Although suppliers providing subpar product or services are ultimately responsible for their poor performance, the customer has some responsibility to make dissatisfaction known. Or else suppliers are unaware that customers are not satisfied. And customers will continue to receive poor product or services. Continue reading
Sometime after the release of ISO 9001:2000, a shortcoming of ISO 9001 auditing became clear: certifying body (CB) auditors were often using a standard-based approach to auditing. Auditors would arrive at an audit client’s worksite armed with a copy of ISO 9001 as a stage 2 audit checklist. This appeared to allow inconsistent application of the requirements.
Since the 2000 standard only reputedly required six procedures, stage 1 document review consisted of reviewing an organization’s 6 procedures against requirements contained in the 6 ISO 9001 clauses calling for documented procedures. This same mind-set is a carry-over from the 1987/1994 idea of auditing. Then, document review consisted of reviewing an organization’s 20 procedures against the 20 elements calling for documented procedures; stage 2 auditing consisted of assessing working practice against procedures responding to ISO 9001 requirements. Continue reading
A Wall Street Journal journalist wrote the following in a front-page article a few years ago:
“Purchasing managers play a role as highly effective cost cutters, though that part of their job has some surprising nuance. To be sure, buyers save companies huge amounts by trolling the world for new, lower-cost sources, and this is certainly a big reason for their growing stature at many multinationals. But in an era of scarce commodities and the risks of disruptions to supply lines posed by terrorist attacks or striking dockworkers, they also have to make sure they pick dependable sources – which might mean choosing the more expensive sources just to assure no disruptions. Nothing is worse for a buyer’s reputation than to throw business to a lowball supplier who has trouble delivering.”[i] Continue reading
In Part Two of this article on predicting the future with science, we look at the tool from Statistical Process Control that helps us understand behaviour patterns in our processes so we can make more informed decisions. Continue reading
After having followed and and also participated in the “ISO 9001:2015 Revision Discus
sion” on Linkedin, started by Sidney Vianna, I found it interesting to have a closer look at a particular issue
I started a new discussion in Linkedin named: “Shall it be a requirement to apply a process approach?” and this is what I learned from the consensus opinions. Continue reading