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  • support 1:03 am on October 1, 2015 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: ACP, ACR, CBO, Certification Body, NQA, NQA Associate Consultant Program, NQA Associate Consultant Register   

    BIZPHYX Is Now A Member Of The NQA Associate Consultant Register 

    NQA, one of the largest and most respected ANAB accredited ISO registrars and global certification bodies in the world, has developed a web resource to help clients source experienced quality management consultants.  The new program called the Associate Consultant Program (ACP) and its directory, the Associate Consultant Register (ACR) are now available on the NQA website.

     

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    BIZPHYX has become a member of the Associate Consultant Program and is now listed as a global consultancy on the NQA ACR.  We are so proud to partner with such a world class registrar and CBO.

    We encourage you to follow NQA on social media and take advantage of their timely and informative quality blog, which can provide you with additional perspectives and case studies on many of the relevant quality standards and practices.

    For more information on NQA and their Associate Consultant Program, contact info@bizphyx.com.

     

  • support 8:37 pm on February 19, 2012 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , TL 9000 courses, , TL 9000 QuEST Forum sanctioned training,   

    TL 9000 Curriculum Paths: Know Your Path 

    In preparing for our recent trip to India to deliver TL 9000 Education and Overview courses, several questions were presented to us about which sanctioned courses an individual should take.  Sometimes those new to the TL 9000 standard have legitimate questions about which course is right for them, depending upon their current position.

    This curriculum path has proven to be very helpful to the quality executives that we are working with in India, but is has universal application.  We have now posted this curriculum path on our TL 9000 Course Library page and on our Knowledge Base.  A snapshot of the chart is shown below:

     

     

    Before registering for a TL 9000 sanctioned course, it is important to know which path of learning is best for you in your current position.  There are four basic paths:

    • the Executive/Contributor path
    • the Practitioners Non-Auditing path
    • the Practitioners Auditing path
    • the CB Auditors (third party) path

    Our TL 9000 curriculum path PDF describes the different learning paths in great detail and outlines the recommended courses for each learning path.  Access this PDF on our Knowledge Base.  This should help you make a determination about which course is right for you.  If you require any further assistance with TL 9000 sanctioned courses, please contact bclancy@bizphyx.com.

     

  • support 7:41 pm on January 30, 2012 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , ISO Survey Of Certifications,   

    ISO Survey Of Certifications and The Year Ahead 

    In December of 2011, ISO released their latest edition of The ISO Survey of Certifications.  The yearlong study conducted during 2010 outlines the global relevance of the ISO management system standards for quality, environment, medical devices, food safety and information security.  The study results reveal an increase in certificates of 6.23% for a worldwide total of 1,457,912 certificates and users of one or more standards in 178 countries.

    A key aspect of the study is the trend line involving certain standards.  The biggest increases in certification are to the sector-specific ISO 22000:2005 food safety management system standard which is up by 34% and to the issue-specific ISO/IEC 27001:2005 information security management system standard which has risen by 21%.  However, ISO 9001:2008, ISO 14001:2004 (environmental) and ISO 13485:2003 (medical devices) all saw strong increases and are reflective of industry trends in the USA.

    ISO stated that the attraction and stability of the ISO management system model, pioneered by ISO 9001 for quality management, has helped other sectors face specific challenges in both public and private organizations.

    ISO 9001:2008 (which gives the requirements for quality management systems) remains firmly established as the globally implemented standard. The 2010 survey represents an increase of 4% over 2009.

    ISO/IEC 27001:2005 gives the requirements for information security management systems.  At the end of 2010, at least 15,625 ISO/IEC 27001:2005 certificates had been issued in 117 countries and economies.  The 2010 total represents an increase of 21% over 2009.

    ISO 14001:2004 (which gives the requirements for environmental management systems) retained its global relevance for organizations wishing to operate in an environmentally sustainable manner.  Through the end of 2010, at least 250,972 ISO 14001:2004 certificates had been issued in 155 countries and economies which revealed a year over year increase of 12%.  According to ISO-China, Japan and Spain are the top three countries for the total number of certificates, while China, the UK and Spain are the top three for annual growth.

    We see many of our clients looking to expand their existing ISO 9001:2008 and TL 9000 certifications to include ISO 14001 and we have created a unique dual certification program to help new organizations achieve this goal.  Please visit our ISO 14001 page for more information.

    If you would like to access The ISO Survey (which includes data from 1993-2010) you can obtain a free “principal findings” version available on our Knowledge Base or here at ISO.  The complete study including industry breakdowns is available for purchase from the ISO store.

    Other important ISO news was released at the close of 2011 and some of these stories may be of interest to you as well.  Click on these links to access additional articles at ISO.org:

    • ISO 19011 (Updated Edition Of The Auditing Standard)

    • New ISO Standard Regarding Emergencies At Nuclear Facilities

    • Faster and Better ISO IT Standards and The First ISO IT Forum

    • New ISO Standard For Emergency Management

    • ISO Focus + On Sustainability

    This year we will be addressing many aspects of environmental quality including occupational health (OHSAS 18001).  In addition, we will help you better understand the proposed refinements to TL 9000.  TL 9000 is becoming an even more comprehensive communications standard due to next generation networks and the “hand-in-glove” relationship between network systems and information technology systems and products (ICT).

    In 2012 we will also help frame ISO/IEC 27001 and CMMI’s relationship and integration with TL 9000, the telecommunications quality management standard.  Next week we will provide and update on TL 9000 from the 2012 QuEST Forum Annual Leadership Summit and Executive Board Meeting.  For more information on implementation, training or internal audit of the standards mentioned above please contact us at info@bizphyx.com.

     

  • support 3:27 am on October 4, 2010 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: fishone diagramming, , process mapping, QMS problem solving,   

    Fishbone Diagramming vs. Process Mapping For QMS Problem Solving 

    I recently had a conversation with an individual who was completely frustrated with the use of certain problem solving tools that he had acquired, because he couldn’t figure out how these tools interacted, or in other words, which tool should be used first.  The tools in question were fishbone diagramming and process mapping.  This was a valuable discussion to me, because I never realized that someone might become paralyzed due to this kind of indecision.  Ironically, there is no perfect answer for how problem solving tools interact or which tool to employ first.  It depends on the situation.

    Here is an illustration:

    I was teaching a tools class in which the team had to decide which one of these techniques should be used first.  We thought we would arrive at an easy list of potential solutions using the fishbone diagram, so we began the exercise that way.  We created a list of ideas by brainstorming and using the fishbone which grouped the problems and possible solutions.  Right away, it appeared that nearly all of the problems were process driven.  This immediately challenged us to do a detailed process map to further identify the actual process and related problems.  We kept all of the other ideas from the fishbone and continued on with the process mapping.

    The point being, we could have just as easily begun by mapping the process, but we chose the fishbone technique because it was not apparent that we were dealing predominantly with process problems.  Even though we began with the fishbone method, the effort wasn’t wasted because the groupings led us quickly to the process mapping technique and we gained some other knowledge as well.

    Using the fishbone technique is effective when you’re not clear where the problems lie, because it is a “free-form’ technique that leads where it leads.  Process mapping is a good tool to begin with if you want to better understand the process.  For example, if your objective is to reduce cycle time or if you are already certain that the problem you’re trying to solve can best be identified in this way.  You can use the fishbone technique after the process map is complete, to drill down on individual process barriers.  The point is there aren’t any hard and fast rules that dictate which tool comes first.  My advice is to make your best choice based on these suggestions, begin and let the ideas flow!  Don’t be discouraged at your first attempts, because facilitating problem solving takes some practice and determination!  For more information on QMS problem solving contact bclancy@bizphyx.com.

     

  • support 12:48 am on September 27, 2010 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: best practices, CAPA system, , , , ,   

    Using The CAPA System To Address Audit Findings 

    An important aspect of any quality management system involves communicating the results of quality audits and inspections to employees so that the same mistakes are not repeated.  It is important to do this systematically, so that the communication of lessons learned can be done more than once and that lessons learned aren’t lost over time.   As a best practice, many companies use their corrective and preventive action (CAPA) system to address audit findings and handle this communication methodically.

    Here is how it works:

    Once the audit is complete, an audit finding is entered on a corrective action.  The action is assigned for root cause analysis and once the analysis is done, the appropriate correction is selected to address the audit finding.  Then, an action plan is developed to prevent the root cause of the finding.  This discipline forces more effective analysis and problem solving.

    The important last step is to circulate the results of the analysis and the actions taken to other employees. This allows each employee to benefit from all of the analysis and problem solving effort.  Consider having frequent job huddles with affected employees where corrective actions are shared.  Other methods to consider include using a web portal for employees to view them or conducting “lunch and learn sessions.” Many different communication methods will work, but it is important to make sure that employees are made aware of the results of audits, inspections and other corrective/preventive actions.  You may want to combine several of these methods.  Studies have shown that in order to get a message across you need to put the information in front of individuals seven times!  Over-communication is the key!  For help with quality management best practices and questions, contact bclancy@bizphyx.com.

     

  • support 4:29 am on September 14, 2010 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , , ,   

    Can You Save Personnel With Your QMS? 

    While working with a client recently, we covered how their QMS could improve corporate profitability and a discussion of employee retention developed.  Can you actually save and retain quality personnel with your QMS?  Quality management systems such as TL 9000 and ISO 9001 are known to be effective in many ways, but have you considered that they may actually help you keep from losing valuable people? While there is no real data to support this contention, companies will provide numerous anecdotal accounts suggesting that this is true.  The difference is how management identifies and handles quality problems.

    There are basically two completely opposite methods used by management to deal with quality problems.  One method is to use the “ready, fire, aim” approach.  Management jumps to a quick solution after weak analysis and blames an employee or group of employees.  This is acceptable to employees at large, until they themselves become the targets of the blame game.  Once this culture takes hold it doesn’t take long for employees to duck problem solving to avoid being “called out.”  In the end, many employees will leave a company that has a corporate culture of blame.

    The second method is to use quality management techniques to solve quality issues.  For this to work, top management must insist on a culture of no blame, in which process change is the result of deep and effective problem analysis. In this culture, problems are viewed as opportunities to make the overall business better. The focus is on “process failure” rather than “personal” failure and problem analysis and corrective action are conducted in a formal way.  Because we rely on formal problem solving techniques, we seek data and facts to determine the root cause of a problem.  Does this mean that people never cause problems?  No.  However, when it turns out that a problem is the result of direct human failure, it is dealt with as the “exception” versus the rule, with the employee being dealt with in private.  For more information on deploying these and other techniques in your QMS, please contact us at info@bizphyx.com.

     

  • support 3:39 pm on March 19, 2010 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , ,   

    What is considered undue delay? 

    A new requirement to ISO 9001 for internal auditing is to be able to show that corrections from internal audits are addressed timely.  Ways to show this may be a time frame assigned for closure and evidence that this time frame is being met.  However, evidence of extended times can identify an area of concern if an action is not being addressed.  The requirement is to find areas that need to be addressed and address the finding.  If there is no valid reason for a delay, an auditor may cite this as a concern that the internal audit system is not being provided the right support in order to benefit the company.

     

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