The requirement that processes are identified, defined, understood and measured is (supposedly) a fundamental requirement of ISO 9001. But is it ever really examined?   more »

At last, you may say, continual improvement explained in simple terms. Well we've done our best   more »

Here's a guest piece from Chris Baker on the subject of using risk to determine the frequency of internal audits. Maybe it's time for a change from the old "intuitive" approach?   more »

Here's a short article that many people will find useful. It summarises the key requirements of ISO 9001 and offers a number of pointers that, hopefully, will help a lot of you with your implementation   more »

Whenever you browse business related blogs, forums, company web sites and the like you notice that there is a very wide interpretation of what exactly ISO 9000 is, and what it can achieve. In most cases its primary benefit is overlooked, whilst some potential benefits are often overstated. In this post we try to put some things in context. Hope it helps   more »

Different audits have different objectives and, consequently, need different approaches. In this post we compare and contrast. Hope you find it useful   more »

Thanks to Chris Baker for allowing us to publish this excellent piece of work   more »

We all know what they are, but how many of us can apply them in the right context? Hopefully this post will help   more »

What's with ISO 17021? Good thing or maybe not all good? Is it a long overdue overhaul of the certification process or does it go to far?   more »

It's been an interesting week. We've been busy running through our first QMS Lead Auditor Training Course, under the steely gaze of the IRCA, which means we've been a bit light on posts as a consequence. But the whole (ultimately rewarding) process threw up a number of key points, particularly regarding quality auditing in the service sector   more »

It's always good to come up with new, original and thought provoking stuff. However every now and again one of our associates comes up with something that needs no tampering. Why put ketchup on a great dish?   more »

The world is changing, ever faster it seems, and yet international standards are locked into a 7 year review cycle. Can we seriously expect them to retain their relevance?   more »

Top management commitment. It's commonly accepted that most programs will fail without it, but is it too often used as an excuse to mask other operational and planning weaknesses?   more »

The world is changing and the various general definitions of quality centred on the old maxim "conformance to requirements" may be in need of a bit of a shake up in order for us all to consistently deliver the only thing that is important in absolute terms, customer satisfaction   more »

There's a small breeze starting to blow through the tired and traditional format of Quality and OHS Auditor Training that may well lead to, dare we say it, better competence outcomes and better auditors   more »

Capable Blog is a champion of intelligent management systems. But the IRCA forum is a good place to start if ever you wanted an active demonstration of the dangers of a literal, as opposed to a thinking, interpretation of standards. Here are some of our favourites   more »

Browsing the IRCA Forum on the subject of Internal Audits yesterday we were struck by the obvious practical difficulties that people face when trying to make the process work well and deliver. There are certainly competing priorities that need to be managed, and maybe a paradox or two to unravel...   more »

Technical committee 176 are currently in the later stages of drafting the 2008 revision which will be amendment rather than revision designed to increase end user benefit. Is it too late to issue an impassioned plea for a well written document this time?   more »

Crikey O'Riley! I see the most interminable rubbish occupying the precious pages of "Preventative Action" procedures. Pages that could be better used hung on a nail on the back of the lavatory door. Why do we miss the point of this critical quality issue and is there anything we can learn from our friends in Occupational Health & Safety?   more »