Category: Quality Control

A myriad of industries are buzzing about the newly released ISO 9001 revision. With a greater focus on stakeholders and a risk-based thinking approach, the anticipated revision is said to have greatly improved the scope and ultimately the benefits associated. A more detailed comparison and additional useful resources are found here.

With the revision so widely discussed, we have received several inquiries from organizations wanting to know about the standard and asking for advice regarding the benefits of certification. While Pro QC is not a certifying body, we do work with organizations to prepare them for final audits.  We also work with many organizations that are not seeking certification, but rather are looking for a standard to apply in order to better manage their business.  The ISO 9000 family of standards provides “guidance and tools for companies and organizations who want to ensure that their products and services consistently meet customer’s requirements, and that quality is consistently improved.”

Standards in the ISO 9000 family include:

World Quality Month is approaching in November, and ASQ consistently does a great job offering resources and connecting the community.  We encourage everyone to visit their website and download the Celebration Guide.  We’re already planning office events and special promotions to offer throughout the month. As 3rd party quality providers passionate about serving the industry for over 30 years, “Quality Month” is kind of a big deal!   We enjoy the opportunity to share our industry tools and spread awareness.

One of the resources that peaked our interest on the World Quality Month site includes an ROI FAQ sheet.  Questions regarding the ROI of quality are our most commonly asked.

So, here are a few interesting points of note from ASQ:

• Every $1 spent on a quality management returned $6 in revenue, $16 in cost reduction and 3% in profit.
• Quality management reduces costs an average of 4.8%.
• 94% of organizations agree quality management was significant driver of success.
• 83% of organizations agree that without quality management, they could not justify their pricing to customers.
• ISO 9001 ROI was evaluated in a 2010 Harvard Business School study. The study found that adopters experienced higher rates of survival, increased wages, reduction in waste generation and enhanced worker productivity.

Look for more information regarding Quality Month as we continue to get organized. Let us know if you have any ideas and/or suggestions!

We’ve used 5W2H to discuss Product Quality Control before, and now we’re using this popular tool to provide insight regarding process audits.

Who?

Quality auditors are often certified and/or have other applicable training specific to the types of audits they perform.

Quality auditors must be professional, ethical and objective. They must be able to select appropriate quality and auditing tools and techniques and use them effectively in a variety of applications. In addition, they must verify, document and communicate results.

We’ve observed an increase over the years in online education opportunities, especially those that provide useful information to our industry.  Who doesn’t want to learn more about quality?

Here are our favorite resources that we recommend to our own team to stay up-to-date with the industry:

Alison

This site promotes free certified learning, with courses that include an Introduction to Manufacturing Processes, Fundamentals of Quality Standards, Understanding Cost of Quality and TQM Tools, and more.

ASQ’s Quality Topics A-Z

You don’t need to be a member to access this rich collection of quality-related information.  From auditing to Z1.4 and Z1.9, this site is a one-stop shop.