We have been conducting risk assessments in a number of sectors from homeland security to pension funds to parks and recreation departments. We have had hard lessons learned. These are some common mistakes we have made and seen:
The phrase ‘elephant in the living room’ refers to a major problem that everybody knows is there, but nobody wants to acknowledge. Acknowledging and defining the problem is, of course, the first part of any closed-loop corrective action process. ‘Problem notification’ and ‘problem identification’ are the first two steps in the Automotive Industry Action Group’s Effective Problem Solving for Practitioners process.
General Motors seems to have forgotten this. Continue reading
Auto-certification sounds like a contradictory term, according to the established ISO standards.
But in these times when third party certifications are not looked at as very credible and their cost keeps increasing, university management researchers are looking at auto-certification as a solution to this problem. Continue reading
The phrase “ISO 9001-based system” can be confusing if ISO 9001 is not understood properly. It’s not uncommon to hear people use the phrase—including Dr. Nigel Croft (who chairs TC 176). For example, Dr. Croft recently participated in a ‘hangout’ session where he addressed ISO 9001, its intentions, and its development. You can see the session in its entirety here (roughly 33 minutes):
Every day we are bombarded with news of politically charged events happening around the world. Have you ever wondered how these events can affect the products your company develops and the supply chains that help manufacture them? I’ve worked with many corporations and non-profits over the years and one thing is clear, very few products can claim a supply chain that exists in one country and a “Made In,” label that matches. Availability, pricing, logistics, and labor are affected by the politics of the country and region from which materials and goods come. Continue reading