often communication between yourself and the lead auditor. We have dealt with findings in previous blogs, so just make sure you are aware.
The next step is to school the attendees as to their behaviour and what to expect during the meeting. The most important aspect being not to argue ‘the toss’. Get them to accept that you as the MR have accepted the findings, so should they. If they think that the finding is incorrect, then raise it with you after the meeting. No need to start the dialog during the meeting, it will just drag it out and open the door for more ‘discussion’ for the remainder of the findings. Just take the verbal report on face value and in the knowledge it is just a courtesy communication rather than an opportunity to joust.
As most certification providers will announce the result within the first few minutes of the meeting, accept the overall result (which should be positive), bask in the good news and keep a few notes to demonstrate the importance you place on the process.
Even if the lead auditor should spring a surprise result / finding during the meeting, accept it, then ensure you seek clarification before they leave the site. All forms of feedback, dispute can then be handled through due process with the certification provider as opposed to the individual.
previous blogs;
http://johnmasonstuff.blogspot.com/
http://john-mason-stuff.blogspot.com/
Monday, 28 November 2011
Internal Communication
The cut and paste is…. 5.5.3 Internal communication
Top management ensures that appropriate communication processes are established within the organisation and that communication takes place regarding the effectiveness of the quality management system.
Did you notice the lack of documentation needed. But you do need appropriate processes of communication. So what are these? Notice boards, emails, newsletters, tool box meetings, management review meetings, sales meetings, etc. Do you need to document that you do this stuff? No. Should you point to these processes in some fashion to make the auditors life a bit easier? Well you don’t but you should be aware. I like to include specific examples in the QMS road map (see previous blogs).
And there is the second half of this sentence which directly relates to communicating the effectiveness of the QMS. I like to include such a statement / minute in the minutes of management review. Once you do this the first half of the equation is met. Then you need to decide how appropriately this communicates to the relevant levels of the organisation. If the minutes are freely available via notice boards, emails, shared drives, then do no more. If these are secret documents for senior management only, then you need to identify how you are going to communicate this. Just decide on the mechanism and do it. Just be sure you include that mechanism in your road map!
previous blogs;
http://johnmasonstuff.blogspot.com/
http://john-mason-stuff.blogspot.com/
Top management ensures that appropriate communication processes are established within the organisation and that communication takes place regarding the effectiveness of the quality management system.
Did you notice the lack of documentation needed. But you do need appropriate processes of communication. So what are these? Notice boards, emails, newsletters, tool box meetings, management review meetings, sales meetings, etc. Do you need to document that you do this stuff? No. Should you point to these processes in some fashion to make the auditors life a bit easier? Well you don’t but you should be aware. I like to include specific examples in the QMS road map (see previous blogs).
And there is the second half of this sentence which directly relates to communicating the effectiveness of the QMS. I like to include such a statement / minute in the minutes of management review. Once you do this the first half of the equation is met. Then you need to decide how appropriately this communicates to the relevant levels of the organisation. If the minutes are freely available via notice boards, emails, shared drives, then do no more. If these are secret documents for senior management only, then you need to identify how you are going to communicate this. Just decide on the mechanism and do it. Just be sure you include that mechanism in your road map!
previous blogs;
http://johnmasonstuff.blogspot.com/
http://john-mason-stuff.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, 23 November 2011
Take a look at yourself
My personal stylist only became my personal stylist only after she came to terms with herself. She realised she could not advise others of what to do or not do with their styling if she wasn’t comfortable with herself, both inward and outward. She has amazed me with her outlook and point of view because of the self confidence she exudes because of this.
So while I reflected on this truly amazing women, it got me thinking about how we as business people project ourselves. So here are a few tips from me;
previous blogs;
http://johnmasonstuff.blogspot.com
http://john-mason-stuff.blogspot.com/
So while I reflected on this truly amazing women, it got me thinking about how we as business people project ourselves. So here are a few tips from me;
- Stand tall. Shoulders back and holding yourself up to your full height will give you an air of confidence.
- Make eye contact. Always look directly into the eyes of the people you are speaking with.
- Sit up straight. Slouching makes you look disinterested and can give off an unwanted air of laziness.
- Face the person you're talking to. This shows you are interested and engaged in the conversation.
- Shake hands firmly. Make sure yours is professional and confident. And if you don’t know how, ask, practice.
- Always smile. Smiles are contagious and will make others feel positive when you're around.
- Look your best. You don't have to be model perfect every day, but you should dress appropriately.
- Walk confidently. Not a swagger, just purposeful and direct.
Love you Googie.
previous blogs;
http://johnmasonstuff.blogspot.com
http://john-mason-stuff.blogspot.com/
Monday, 21 November 2011
Certification Findings - Part 2
As we discussed last fortnight, the classifications of findings is very important but it is not as important as to agreeing that a finding has been found. So the first thing you must do whenever a finding is brought to your attention is to see or have quoted what is the objective evidence that is being cited as the finding in the circumstance. If this cannot be explained or shown, then you seek further clarification.
This is the most part of any of the audit processes. You as the auditee must agree that a finding is evident. Once agreed, then accept. The only wriggle room after this is the classification which we covered last blog. And why am I droning on about this? Well, it is do with the professional relationship and trust you need to foster between yourself and your service provider. All parties need to be clear as to what is being found, what is being classified and what to expect in the exit meeting (next blog).
You as the management representative for your company have the right to ensure all things reported are factual/. Because at the end of the day, the final output is the audit report and in it are the ‘results’, so let’s make them right. More effort and resources are wasted than in all of the certification processes combined when reacting to inaccurate or even worse, incorrect findings. So ensure you are kept in the loop, ensure that they are agreed to and there will then be no surprises in the exit meeting.
previous blogs;
http://johnmasonstuff.blogspot.com
http://john-mason-stuff.blogspot.com/
This is the most part of any of the audit processes. You as the auditee must agree that a finding is evident. Once agreed, then accept. The only wriggle room after this is the classification which we covered last blog. And why am I droning on about this? Well, it is do with the professional relationship and trust you need to foster between yourself and your service provider. All parties need to be clear as to what is being found, what is being classified and what to expect in the exit meeting (next blog).
You as the management representative for your company have the right to ensure all things reported are factual/. Because at the end of the day, the final output is the audit report and in it are the ‘results’, so let’s make them right. More effort and resources are wasted than in all of the certification processes combined when reacting to inaccurate or even worse, incorrect findings. So ensure you are kept in the loop, ensure that they are agreed to and there will then be no surprises in the exit meeting.
previous blogs;
http://johnmasonstuff.blogspot.com
http://john-mason-stuff.blogspot.com/
Monday, 14 November 2011
Responsibility and authority
So much can so wrong with this requirement. The interpretations or should I say misinterpretations have caused so much grief for the uninitiated. So let’s cut through the bunk with this paste;
5.5.1 Responsibility and authority
Top management ensures that responsibilities and authorities are defined and communicated within the company.
And that is it. Nothing more. How can you do this? Before you go developing stuff, look at the complexity, expectations, risk exposures and communications of your company. Is there something you already do that meets this one little sentence? Does ‘definition’ mean ?documentation. The short answer is no, but the level of understanding once communicated may require ‘ensure-ance’ via something that is documented. Policies, responsibilities sections in procedures, published delegated authority lists, job descriptions, training records all could be used either singularly or in combination with each other.
And to what extent? Here is a real life situation from our very own certified QMS. We have an organisation chart, job descriptions, procedure sections and training. Whilst we only have 7 documented procedures, we do have 18 policies (normally only a paragraph, of which others might define as business rules) that map out exactly who is who in the wonderful zoo at quality.com.au.
previous blogs;
http://johnmasonstuff.blogspot.com
http://john-mason-stuff.blogspot.com/
5.5.1 Responsibility and authority
Top management ensures that responsibilities and authorities are defined and communicated within the company.
And that is it. Nothing more. How can you do this? Before you go developing stuff, look at the complexity, expectations, risk exposures and communications of your company. Is there something you already do that meets this one little sentence? Does ‘definition’ mean ?documentation. The short answer is no, but the level of understanding once communicated may require ‘ensure-ance’ via something that is documented. Policies, responsibilities sections in procedures, published delegated authority lists, job descriptions, training records all could be used either singularly or in combination with each other.
And to what extent? Here is a real life situation from our very own certified QMS. We have an organisation chart, job descriptions, procedure sections and training. Whilst we only have 7 documented procedures, we do have 18 policies (normally only a paragraph, of which others might define as business rules) that map out exactly who is who in the wonderful zoo at quality.com.au.
previous blogs;
http://johnmasonstuff.blogspot.com
http://john-mason-stuff.blogspot.com/
Thursday, 10 November 2011
Keep your cards to yourself
Christmas cards? Birthday Cards? Playing Cards? Nope, nope, nope. Business Cards! Nothing devalues you more than to have someone or everyone watching you romp through a networking event flipping business cards at all and sundry. It actual tells others that you actually don’t value them. You can’t ‘like’ everyone in the room. You cannot have something of value for everyone in the room. So don’t try.
Strike up a conversation. Ask them what they do. Wait to be asked what before you tell them what you do. If they do ask, giving them a 30 second overview, no more and make sure you ask a question at the end of it like…’would that be of interest to you or your colleagues?’ Don’t worry if it isn’t. Then assess if you can contribute to the current mood of the conversation and if not, just excuse yourself and move on. If they ask for a card, excellent, give them one.
Just remember, giving out your card is tacit agreement to receiving phone calls, emails and newsletters. If you do want one of their cards, ask for one and tell them why you want their details. Perhaps it is to send them info on the conversation, perhaps to organise a time for a coffee and if it is to add them to your database, ask permission if that is OK. If not, mark the card accordingly and thoughtfully recycle or file.
previous blogs;
http://johnmasonstuff.blogspot.com
http://john-mason-stuff.blogspot.com/
Strike up a conversation. Ask them what they do. Wait to be asked what before you tell them what you do. If they do ask, giving them a 30 second overview, no more and make sure you ask a question at the end of it like…’would that be of interest to you or your colleagues?’ Don’t worry if it isn’t. Then assess if you can contribute to the current mood of the conversation and if not, just excuse yourself and move on. If they ask for a card, excellent, give them one.
Just remember, giving out your card is tacit agreement to receiving phone calls, emails and newsletters. If you do want one of their cards, ask for one and tell them why you want their details. Perhaps it is to send them info on the conversation, perhaps to organise a time for a coffee and if it is to add them to your database, ask permission if that is OK. If not, mark the card accordingly and thoughtfully recycle or file.
previous blogs;
http://johnmasonstuff.blogspot.com
http://john-mason-stuff.blogspot.com/
Monday, 7 November 2011
Classification of findings
Each certification service provider is required by JAS-ANZ to classify their findings. How and by what name is largely up to the provider. But before I get onto this, “What is a finding?” A finding (or issue, matter, discrepancy, etc) is any situation that requires consideration or remediation with regard the quality management system. For example, during an audit it was discovered that there is no documented procedure for internal quality audits. And we will refer to this during the remainder of the blog.
Make sure you know how a provider classifies a finding and what are the required remedial actions for each before you finalise your decision on a provider. Whilst most operate within similar constraints, some have some very quirky ‘rules’ and reporting requirements. And how do you do that? Ask for their published guidelines / criteria.
So the three broad categories of findings are; 1)nonconformance (or nonconformity, major corrective action, non compliance, etc); 2) corrective action (or improvement request, area of concern , minor corrective action, etc); 3) observation (consideration, opportunity for improvement, comment, etc).
What they represent; 1) nonconformance – lack of mandatory requirement (such as our example above) or an aggregation of findings within the one clause. 2) corrective action, something is in breach of the standard or your own procedures / processes. Fix them. 3) observation, you may get some benefit from considering an alternate means of managing a situation.
And here is the consequence of each; 1) nonconformance – you will not receive initial certification, you will need to show cause (planned corrective actions) and remedial actions within 3 months to retain certification. 2) corrective action, certification will be granted / continued but you will need to close any remedial action before the next visit (6~12 months). 3) observation, you will need to demonstrate that you have considered the finding and declared an outcome.
Easy. The best way to combat findings and their classifications is not to get any. Good luck with that one! But if your certification is part of a continuous improvement strategy, then rejoice in the findings found, so that you can make your quality management system better.
previous blogs;
http://johnmasonstuff.blogspot.com
http://john-mason-stuff.blogspot.com
Make sure you know how a provider classifies a finding and what are the required remedial actions for each before you finalise your decision on a provider. Whilst most operate within similar constraints, some have some very quirky ‘rules’ and reporting requirements. And how do you do that? Ask for their published guidelines / criteria.
So the three broad categories of findings are; 1)nonconformance (or nonconformity, major corrective action, non compliance, etc); 2) corrective action (or improvement request, area of concern , minor corrective action, etc); 3) observation (consideration, opportunity for improvement, comment, etc).
What they represent; 1) nonconformance – lack of mandatory requirement (such as our example above) or an aggregation of findings within the one clause. 2) corrective action, something is in breach of the standard or your own procedures / processes. Fix them. 3) observation, you may get some benefit from considering an alternate means of managing a situation.
And here is the consequence of each; 1) nonconformance – you will not receive initial certification, you will need to show cause (planned corrective actions) and remedial actions within 3 months to retain certification. 2) corrective action, certification will be granted / continued but you will need to close any remedial action before the next visit (6~12 months). 3) observation, you will need to demonstrate that you have considered the finding and declared an outcome.
Easy. The best way to combat findings and their classifications is not to get any. Good luck with that one! But if your certification is part of a continuous improvement strategy, then rejoice in the findings found, so that you can make your quality management system better.
previous blogs;
http://johnmasonstuff.blogspot.com
http://john-mason-stuff.blogspot.com
Monday, 31 October 2011
Management Commitment
Let’s start with the cut and paste from the standard;
Top management provides evidence of its commitment to the development and implementation of the quality management system and continually improving its effectiveness by
a) communicating to all personnel the importance of meeting customer as well as statutory and regulatory requirements,
b) establishing the quality policy,
c) ensuring that quality objectives are established,
d) conducting management reviews, and
e) ensuring the availability of resources.
The standard is quite explicit about this and it concerns the development, implementation and improvement of the quality management system. And if you have a certified quality management system you will have the required evidence to demonstrate such commitment. In fact without that evidence you shouldn’t be certified. But don’t let our auditing fraternity make you develop specific processes or procedures around the bullet points above. Just make sure that in a cross reference document or quality management system road map, you have direct correlations between the standard and the evidence you will present as demonstrating conformance. Don’t get diluted or wishy washy (technical term) here folks, direct linkages need to be highlighted.
In a nutshell, develop a communication plan and submit it to management review or steering committee during the development and implementation of your qms. Refer to the quality policy, the goals and objectives toward quality. Reviewing each during management review and of course, make sure you have the right resources to achieve each. Notice anything special about this clause yet? That’s right, they are each mirrored / cross referenced in the body of the standard, so if you get this clause right or the other 5 right, you should self-determine the effectiveness. Just remember, don’t fall into the trap of cross referencing between each of these elements and then forget to do generate the required records. A rookie mistake so be aware.
previous blogs;
http://johnmasonstuff.blogspot.com
http://john-mason-stuff.blogspot.com
Top management provides evidence of its commitment to the development and implementation of the quality management system and continually improving its effectiveness by
a) communicating to all personnel the importance of meeting customer as well as statutory and regulatory requirements,
b) establishing the quality policy,
c) ensuring that quality objectives are established,
d) conducting management reviews, and
e) ensuring the availability of resources.
The standard is quite explicit about this and it concerns the development, implementation and improvement of the quality management system. And if you have a certified quality management system you will have the required evidence to demonstrate such commitment. In fact without that evidence you shouldn’t be certified. But don’t let our auditing fraternity make you develop specific processes or procedures around the bullet points above. Just make sure that in a cross reference document or quality management system road map, you have direct correlations between the standard and the evidence you will present as demonstrating conformance. Don’t get diluted or wishy washy (technical term) here folks, direct linkages need to be highlighted.
In a nutshell, develop a communication plan and submit it to management review or steering committee during the development and implementation of your qms. Refer to the quality policy, the goals and objectives toward quality. Reviewing each during management review and of course, make sure you have the right resources to achieve each. Notice anything special about this clause yet? That’s right, they are each mirrored / cross referenced in the body of the standard, so if you get this clause right or the other 5 right, you should self-determine the effectiveness. Just remember, don’t fall into the trap of cross referencing between each of these elements and then forget to do generate the required records. A rookie mistake so be aware.
previous blogs;
http://johnmasonstuff.blogspot.com
http://john-mason-stuff.blogspot.com
Thursday, 27 October 2011
Spinning plates
Running a small business is a bit like a juggler spinning plates on sticks. You must keep them spinning otherwise, they will slow, eventually stop and then fall off the sticks and break. Perhaps I should now write, it is not ‘a bit like’, I should write it is exactly like. It is almost the perfect analogy. In small business, in fact, in all business, there are the must do plates; product / service, sales and finance. Sure there are a heap more, but they are generally just a sub category of these three. Price, quality, service, cash flow, governance (ooh, that’s a touchy one) and so on. In small business, you must do them all. In small business, you need to attend to each in just the right measure to ensure the plate keeps spinning until you can get back to it. Not enough and the plate breaks. Too much and the next plate you should have been attending will stop and break.
The biggest challenge in this scenario is just how many can you spin and spin right? Nothing is quite so distracting than a wobbly plate. It does not add value to you or your customer. Most determine the number of plates by trial and error. Just make sure, that when you get the magic number stick to it. Then, once you need another plate, you can add the need for additional resources into the plate spinning planning process and keep your plates in order.
How many plates are you spinning?
previous blogs;
http://johnmasonstuff.blogspot.com
http://john-mason-stuff.blogspot.com/
The biggest challenge in this scenario is just how many can you spin and spin right? Nothing is quite so distracting than a wobbly plate. It does not add value to you or your customer. Most determine the number of plates by trial and error. Just make sure, that when you get the magic number stick to it. Then, once you need another plate, you can add the need for additional resources into the plate spinning planning process and keep your plates in order.
How many plates are you spinning?
previous blogs;
http://johnmasonstuff.blogspot.com
http://john-mason-stuff.blogspot.com/
Monday, 24 October 2011
Audit findings / issues / matters/ discrepancies
There should no surprises in an exit meeting for the quality management representative concerning what findings were found during the course of an audit. Why? Because your lead auditor should have kept you informed throughout the audit process. Why? Because, once a finding is raised no matter what the classification, the auditor should at that point receive agreement from the auditee and / or the management representative, that they have accurately discovered the finding with the supporting objective evidence. The only time there might ever be a surprise is when the audit team collaborate their findings, they may find an adverse trend requiring the finding to be escalated. If this happens, the lead auditor should advise the management representative immediately so that the situation can be agreed to or mitigated by providing additional evidence.
And why would they want to do any of the above? Well it is their brief as third party auditors to find conformance and in my mind, to mitigate the severity of findings if they can. This does not mean you get to argue the point, every point, every interpretation, it just means that once brought to your attention, you can find mutual agreement on the finding, the evidence and the severity / classification.
And how would you know that? Your certification body should / must have published criteria around this so that you can react accordingly. But that is another blog.
previous blogs;
http://johnmasonstuff.blogspot.com
http://john-mason-stuff.blogspot.com/
And why would they want to do any of the above? Well it is their brief as third party auditors to find conformance and in my mind, to mitigate the severity of findings if they can. This does not mean you get to argue the point, every point, every interpretation, it just means that once brought to your attention, you can find mutual agreement on the finding, the evidence and the severity / classification.
And how would you know that? Your certification body should / must have published criteria around this so that you can react accordingly. But that is another blog.
previous blogs;
http://johnmasonstuff.blogspot.com
http://john-mason-stuff.blogspot.com/
Monday, 17 October 2011
legal stuff
There is only one small paragraph within the standard that talks about legislation. In other standards, there are whole clauses dealing with this. But this is quality and here is the excerpt;
‘5.1 Management commitment
Top management provides evidence of its commitment to the development and implementation of the quality management system and continually improving its effectiveness by
a) communicating to all personnel the importance of meeting customer as well as statutory and regulatory requirements,’
So the standard just tells us we need to communicate legal stuff. It does not provide a framework or guidance (of course you can get this from ISO 9004, but that is another blog!). You will need to determine to what depth you investigate what your legal requirements are. For most companies, the minimum would include; tax law, fair trading law, OHS and if you pollute, some environmental laws. But we digress, as you should retain the services of a good corporate advisor for this this subject.
However, we do have responsibilities to communicate (and if you are clever, review first) the organisations regulatory and statutory requirements. We would normally do this as part of external documentation and management reviews. How you do it is up to you and the level of risk exposure. Not easy huh? Just do it.
Now as an aside, when going through the certification phase of your quality management system, your auditor will keep a whether eye as they are charged with the responsibility to not ignore legal obligations. This means whilst they will not seek legal compliance, they shut down an audit if they discover an illegal operation or environment. Just be warned.
previous blogs;
http://johnmasonstuff.blogspot.com
http://john-mason-stuff.blogspot.com
‘5.1 Management commitment
Top management provides evidence of its commitment to the development and implementation of the quality management system and continually improving its effectiveness by
a) communicating to all personnel the importance of meeting customer as well as statutory and regulatory requirements,’
So the standard just tells us we need to communicate legal stuff. It does not provide a framework or guidance (of course you can get this from ISO 9004, but that is another blog!). You will need to determine to what depth you investigate what your legal requirements are. For most companies, the minimum would include; tax law, fair trading law, OHS and if you pollute, some environmental laws. But we digress, as you should retain the services of a good corporate advisor for this this subject.
However, we do have responsibilities to communicate (and if you are clever, review first) the organisations regulatory and statutory requirements. We would normally do this as part of external documentation and management reviews. How you do it is up to you and the level of risk exposure. Not easy huh? Just do it.
Now as an aside, when going through the certification phase of your quality management system, your auditor will keep a whether eye as they are charged with the responsibility to not ignore legal obligations. This means whilst they will not seek legal compliance, they shut down an audit if they discover an illegal operation or environment. Just be warned.
previous blogs;
http://johnmasonstuff.blogspot.com
http://john-mason-stuff.blogspot.com
Thursday, 13 October 2011
Generalist Trap
What is your core business? What type of business are you? Where does 80% of your revenue come from? The last question will probably answer the first two. Beware of the ‘generalist trap’ (my quote). In consulting, this is one of the easiest ways to lose focus on your core business. You offer a service and it is taken up. Then your client asks if you can do something else but different. You think customer service is all about saying yes and before you know it, you have promised to deliver something that eventually will keep your client happy, but it has drained your resources and most likely will be an unprofitable process.
Unless it is in your strategic plans to include such activities in the future and it was mutually agreed to let you ‘practice’ on your client, don’t do it. Sure the money will be nice but can you replicate it. Can you make money on it in the future. Did you like doing it? And so, and so on.
Far better to say ‘no, we don’t do that’ and then maybe help them select someone who can or if time allows, develop a relationship with alternate service providers so that fees can be shared, or similar.
Focus on your ‘knitting’ and your business will soar.
previous blogs;
http://johnmasonstuff.blogspot.com
http://john-mason-stuff.blogspot.com
Unless it is in your strategic plans to include such activities in the future and it was mutually agreed to let you ‘practice’ on your client, don’t do it. Sure the money will be nice but can you replicate it. Can you make money on it in the future. Did you like doing it? And so, and so on.
Far better to say ‘no, we don’t do that’ and then maybe help them select someone who can or if time allows, develop a relationship with alternate service providers so that fees can be shared, or similar.
Focus on your ‘knitting’ and your business will soar.
previous blogs;
http://johnmasonstuff.blogspot.com
http://john-mason-stuff.blogspot.com
Monday, 10 October 2011
Entry Meeting
Every audit should start with one. Why? So that the scene, the scope, the intents can be set.
Your auditor then explains process, confirms the scope, describes reporting, categorisations of findings, confidentiality, seeks clarification of reporting styles, lunch breaks, report generation periods. They might give an overview of their credentials or background. They will expect at the very least the management representative attends. However, there are some that also expect a ‘show of strength’ by having the managing director, the coo, the cfo and so on. Perhaps for the very initial certification audit this might happen, but don’t be bullied, just have those who wish to attend, attend, the rest can hear about the meeting through phone calls or emails.
Hopefully your certification provider has provided you with a booking / audit schedule for the areas that will be audited on the day. It will be during the entry meeting that you can discuss and negotiate times, personnel, resources, etc.
These meetings should only take the auditor 15 minutes to discuss what she needs to discuss, the rest of the time and agenda is governed by you the client. If you have nothing to contribute, don’t and get on with the audit.
previous blogs;
http://johnmasonstuff.blogspot.com
http://john-mason-stuff.blogspot.com
Your auditor then explains process, confirms the scope, describes reporting, categorisations of findings, confidentiality, seeks clarification of reporting styles, lunch breaks, report generation periods. They might give an overview of their credentials or background. They will expect at the very least the management representative attends. However, there are some that also expect a ‘show of strength’ by having the managing director, the coo, the cfo and so on. Perhaps for the very initial certification audit this might happen, but don’t be bullied, just have those who wish to attend, attend, the rest can hear about the meeting through phone calls or emails.
Hopefully your certification provider has provided you with a booking / audit schedule for the areas that will be audited on the day. It will be during the entry meeting that you can discuss and negotiate times, personnel, resources, etc.
These meetings should only take the auditor 15 minutes to discuss what she needs to discuss, the rest of the time and agenda is governed by you the client. If you have nothing to contribute, don’t and get on with the audit.
previous blogs;
http://johnmasonstuff.blogspot.com
http://john-mason-stuff.blogspot.com
Thursday, 29 September 2011
Sell yourself
If you are in small business, then you need to sell to survive. If you are selling services, then don’t sell the services, sell yourself. Every prospect expects that the service on offer is fair, equitable and to a level of expertise that they can buy from anyone. So when they make buying decisions concerning services, they will make the majority of the decision based on the person. Whether it is either the person doing the selling or the person who will be doing the doing, it will be the person who closes the sale.
So present yourself as you are. Don’t change your style to suit a perception of what you think they want. Be truthful, factual and give glimpses of you the person. Be punctual, dress correctly, make commitments, deliver and follow up. And once you have all that down, then there’s that little inconvenience of showing them the service and getting on with the sale. Good luck.
previous blogs;
http://johnmasonstuff.blogspot.com
http://john-mason-stuff.blogspot.com/
So present yourself as you are. Don’t change your style to suit a perception of what you think they want. Be truthful, factual and give glimpses of you the person. Be punctual, dress correctly, make commitments, deliver and follow up. And once you have all that down, then there’s that little inconvenience of showing them the service and getting on with the sale. Good luck.
previous blogs;
http://johnmasonstuff.blogspot.com
http://john-mason-stuff.blogspot.com/
Monday, 26 September 2011
What do auditors audit – Part 1
This is a brief overview of the 4 stages of certification and what the auditors will audit.
Documentation review; just the documentation you supply them. Normally a desk top review scenario. The auditors are looking for a policy, a quality manual (or similar), the six mandatory procedures, your own procedures, associated forms, records, an interrelationship document explaining the processes of the company.
Pre-certification review; assessing the implementation of the quality management system. They will focus on management review meetings / minutes, records of internal audits, corrective actions, nonconformance, document management, records management, training / competency records, the level of understanding by employees and the overall assessment of operational procedures and how they interrelate.
Certification review; they will audit everything. However, their sample plan is quite shallow and if they can find conformance quickly, they will tick the box and move on.
Surveillance reviews; every time they visit, they will audit the following. Previous findings from previous audit, management reviews, internal audits, corrective actions. Once they are happy with that then they carve up the rest of the standard into roughly thirds and audit. Easy. More details next post.
previous blogs;
http://johnmasonstuff.blogspot.com
http://john-mason-stuff.blogspot.com/
Documentation review; just the documentation you supply them. Normally a desk top review scenario. The auditors are looking for a policy, a quality manual (or similar), the six mandatory procedures, your own procedures, associated forms, records, an interrelationship document explaining the processes of the company.
Pre-certification review; assessing the implementation of the quality management system. They will focus on management review meetings / minutes, records of internal audits, corrective actions, nonconformance, document management, records management, training / competency records, the level of understanding by employees and the overall assessment of operational procedures and how they interrelate.
Certification review; they will audit everything. However, their sample plan is quite shallow and if they can find conformance quickly, they will tick the box and move on.
Surveillance reviews; every time they visit, they will audit the following. Previous findings from previous audit, management reviews, internal audits, corrective actions. Once they are happy with that then they carve up the rest of the standard into roughly thirds and audit. Easy. More details next post.
previous blogs;
http://johnmasonstuff.blogspot.com
http://john-mason-stuff.blogspot.com/
Monday, 19 September 2011
Quality Objectives – part 3
“Finally” I hear you think. Yes, I am finally going to tell you what are the minimum quality objectives needed for certification or at least to meet the requirements of the standard. We have explored quality objectives from the standard (8/8/11) and then the mechanics and the metrics (5/9/11), now we need to go to the requirements of the standard for ‘quality policy’ And these are;
5.3 Quality policy. Top management ensures the quality policy. a)is appropriate to the purpose of the Company Name, b)includes a commitment to comply with requirements and continually improve the effectiveness of the quality management system, c)provides a framework for establishing and reviewing quality objectives, d) is communicated and understood within Company Name, and e) is reviewed for continuing suitability.
So from this we have two quality objectives; 1) comply with the qms and 2) continually improve the qms. Both can be measured via internal quality audit results and the corrective / preventive action processes. You also use the certification process to measure compliance. Have you noticed there has not been any mention of the customer or even focus on the customer or satisfaction. Well there is none, but you try getting that passed any auditor and I will bid you good luck. There is an expectation that at least one quality objective structured around the customer, so have one and you then won’t have to debate it with our certification fraternity.
Now that you have your objectives you just need to word them correctly, set a target for each, measure them, report them, resource them and demonstrate that you can do all that and still react to any adverse trends within them. Happy objectifying.
previous blogs;
http://johnmasonstuff.blogspot.com/
http://john-mason-stuff.blogspot.com/
5.3 Quality policy. Top management ensures the quality policy. a)is appropriate to the purpose of the Company Name, b)includes a commitment to comply with requirements and continually improve the effectiveness of the quality management system, c)provides a framework for establishing and reviewing quality objectives, d) is communicated and understood within Company Name, and e) is reviewed for continuing suitability.
So from this we have two quality objectives; 1) comply with the qms and 2) continually improve the qms. Both can be measured via internal quality audit results and the corrective / preventive action processes. You also use the certification process to measure compliance. Have you noticed there has not been any mention of the customer or even focus on the customer or satisfaction. Well there is none, but you try getting that passed any auditor and I will bid you good luck. There is an expectation that at least one quality objective structured around the customer, so have one and you then won’t have to debate it with our certification fraternity.
Now that you have your objectives you just need to word them correctly, set a target for each, measure them, report them, resource them and demonstrate that you can do all that and still react to any adverse trends within them. Happy objectifying.
previous blogs;
http://johnmasonstuff.blogspot.com/
http://john-mason-stuff.blogspot.com/
Thursday, 15 September 2011
The blame game
In business (and in life), don’t put the blame on others. Keep to this principle and all will be well. As Mr Miyagi said in the ‘Karate Kid’, “There are no bad students, just bad teachers!”, meaning that if a colleague, client, supplier gets it wrong, was it in fact your fault for not communicating your needs more clearly. Was it not your fault that you left it too late. Was it not your fault….and so on and so on. Take each ‘fault’ (I prefer the word variation) and try to analyse what happened and try and get to the root cause of the situation (yes, I am a quality guy). It is far too easy just to blame someone else, and hey, they may have contributed to or escalated a variation, but at the end of the day was it not you that could have done something different to mitigate the variation. And if you keep that attitude, and you will still make mistakes, still cause variation but you take the steps to stop them recurring, then haven’t you taken the responsibility to make things better?
previous blogs;
http://johnmasonstuff.blogspot.com/
http://john-mason-stuff.blogspot.com/
On the flip side do not take on all blame and responsibility, especially for those situations out of your control. Shit does happen and there are things that no matter what you do, could have done, will do, etc, the circumstance just won’t change. Don’t beat yourself up. Just don’t blame and get on with the next situation.
previous blogs;
http://johnmasonstuff.blogspot.com/
http://john-mason-stuff.blogspot.com/
Monday, 12 September 2011
How long for certification audits
Third party certification audits are planned at a frequency and duration to meet the requirements of JAS-ANZ. Notice, that statement did not mention your needs, when in fact if there is only one; certification, . then you must play by JAS-ANZ rules.
Now the overarching guideline for planning frequency and duration is whether the entire quality management system of your organisation (or more importantly, those sites and activities within the scope of your certification) can be audited over the course of 3 years.
The physicality of the above statement is based on geographic and demographic considerations and then just many auditor days or hours it will take. Now I have blogged before about demographics and the numbers game between FTEs, how many people are doing the same job, etc. But they all impact on the final number.
Once the gross number of days or hours are determined, then it is a matter of choice but mostly your certification body’s. The end result might be for a 12 auditor day certification, you might end up with this scenario; 3 days for certification audit (2 auditors for 1 day, 1 auditor for the 3rd), then 1 auditor for 1 day every 6 months (or 2 auditors for one day every 12 months) plus in the second year, the sample plan for your multi-site system, may need all branches to be audited at half a day per site, per year, totalling 5 auditor days that year and the balance made up of annual events, more branch events, etc, etc, etc. My heads hurts just typing this stuff, so imagine what it is like to convince the CB to meet your needs as they balance their JAS-ANZ requirements.
The best thing to do is to keep the dialog open, keep the planning process fluid and to keep your options open with other CBs ready to give you the customer service you deserve.
previous blogs; http://johnmasonstuff.blogspot.com/
http://john-mason-stuff.blogspot.com/
Now the overarching guideline for planning frequency and duration is whether the entire quality management system of your organisation (or more importantly, those sites and activities within the scope of your certification) can be audited over the course of 3 years.
The physicality of the above statement is based on geographic and demographic considerations and then just many auditor days or hours it will take. Now I have blogged before about demographics and the numbers game between FTEs, how many people are doing the same job, etc. But they all impact on the final number.
Once the gross number of days or hours are determined, then it is a matter of choice but mostly your certification body’s. The end result might be for a 12 auditor day certification, you might end up with this scenario; 3 days for certification audit (2 auditors for 1 day, 1 auditor for the 3rd), then 1 auditor for 1 day every 6 months (or 2 auditors for one day every 12 months) plus in the second year, the sample plan for your multi-site system, may need all branches to be audited at half a day per site, per year, totalling 5 auditor days that year and the balance made up of annual events, more branch events, etc, etc, etc. My heads hurts just typing this stuff, so imagine what it is like to convince the CB to meet your needs as they balance their JAS-ANZ requirements.
The best thing to do is to keep the dialog open, keep the planning process fluid and to keep your options open with other CBs ready to give you the customer service you deserve.
previous blogs; http://johnmasonstuff.blogspot.com/
http://john-mason-stuff.blogspot.com/
Monday, 5 September 2011
Quality Objectives – Part 2
OK, so now we know what they are (or perhaps more importantly what they are not). The next is to link them from your quality policy, structure them and communicate them. You need all three to be compliant with the standard. And so having your quality objectives buried in your strategic or business plans is OK so long as they are linked from the policy, but can they be effectively communicated to all levels of the organisation? Are they relevant to the person / function they are being delivered to. So get over this point in a real hurry. They must be communicated and if they are in a commercially sensitive document than they won’t. You may need different tiers of documentation and or accessibility, just keep the reader in mind.
Noticed we haven’t spelt out what the objectives are yet. Well it won’t happen this blog (maybe next). Once you have your objectives, you need to structure them along these lines. Clearly state the objective. Develop a program or process to manage the objective. Assign a measurable target or set of targets. And last and by no means the least, assign resources to ensure that objectives can be met. It is no good having an objective that says 100% inspection of all 300,000 welds per year if you don’t have the means, the people, the know-how to do such a thing. But if you can keep these four things in focus (objective, program, target, resource) when developing quality objectives, you might just make things certifiable, perhaps even useful!
previous blogs;
http://johnmasonstuff.blogspot.com
http://john-mason-stuff.blogspot.com/
Noticed we haven’t spelt out what the objectives are yet. Well it won’t happen this blog (maybe next). Once you have your objectives, you need to structure them along these lines. Clearly state the objective. Develop a program or process to manage the objective. Assign a measurable target or set of targets. And last and by no means the least, assign resources to ensure that objectives can be met. It is no good having an objective that says 100% inspection of all 300,000 welds per year if you don’t have the means, the people, the know-how to do such a thing. But if you can keep these four things in focus (objective, program, target, resource) when developing quality objectives, you might just make things certifiable, perhaps even useful!
previous blogs;
http://johnmasonstuff.blogspot.com
http://john-mason-stuff.blogspot.com/
Thursday, 1 September 2011
When should you sell?
Ask any stock market guru and they will tell you buy stock when the bottom is falling out of the market (in fact, I did recently with some resource shares and made a tidy paper profit when the market bounced last month. Sweet!).
I was at a chamber function recently and I was wearing a tie. Someone asked me ‘hey, what’s with the tie? didn’t you give up on ties a few years ago?’. Yes I did was my reply. But now that everyone is going casual and not wearing ties, I started wearing them again. In scenarios, I stand out because there is a difference.
And so why am I telling you this?? Yes, there is a point. When should you be selling? The answer is – when you are busy and don’t have much time for it. Most businesses only start to focus on sales when things are slow. When time allows because they don’t have customers or work. So they sit there and say, hey, no customers I should sell and they do, and do it well. Then they become busy and they stop selling and before long, they aren’t busy and then they decide to sell again. The sales cycle is insidious and the only way to stop it is to keep selling and / or sell when you are busy. You know if you do that, you will always be busy and if you can’t find the time because you too busy with customers or delivering service, then all you need to do is employ / subcontract that work or employ / subcontract the sales stuff and then you have a very busy, very sustainable business model. Go on, sell when you are busy.
previous blogs;
http://johnmasonstuff.blogspot.com
http://john-mason-stuff.blogspot.com/
I was at a chamber function recently and I was wearing a tie. Someone asked me ‘hey, what’s with the tie? didn’t you give up on ties a few years ago?’. Yes I did was my reply. But now that everyone is going casual and not wearing ties, I started wearing them again. In scenarios, I stand out because there is a difference.
And so why am I telling you this?? Yes, there is a point. When should you be selling? The answer is – when you are busy and don’t have much time for it. Most businesses only start to focus on sales when things are slow. When time allows because they don’t have customers or work. So they sit there and say, hey, no customers I should sell and they do, and do it well. Then they become busy and they stop selling and before long, they aren’t busy and then they decide to sell again. The sales cycle is insidious and the only way to stop it is to keep selling and / or sell when you are busy. You know if you do that, you will always be busy and if you can’t find the time because you too busy with customers or delivering service, then all you need to do is employ / subcontract that work or employ / subcontract the sales stuff and then you have a very busy, very sustainable business model. Go on, sell when you are busy.
previous blogs;
http://johnmasonstuff.blogspot.com
http://john-mason-stuff.blogspot.com/
Monday, 29 August 2011
They don’t, won’t, can’t consult
Have you ever been subjected to a 3rd party auditor who won’t answer a direct question concerning a particular aspect of your business because she sees her answer as consulting? It is a fine line, but one worthy of adhering to. Why? Well mostly because within their charter as an auditor they are not allowed to provide advice or consult with you on a solution that they may have raised. But the real trap in seeking and getting advice is that there is no PDCA cycle for such advice or at least consideration of the right way to make changes and hence the advice is taken in isolation and could be very well wrong for organisation. It also sets a precedent that the auditor then knows more about your system and organisation than you do. Do ever, let this happen.
Now you can ask them questions concerning the standard, the certification process and perhaps to some extent interpretations of these aspects, just don’t be surprised if they give the no can consult answer if you haven’t framed it correctly. And when is the best time to ask them any question concerning a finding? Well, not at the exit meeting. The best time to ask is when the matter / finding identified / discovered and you are informed that it will be recorded in the report. Get clarification. Get the exact example they will cite, be comfortable about the result. Then, after you have considered it (and not necessarily at the time it was discovered) pose a possible solution and seek a determination whether your solution would have avoided or at least mitigated the original finding. If yes, well you can start down that track. If no, don’t badger them, rethink, reformulate and pose again.
However, if your certification provider is reporting findings correctly, you should be able to handle system changes as a result of audit reports without having to consult with them. Of course, you could always seek advice from a person who is paid to do so.previous blogs; http://johnmasonstuff.blogspot.com/ http://john-mason-stuff.blogspot.com/
Now you can ask them questions concerning the standard, the certification process and perhaps to some extent interpretations of these aspects, just don’t be surprised if they give the no can consult answer if you haven’t framed it correctly. And when is the best time to ask them any question concerning a finding? Well, not at the exit meeting. The best time to ask is when the matter / finding identified / discovered and you are informed that it will be recorded in the report. Get clarification. Get the exact example they will cite, be comfortable about the result. Then, after you have considered it (and not necessarily at the time it was discovered) pose a possible solution and seek a determination whether your solution would have avoided or at least mitigated the original finding. If yes, well you can start down that track. If no, don’t badger them, rethink, reformulate and pose again.
However, if your certification provider is reporting findings correctly, you should be able to handle system changes as a result of audit reports without having to consult with them. Of course, you could always seek advice from a person who is paid to do so.previous blogs; http://johnmasonstuff.blogspot.com/ http://john-mason-stuff.blogspot.com/
Monday, 22 August 2011
structure for certification
During the design process for a quality management system, I like to know who the certification body is going to be, and if possible, who the proposed auditor will be. Why? Well, like it or not there are some CBs, and some auditors who have preconceived ideas about systems and structure. And during the design phase, there are some structural issues that really don’t matter what you do, so why not ask your CB or friendly auditor what their expectations are and design accordingly. Just remember, that they are not allowed to ‘consult’ and will be quite reticent to give you any structure or direction. Similarly, some of them have some peculiar outlooks on documentation, so temper their suggestions with a google search or two for best practice around any suggestion.
But if you are clever, keep such things to the time of the document review, then they will make judgements and by default give directions of their interpretation. At the end of the day, neither you, your organisation or customers really need a particular tact, and you can always change it later, but if it smooths the certification process why not take advantage.
previous blogs;
http://johnmasonstuff.blogspot.com/
http://john-mason-stuff.blogspot.com/
But if you are clever, keep such things to the time of the document review, then they will make judgements and by default give directions of their interpretation. At the end of the day, neither you, your organisation or customers really need a particular tact, and you can always change it later, but if it smooths the certification process why not take advantage.
previous blogs;
http://johnmasonstuff.blogspot.com/
http://john-mason-stuff.blogspot.com/
Monday, 15 August 2011
change certification dates – a good idea?
Personally, to change a certification date, a precertification date or a post certification date is not best practice. In fact, to a certification body (CB) and or the friendly auditor, it hints at the priority your company is placing on either the certification process or the quality management system itself. Do it too often and the desired business relationship could be soured.
Most organisations change these dates for a number of reasons, the least being sound business judgment or external business factors (other than survival), and if it is the latter, then perhaps certification, could well be the expense that breaks the camel’s back.
Your quality management system should be able to operate no matter what the current business status is, assuming the organisation can continue to operate without key personnel for an hour, a day, a week? Second in commands, explicit instructions, pre-prepared records, audit trails, etc can all be put in place in order to meet an agreed deadline or event. Sure there will be times when calendars don’t sync, but once they do, commit and prepare. Don’t make it so low on your priorities that is the first date you think of changing when reviewing your time.
Remember, some CBs have quite heavy and intricate penalties for changing dates. Most CBs use subcontracted auditors who book such events 2, 3, 6, 12 months in advance, to chop and change them within a week, 2 weeks or more will cause lack of income that cannot be reorganised with shorter lead times. Then they may not be so accommodating with forward planning future audits or charge you more for fully flexible airfares just in case and so on.
The whole point being. Commit to your quality management system, commit to your certification. Give both priority and if you are only doing either for certification sake, be prepared to pay for this strategy and the baggage that comes with it.
previous blogs;
http://johnmasonstuff.blogspot.com
http://john-mason-stuff.blogspot.com/
Most organisations change these dates for a number of reasons, the least being sound business judgment or external business factors (other than survival), and if it is the latter, then perhaps certification, could well be the expense that breaks the camel’s back.
Your quality management system should be able to operate no matter what the current business status is, assuming the organisation can continue to operate without key personnel for an hour, a day, a week? Second in commands, explicit instructions, pre-prepared records, audit trails, etc can all be put in place in order to meet an agreed deadline or event. Sure there will be times when calendars don’t sync, but once they do, commit and prepare. Don’t make it so low on your priorities that is the first date you think of changing when reviewing your time.
Remember, some CBs have quite heavy and intricate penalties for changing dates. Most CBs use subcontracted auditors who book such events 2, 3, 6, 12 months in advance, to chop and change them within a week, 2 weeks or more will cause lack of income that cannot be reorganised with shorter lead times. Then they may not be so accommodating with forward planning future audits or charge you more for fully flexible airfares just in case and so on.
The whole point being. Commit to your quality management system, commit to your certification. Give both priority and if you are only doing either for certification sake, be prepared to pay for this strategy and the baggage that comes with it.
previous blogs;
http://johnmasonstuff.blogspot.com
http://john-mason-stuff.blogspot.com/
Thursday, 11 August 2011
Trust too much
Do you? You should. It makes business very pleasurable. But of course I am using a single word for a variety that you should bring to the business table. Integrity, honesty, dedication, openness and, well you get the gist. And when applying such ‘words’, do them to a fault. The point? When in business, whether you are dealing with your clients, your suppliers, your staff, when you bring trust to the table, you will evoke trust from the other. Tell someone why you want those terms, why you can’t deliver in the proposed time frame, why you have doubled their wages (lol) and so on.
However, trust does not give you an excuse for poor business practices. It doesn’t mean you can just wait for money to arrive or you don’t have employment contracts or miss service delivery expectations. Trust implies openness, trust means good faith, trust means negotiating a situation to the benefit of both parties and then as best practice dictates, you enshrine such trust in contract.
Now I said trust to a fault. If it is underpinned with best practice, there isn’t much fault other than you might just discover a little about yourself. Ready for that? Go ahead, trust my day.
previous blogs;
http://johnmasonstuff.blogspot.com
http://john-mason-stuff.blogspot.com/
However, trust does not give you an excuse for poor business practices. It doesn’t mean you can just wait for money to arrive or you don’t have employment contracts or miss service delivery expectations. Trust implies openness, trust means good faith, trust means negotiating a situation to the benefit of both parties and then as best practice dictates, you enshrine such trust in contract.
Now I said trust to a fault. If it is underpinned with best practice, there isn’t much fault other than you might just discover a little about yourself. Ready for that? Go ahead, trust my day.
previous blogs;
http://johnmasonstuff.blogspot.com
http://john-mason-stuff.blogspot.com/
Monday, 8 August 2011
Quality Objectives
When isn’t one of my blogs controversial? Well, only for those with the title ‘learned colleague’ or with CB expectations / baggage. Two whole sentences, one small sub section and it can cause so much angst.
‘5.4.Planning. 5.4.1.Quality objectives. Top management ensures that quality objectives, including those needed to meet requirements for product (see 7.1.a) are established at relevant functions and levels within the organisation. The quality objectives are measurable and consistent with the quality policy.’
So as far as I am concerned, the above does not say you have to have objectives stated in your quality policy. It does not say you have to have metrics around product characteristics and it does not say a whole lot more. What it does require is; you have objectives (plural), ‘if needed’ at least one concerning product (or service) and that when they are established, but more importantly, communicated, they are relevant to the person / function receiving the information.
Perhaps the most important process is to ensure what is stated in your quality policy can be then ‘converted’ into measurable objectives for the organisation. That means all quality policy components should have a corresponding objective and that there should not be any objectives that are not included in the policy statement. Easy. Next time I will explain the mechanics.
previous blogs;
http://johnmasonstuff.blogspot.com
http://john-mason-stuff.blogspot.com/
‘5.4.Planning. 5.4.1.Quality objectives. Top management ensures that quality objectives, including those needed to meet requirements for product (see 7.1.a) are established at relevant functions and levels within the organisation. The quality objectives are measurable and consistent with the quality policy.’
So as far as I am concerned, the above does not say you have to have objectives stated in your quality policy. It does not say you have to have metrics around product characteristics and it does not say a whole lot more. What it does require is; you have objectives (plural), ‘if needed’ at least one concerning product (or service) and that when they are established, but more importantly, communicated, they are relevant to the person / function receiving the information.
Perhaps the most important process is to ensure what is stated in your quality policy can be then ‘converted’ into measurable objectives for the organisation. That means all quality policy components should have a corresponding objective and that there should not be any objectives that are not included in the policy statement. Easy. Next time I will explain the mechanics.
previous blogs;
http://johnmasonstuff.blogspot.com
http://john-mason-stuff.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, 3 August 2011
What not to do
When ‘growing up’ in my professional life, I worked for a number of organisations and a number of people who taught me what not to do. I didn’t really have to decide whether what was happening was right or wrong, I just had to sit back, watch others decide and gauge their reactions. I certainly reacted, especially in my youth, but was it the right reaction? The other reactions, rants, opinions, etc would give me balance to my own. And the jewels, the pearls of these were the very things not to do.
I have a long list, a very long list of things I just don’t even contemplate doing in business because of this strategy. Here is just one of them. When a person breaks a code of conduct, professional, personal, perceived or otherwise, the last thing that is needed is an official policy, supported by procedure, followed by training, followed by an appellant process, and blah, blah, blah. In fact, if just one of the above is brought in, you lose, the company loses, the staff loses.
Why not invest the time with that person to discuss, to understand, to agree and get on with it. Leave everyone else out of it and don’t penalise them with the bureaucratic blur that would accompany the former outcome.
Is there something you could learn not to do?
previous blogs;http://johnmasonstuff.blogspot.com
http://john-mason-stuff.blogspot.com/
Monday, 1 August 2011
Triennial cycles
Did you know your certification is based on a triennial cycle. That’s 3 years for us non certification types. Triennial cycles are a requirement of JAS-ANZ. So don’t try and ask your certification body (CB) to extend it or to ignore it. They can’t. So what does this mean? Not much other than an ‘every three’ gouge of your pocket.
The complete certification cycle is approximately the following sequence. As always it is unique to you circumstance, complexity, risk and CB. So take this as a guideline only.
Document review (1); precertification audit (1); certification audit (1); post certification audit; (1 every 6, 9 or 12 months) and recertification audit (triennial audit, once every 3 years.).
The terminology changes between CBs and the frequency of post audits is dependent on the maturity, risk and complexity. However, just remember, you negotiate a certification plan within the parameters of JAS-ANZ and your CB. But the recertification / triennial audit is not negotiable. Whilst the requirement of the first three years of certification is a sample of the system split over the three years, the triennial now requires the entire quality management system to be audited in full in one fell swoop. What value this ads to the process, especially since you are doing it the 6th time, beggars me. But it is part of the process. Just plan for it, experience it, deal with it.
previous blogs;
http://johnmasonstuff.blogspot.com
http://john-mason-stuff.blogspot.com/
The complete certification cycle is approximately the following sequence. As always it is unique to you circumstance, complexity, risk and CB. So take this as a guideline only.
Document review (1); precertification audit (1); certification audit (1); post certification audit; (1 every 6, 9 or 12 months) and recertification audit (triennial audit, once every 3 years.).
The terminology changes between CBs and the frequency of post audits is dependent on the maturity, risk and complexity. However, just remember, you negotiate a certification plan within the parameters of JAS-ANZ and your CB. But the recertification / triennial audit is not negotiable. Whilst the requirement of the first three years of certification is a sample of the system split over the three years, the triennial now requires the entire quality management system to be audited in full in one fell swoop. What value this ads to the process, especially since you are doing it the 6th time, beggars me. But it is part of the process. Just plan for it, experience it, deal with it.
previous blogs;
http://johnmasonstuff.blogspot.com
http://john-mason-stuff.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, 27 July 2011
Financial fear
In business and in life, if your are not afraid or at least uncomfortable, then you aren’t doing either justice. I very recently had to confront a number of business fears as I head towards another three years of guessing, I mean business planning. Am I using my time, resources, money to the best of their advantage? I am living my dream? Mostly I am and the future looks pretty good. But could it be great? Could it be fantastic? Yep, I believe it can and as from today, I know it will.
The one really big down side of this strategy, is that I am going to have to come to terms with some ugly parts of my business and some very ugly parts of me. A bit of tough love so to speak. Making decisions from a position of strength, a position of knowledge, a position of fact. Gulp. It is time to know when and where my money comes from and goes to and to stop relying on the stupid amounts of gross earnings to get me over the lack of financial foresight. Ladies and gentlemen, the tide has turned. Time for interstellar outcomes. Thanks Sue.
Previous blogs;
http://johnmasonstuff.blogspot.com
http://john-mason-stuff.blogspot.com/
The one really big down side of this strategy, is that I am going to have to come to terms with some ugly parts of my business and some very ugly parts of me. A bit of tough love so to speak. Making decisions from a position of strength, a position of knowledge, a position of fact. Gulp. It is time to know when and where my money comes from and goes to and to stop relying on the stupid amounts of gross earnings to get me over the lack of financial foresight. Ladies and gentlemen, the tide has turned. Time for interstellar outcomes. Thanks Sue.
Previous blogs;
http://johnmasonstuff.blogspot.com
http://john-mason-stuff.blogspot.com/
Monday, 25 July 2011
Records management – part 2
The standard…. “4.2.4 Records are established and maintained to provide evidence of conformity to requirements and of the effective operation of the quality management system. Records remain legible, readily identifiable and retrievable. A documented procedure has been established to define the controls needed for the identification, storage, protection, retrieval, retention time and disposition of records.”
So the first thing you must know for a quality management system is that you must have a documented procedure for this element. Full stop. If you don’t have one or at least have the above requirements addressed in a merged procedure’ then you are non compliant. So the procedure must address each of these; identification, storage, protection, retrieval, retention time and disposition of records. Notice there is no prescription behind these requirements. That is up to you. You can address the requirements in each process or procedure or you can develop a matrix or table and describe these controls. There is no right or wrong way in managing records.
The only real tricky component here is the statement concerning “Records remain legible, readily identifiable and retrievable.” This may require some training, some discipline, some practice. Just remember, that ‘I can’t find them’ is no defence in either quality management systems or tax audits. So a few dummy runs on retrieval and readability is a great course of action especially if you are relying n computer data. Now where does that 5¼” floppy disk get inserted into my server? Hmmmmm.
previous blogs;
http://johnmasonstuff.blogspot.com
http://john-mason-stuff.blogspot.com/
So the first thing you must know for a quality management system is that you must have a documented procedure for this element. Full stop. If you don’t have one or at least have the above requirements addressed in a merged procedure’ then you are non compliant. So the procedure must address each of these; identification, storage, protection, retrieval, retention time and disposition of records. Notice there is no prescription behind these requirements. That is up to you. You can address the requirements in each process or procedure or you can develop a matrix or table and describe these controls. There is no right or wrong way in managing records.
The only real tricky component here is the statement concerning “Records remain legible, readily identifiable and retrievable.” This may require some training, some discipline, some practice. Just remember, that ‘I can’t find them’ is no defence in either quality management systems or tax audits. So a few dummy runs on retrieval and readability is a great course of action especially if you are relying n computer data. Now where does that 5¼” floppy disk get inserted into my server? Hmmmmm.
previous blogs;
http://johnmasonstuff.blogspot.com
http://john-mason-stuff.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, 20 July 2011
Try stuff
In business there are so many pros and cons with being an early adopter, a late adopter, a do nothing type of business. And so without extolling the virtues of each, just let me say… try stuff and try stuff well. There is an old and I say very wise business credo that says if you are not moving forward, then in fact you are going backwards. This is because the rest of the world and in particular your competition, is moving forward, doing it differently, keeping up with trends, protocols, best practice.
But change for change sake is a drain on resources, time and energy. So you will need to either be very astute and only pick the changes, the stuff that will benefit you ooorrrr, have a change model / protocol in place that will enable to try any or all things new things.
The key to this is a structured, multi phased go / no go set of scenarios linked closely to a resource pool so that thoughtful, meaningful progress can be made. Not the least being the very first set of questions. Is this stuff in line with your vision, mission, goals? Is it core business? Do we want it as core business? Answer no to any of these and then you hold the new stuff until you can answer yes to at least one of those three questions. Of course, this may mean reviewing your vision and core but that is just another change, with another review.
So try stuff or at least review stuff as much as you can and don’t do or don’t try stuff without a structured approach.
previous blogs;http://johnmasonstuff.blogspot.com
http://john-mason-stuff.blogspot.com/
Monday, 18 July 2011
Precertification Audit
So what is a precertification review / audit? Didn’t I just do a document review? Perhaps you did. But as usual, the document review and precertification review are two different phases in the certification process. It is just that some certification bodies(CB) conduct them separately, some conduct them concurrently, some even ask the client what they would like to do. It makes no difference just as long as your know the rules and expectations of your chosen CB.
So a fortnight ago we touched on document reviews and once you have successfully met your CB’s document review requirements they then turn their attention to precertification. Dependent on what they found or what they were shown during the document review, and in particular records generated by the system, they will deem the timing of the precertification review.
The timing is based on two main factors; 1) enough evidence (records) to enable a judgement on effective implementation and 2) sufficient time between precertification and the proposed certification review / audit.
Some of the above factors include; at least 3 months of operational records in sales, purchasing, manufacturing, inventory management, at least two management reviews, a substantial if not all internal audits completed (very much CB dependent), at least 2 full cycle corrective action plans, competency / resourcing records and sufficient document, data and record control.
Should any nonconformances be raised during the document or precertification reviews, don’t expect to have your certification review / audit within 3 months. If any other classification of finding is raised, you will need to demonstrate the lead times needed to correct or modify them before a CB will allow the planning of the certification review / audit. Just remember, just because you have a time line within a project plan, doesn’t always mean you can keep it if it doesn’t match the CB requirements. And of course, please remember that some CBs won’t even allow any forward planning of certification dates without the first two reviews having even taken place.
previous blogs;
http://johnmasonstuff.blogspot.com
http://john-mason-stuff.blogspot.com/
So a fortnight ago we touched on document reviews and once you have successfully met your CB’s document review requirements they then turn their attention to precertification. Dependent on what they found or what they were shown during the document review, and in particular records generated by the system, they will deem the timing of the precertification review.
The timing is based on two main factors; 1) enough evidence (records) to enable a judgement on effective implementation and 2) sufficient time between precertification and the proposed certification review / audit.
Some of the above factors include; at least 3 months of operational records in sales, purchasing, manufacturing, inventory management, at least two management reviews, a substantial if not all internal audits completed (very much CB dependent), at least 2 full cycle corrective action plans, competency / resourcing records and sufficient document, data and record control.
Should any nonconformances be raised during the document or precertification reviews, don’t expect to have your certification review / audit within 3 months. If any other classification of finding is raised, you will need to demonstrate the lead times needed to correct or modify them before a CB will allow the planning of the certification review / audit. Just remember, just because you have a time line within a project plan, doesn’t always mean you can keep it if it doesn’t match the CB requirements. And of course, please remember that some CBs won’t even allow any forward planning of certification dates without the first two reviews having even taken place.
previous blogs;
http://johnmasonstuff.blogspot.com
http://john-mason-stuff.blogspot.com/
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