For years there's been something hidden in Deming's closet. Well, not hidden exactly, it's actually one of his published "Seven Deadly Diseases of Western Management". Problem is, it takes us a little way outside our comfort zone where all things can be measured, and hence predicted, controlled and managed. So we don't like talking about it too much. It can indeed be seen, to pinch someone else's catchphrase, as Deming's inconvenient truth. But what is it?   more »

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

Quality management gurus come and go and everyone has their own personal favourite. But there is one guru that has stood out head and shoulders above all others. A quality professional whose acute understanding of business dynamics, human motivation, customer behaviour, economics and, most crucially, how this all fits together, has resulted in a body of work that remains undiminished by half a century of the most incredible change. So whenever we find ourselves drawn into an “ISO 9001 Section 5” debate, we could do worse than to pause and to think “what would Deming say?”   more »

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 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 »

Not all "quality people" understand human motivation, or human dynamics at all if we're honest. Deming had strong views on the role that people and their motivation play on the efficiency of working systems   more »

Following on from our first post in the series "Deming on the 8 Quality Management Principles" where we looked at leadership, in this post we take on the system   more »

In this post we attempt to add some context and depth to our favourite quality management principle, leadership, using the words of the master. What better way?   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 »

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 »

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 »

Whilst generally accepted as a good thing and an efficient way of going about one's business, check out this link that demonstrates how emotive issues can sometimes cloud the case for   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 »

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 »

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 »

READ THIS>>>>   more »

Time for a bit of quality "any other business" we think. There has been some great stuff popping up for debate over the past week or so, and we think it's time for a mini-review   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 »

Time for a masterclass on one of the "8 Principles of Quality Management". Sort of. Again, Rob at Learn Sigma has stimulated a train of thought here at Capable Blog, and this reminded us of a similar thread from sometime back. The moral of the story is the same. Make your decisions on facts by all means, but PLEASE check your facts first ...   more »

Thanks to Rob for drawing our attention to this interesting thread on the isixsigma site. This is a recurring debate and (surprise surprise) capableblog has its own view on it. Fact is that the "either or" question completely misses the point as the two animals generally serve completely different purposes.   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 »