The ISO Standards are now well accepted as best practice in almost every business sector but they can still be perceived as being time consuming to implement and manage.The ISO 9001:2008 standard wraps around your existing processes and specifically states that you should not change your working methods to become compliant. The rule is ‘Say what you do, then do what you say’.‘ISO in a Box’ helps you to challenge and ‘gap-analyse’ your methods and processes to ensure that they do what you need them to do, then provides a framework for their ongoing management. Compliance with ISO 14001:2004 may require you to put new processes and measures in place in order to minimise your impact on the environment. One such product is ISO in a Box product that could change the way that quality and environmental management systems are perceived. When asked what ISO quality management systems mean, owners of SME businesses typically respond by saying either “a lot of bureaucracy” or “ISO is something that a company needs if it wants to work with the public sector”. This cynicism is usually based on the perception that quality management must inhibit effective management and that the organisation will sink under the weight of paperwork. Early last year Equas MD, David Morgan, took the decision to tackle this perception by investing in technology. He explains “we knew that an effective quality management system had to be simple to use, capable of effective document management and, most importantly, be accessible by staff throughout the organisation – wherever they worked. We came up with the idea of a new product which we called “ISO Activ”, but needed a trusted technology partner to deliver it. Equas approached their own software suppliers with the idea. Technical Director of GreyRidge Software, Tom Hill, describes what Equas were looking for: “David wanted an easy-to-use way of delivering and editing processes and documents without the need for a paper manual. This need developed into a concept of editable ‘wiki’ pages, supported with embedded standard office documents and the potential for mapping processes in an intuitive way”. The result is an innovative product that could well transform the image of ISO in the marketplace. Businesses simply sign-up for the system and, with security and hosting all taken care of and with access to a flexible template system and documentation library, they can start the process of implementing ISO quality and environmental management systems in minutes. David is delighted: “We are committed to breaking down the idea that ISO is all about paperwork and is simply something you get because a customer has asked for it. The new ISO Activ system is a core part of this approach. We know that with it, people will start to see quality management as something that is genuinely useful and easy to do”. Sales Director of Equas, Mike Dowd, says “the best thing is that it is as easy to understand as a paper system yet it involves no paper and cuts down on bureaucracy. I am a technophobe and even I find it easy!” After many months of design and development, the new software has now been launched and is already starting to prove popular. More than 15 businesses have started using the system with many more about to follow. David is particularly pleased that it is unexpectedly taking them beyond the SME marketplace and attracting interest from large corporations. For example, Equas are currently using Activ to implement an integrated quality management system for a company with manufacturing operations in six countries. In addition, Equas have just signed an agreement to franchise the new product in Canada and the US, and are in process of concluding a similar agreement with a German partner. With almost everything been calculated on carbon emission scale, and the usage of papers in documentation for creating ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 management systems, the usage of paper can be significantly decreased by using softwares which help in maintaining all the data and also eases record keeping and updating.
The ISO Standards are now well accepted as best practice in almost every business sector but they can still be perceived as being time consuming to implement and manage.The ISO 9001:2008 standard wraps around your existing processes and specifically states that you should not change your working methods to become compliant. The rule is ‘Say what you do, then do what you say’.‘ISO in a Box’ helps you to challenge and ‘gap-analyse’ your methods and processes to ensure that they do what you need them to do, then provides a framework for their ongoing management. Compliance with ISO 14001:2004 may require you to put new processes and measures in place in order to minimise your impact on the environment. One such product is ISO in a Box product that could change the way that quality and environmental management systems are perceived.
When asked what ISO quality management systems mean, owners of SME businesses typically respond by saying either “a lot of bureaucracy” or “ISO is something that a company needs if it wants to work with the public sector”. This cynicism is usually based on the perception that quality management must inhibit effective management and that the organisation will sink under the weight of paperwork.
Early last year Equas MD, David Morgan, took the decision to tackle this perception by investing in technology. He explains “we knew that an effective quality management system had to be simple to use, capable of effective document management and, most importantly, be accessible by staff throughout the organisation – wherever they worked. We came up with the idea of a new product which we called “ISO Activ”, but needed a trusted technology partner to deliver it.
Equas approached their own software suppliers with the idea. Technical Director of GreyRidge Software, Tom Hill, describes what Equas were looking for: “David wanted an easy-to-use way of delivering and editing processes and documents without the need for a paper manual. This need developed into a concept of editable ‘wiki’ pages, supported with embedded standard office documents and the potential for mapping processes in an intuitive way”.
The result is an innovative product that could well transform the image of ISO in the marketplace. Businesses simply sign-up for the system and, with security and hosting all taken care of and with access to a flexible template system and documentation library, they can start the process of implementing ISO quality and environmental management systems in minutes.
David is delighted: “We are committed to breaking down the idea that ISO is all about paperwork and is simply something you get because a customer has asked for it. The new ISO Activ system is a core part of this approach. We know that with it, people will start to see quality management as something that is genuinely useful and easy to do”. Sales Director of Equas, Mike Dowd, says “the best thing is that it is as easy to understand as a paper system yet it involves no paper and cuts down on bureaucracy. I am a technophobe and even I find it easy!”
After many months of design and development, the new software has now been launched and is already starting to prove popular. More than 15 businesses have started using the system with many more about to follow. David is particularly pleased that it is unexpectedly taking them beyond the SME marketplace and attracting interest from large corporations. For example, Equas are currently using Activ to implement an integrated quality management system for a company with manufacturing operations in six countries. In addition, Equas have just signed an agreement to franchise the new product in Canada and the US, and are in process of concluding a similar agreement with a German partner.
With almost everything been calculated on carbon emission scale, and the usage of papers in documentation for creating ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 management systems, the usage of paper can be significantly decreased by using softwares which help in maintaining all the data and also eases record keeping and updating.
By: jim damon
Posts Tagged ‘Quality Management System’
Quality Management without the paper
August 29th, 2009Iso Standards 101: Understanding the Basics of Iso Quality Management Systems
August 26th, 2009There are more than enough ISO standards to confuse any organization that’s looking to get certified. Today, there are over 16,000 standards being used by certifying bodies to assess, monitor and audit any organization seeking to improve its quality management system. Here is a short explanation on what these standards are and their specific usages:
ISO Standards
ISO standards contain the metrics or specifications required in order to achieve the guidelines or criteria specified under that series. These standards are referred to as ISO series in order to refer to groups of standards used for quality management and assurance.
An ISO standard is identified as the ISO series and its version. For example – ISO 9001:2005. This indicates that the ISO standard in place is ISO 9001 with the 2005 version.
Here are some of the most popular ISO standards applied for:
ISO 9000
This is a very popular ISO series, ranging from ISO 9001 to ISO 9999. ISO 9000 is the quality management system used by companies that engage in production. ISO standards in these series include:
ISO 9126 – used as a model for software quality
ISO 9362 – used to regulate BIC or Bank Identifier Code
ISO 9564 – used to maintain quality in PIN (Personal Identification Number) security and management
ISO 14000
This series is the system used to implement standards in environmental management, specifically in a production environment. A few standards in these series include:
ISO 14001 – standard for general environmental management
ISO 14064 – standard used for handling greenhouse gases
ISO 14230 – implemented for diagnostic systems used for road vehicles
ISO 14698-1 – used for bio-contamination control
ISO 10000
This series is used to establish ISO standards and guidelines for project management quality. The series includes:
ISO 10012 – used to implement standards in the production of measuring equipment and for measurement processes
ISO/IEC 10077 – sets the standards for the calculation of heat transmittance in products such as shutters, windows and doors
ISO 10211 – establishes the necessary guidelines for making detailed calculations of surface temperature for the construction of buildings
ISO 10628 – sets the standards for the creation of flow diagrams used in process plants
ISO 20000
The ISO 20000 series sets the standards for guidelines used in establishing an IT service management system. It covers standards for the following:
ISO 20022 – covers standards used for companies offering financial services
ISO 22000 – establishes guidelines used by certifying bodies that audit other companies’ management systems in food safety
ISO/IEC TR 20943 – used for setting standards for procedures used to achieve consistency in registry content of metadata
Which ISO standard is right for your company?
The choice of ISO standard your organization will apply for will depend on the type of company you have, the nature of its business, its production or manufacturing processes, the type of products and/or services involved and the quality management system you wish to achieve.
By: Johanna Guelas
Iso 14001 Environmental Management Systems
August 10th, 2009The individuals dealing with management system development and improvement are often asked about the relative merits of independent as opposed to combined systems for these two standards – and other possibilities as well.
Avoiding the trap of siding with a particular faction within the organisation posing the question, the logical solution is to integrate the systems from the outset. Much of the required material for the environmental standard already exists as part of the quality management system, and the advantage of having one overall management task is surely a real benefit.
The inspection status of the two standards at the present time (2008) introduces a credible reason for splitting the systems, specifically with regard to the distinct difference in the focus on statutory and legal obligations made necessary by the documents. The soon to be appearing revision of ISO9001, supposedly more similar to the recent ISO14001, should take away this seemingly anomalous condition, although it should still be kept in mind that a company is regulated by legal requirements with respect to the environment, regardless of whether or not it utilises the environmental standard.
The expense of creating a new Environmental management system for registration requirements wouldn’t be much different to the expense of a corresponding Quality management system, where as the expense of combining an environmental piece to a current quality system would most likely be much less. This is simply because of a similar basic document framework with compatible requirements. A certain amount of training would be required, both for management and the employees, although any internal auditors may need a great deal of training and mentoring.
There is an additional financial benefit to putting the two systems together – particularly if both don’t initially exist at the beginning of the task – the good fortune to not include any of the bureaucracy that so often results from retaining a management system with a formal registration, particularly the anomalous Quality Manager appointment. This post is a throwback to the application of Quality Assurance within manufacturing, when Chief Inspectors became managers of quality, and business continued in the way it always had. With the introduction of a combined quality and environmental management system the way is clear to dispense with the management post, redistribute responsibilities to those able to deliver results against those responsibilities, and recognize control and development of the management system to be one of Systems Integrity, with little to do with product or service delivery performance.
Outsourcing part or all of this newly defined assignment would result in improved performance at significantly reduced cost.
By: Ed Bones
