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Ed Bones - ArticlesEd Bones was the founding partner of Meon Consulting. This organisation was formed to assist clients with managing their businesses in a manner compliant with ISO9001/14001 while avoiding the bureaucracy normally associated with system registration. His approach to the management of the Internal Audit process has led to major changes in the manner in which audits are received and responded to by both management and auditees.
Receiving inspection, a counter-productive policyThe implementation of a quality management system such as ISO 9001 requires consideration of virtually every aspect of an organisation's structure and working practices. Included are the policies and practices associated with the procurement of product and other supplies from external vendors. Active Business Management or ISO Certification - What's best for business?The concept that an ISO standard registration is an indication of a well organised and managed company is well established in the minds of business managers, despite the evidence to the contrary and the logic that would deny this generalization. In reality for many the certification - because you seldom find ISO implementation that is not accompanied by a certificate - has become an alternative to rational management practice. How to Simplify the Perception of Improvement ObjectivesWith the publication of ISO9001:2008 auditors will be re-invigorated in their examination of management systems offered for audit and registration, although the actual changes introduced by the amended standard are minimal. Focus is almost certain to be on the improvement clauses of the standard, and the setting of objectives and performance measurement. Origin Cause IdentificationWhenever quality professionals gather to discuss quality management issues, sooner or later the issue of 'root cause' becomes the topic. There seems to be a well held view that if you work hard enough, or maybe long enough, eventually the 'root cause' of your problem will be found. Inbuilt in this belief is the presumption that root cause is the key to proper corrective action, and that it is an absolute fact of life. But is it? How to Maximise the Effectiveness of Your MeetingsI recently attended a series of meetings during an introduction to a new client's business. Without exception these meetings were a total waste of time, in that nothing was achieved. Individuals on the 'calling list' were absent, while others came late or left early. It was common for actions outstanding from the previous meeting to remain unaddressed, and nobody seemed particularly concerned over this. Key points of Synergy - Quality and Environmental ManagementIn this time of reduced business expenditure there is a marked reduction in the willingness of companies to embark on new ventures, such as the implementation of ISO management systems. What is in evidence is a renewed drive to embrace policies and strategies that have customer appeal. For us [link] new business has come from the need for organisations to be concerned with environmental issues, and ISO14001 has become a focus of attention. Destructive auditingWhen I first entered the management system audit arena, it was common practice to measure auditor skills by the number of Non-Conformance reports they managed to raise. As an unwilling newcomer I found this a disturbing feature of a business I didn't want to be in, but interestingly my efforts to extradite myself from the audit function led to a change in the responses I got from auditees. How to Kickstart Improvement in ServiceMuch of the business our organisation conducts is focussed on the product generation aspects of our clients business. For a manufacturer this means the shop floor activities where parts are assembled in a sequence to produce a saleable product. Who Controls the Internal Methods of Iso Audit?What a strange question you might respond, but is it? Assuming we are considering a typical organisation, where audits are scheduled, conducted and reported in a more or less structured manner, probably because of a mandatory requirement to conduct the audit, the question becomes more valid as we examine audit operations. Management by Consequences, a Failed MethodOne of the features of the ISO9001 standard is the requirement to monitor and measure process performance (Section 8). External auditors tend to simply verify the existence of such measurements and move on, while the attitude of internal auditors tends towards indifference. This article attempts to discuss the value of such measurement, and the pitfalls of using these measurements as a basis for managing the business.
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