With the 2008 update nearing the date of issue, here's a summary of the LIKELY changes to the ISO 9001 standard   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 »

With the 2008 standard published later this year, we highlight the two greatest opportunities that are about to be missed   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 »

Here's a short guide to the potential exclusions to ISO 9001 section 7 and circumstances under which they can and cannot apply. Hope you find it useful   more »

Here's a short post that offers a couple of simple links that will be useful to anyone considering ISO 9001 or OHSAS 18001 certification   more »

In this article we give you edited highlights of what to expect with the issue of OHSAS 18001:2007. Our compliments   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 »

Using management system standards, ISO 9001 and OHSAS 18001, is often described as a means of managing risk, but what does that actually mean?   more »

For reasons we'll keep to ourselves just now, we'd like to bounce a couple of things off you. Get you thinking, so to speak, on everyone's favourite subject, "Management Commitment"   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 »

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 »

Here's an example of when you can have a just too much of a good thing   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 »

On with our crusade to clarify and improve the application of the more poorly understood aspects of management system standards. Today's topic, Quality and OHS Continual Improvement Objectives...   more »

Picking up on a thread on a linkedin discussion forum last week it struck us that guidelines on implementation are more or less a waste of time where international standards are concerned. People actually prefer to take a literal approach to the headline clause - no matter what the outcome   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 »