Free Online Course: “Why Standards Matter”
“Why Standards Matter,” a free online course that introduces the basics of the voluntary standardization process, is available from the American National Standards Institute, a nonprofit organization that administers and coordinates the U.S. voluntary standardization system. Go to <http://www.standardslearn.org>.
Read MoreISO Report on Merging Business and Environmental Goals
The convergence of environment-friendly products with company profits is furthered by a new ISO technical report. ISO/TR 14062,Environmental Management – Integrating Environmental Aspects Into Product Design And Development, will enable organizations to identify the likely effects on the environment of their future products and make effective decisions during the design and development stages to improve their environmental performance. “More organizations are coming to realize that there are substantial benefits in integrating...
Read MoreToughest ISO 9001:2000 Requirements (6.2.2)
Clause 6.2.2, Competence, Awareness, and Training, states: The organization shall: a) determine the necessary competence for personnel performing work affecting product quality, Competence is defined in ISO 9000:2000 as the “demonstrated ability to apply knowledge and skills”. Competence involves the education, training, skills, and experience necessary for people to carry out their assigned tasks. It also includes people not directly involved in making the product, or delivering the service, because their work may affect quality...
Read MoreToughest ISO 9001:2000 Requirements (5.4.2)
In the December, 2003 newsletter, I identified twelve ISO 9001:2000 clauses as the toughest requirements to understand and meet with conforming practices. Clauses 4.1, 5.1, and 5.4.1 were addressed in previous newsletters. This article covers clause 5.4.2, Quality Management System Planning. The next article in this newsletter deals with clause 6.2.2, Competence, Awareness, and Training. 4.1 General Requirements (and 0.2 Process Approach) – article in December, 2002. 5.1 Management Commitment – article in January,...
Read MoreWhat are the “New” Audit Activities?
If you are an auditor, chances are your auditing course was based on ISO 10011, Guidelines for Auditing Quality Systems. You were probably taught that an audit consists of five phases: Initiation, Preparation, Execution, Reporting, and Follow-Up. That terminology has changed somewhat with the replacement of ISO 10011 by ISO 19011, Guidelines for Quality and/or Environmental Management System Auditing. Audit phases are now called audit activities. Also, the “documentation review” activity has been separated from the old...
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