MSI Management Systems International

Management systems like ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and AS 9100 specifically spell out the requirements to determine and provide resources needed to implement, maintain, and continually improve any Management System. One area that this specifically applies to is personnel.

In order to supply the suitable resources, personnel performing work affecting conformity to product requirements must have the right training, skills, education, and experience. To determine if an individual is qualified to perform a task, one must first convey the standard for the job qualifications.

In other instances, qualifications are linked to specific tasks or product lines. Sometimes, different levels of competency are also defined.  Organizations must develop specifications that define the demonstrated and verifiable competencies at each level.

All of these elements work together to provide the necessary resources of an effective and efficient management system.

ISO 9001 says in section 5, “Top management provides evidence of its commitment to the development and implementation of the Quality Management System and continually improves its effectiveness”.

The most important way to have top management show their commitment is through communication. To complete this, commitment must be demonstrated through action. For example, when a member of staff submits an idea for improvement to management, management looks at the suggestion and opts to apply it or not. Either way, communicating to the staff member the determination that was made and give them a clear description is how to show commitment.

Every section of the standard starts with top management.  Top management’s commitment plays a crucial role in the implementation and maintenance of a Quality Management System. The system will never truly be implemented if commitment is not evidenced throughout the organization. Employees at all levels of an organization will not be committed to a system that is not driven, supported, and believed-in by upper management.

Why might an aerospace company want to be ISO 14001 certified?

The aerospace industry leaves no room for error, demanding that companies meet the most stringent international standards for a majority of products manufactured. An Environmental Management System (EMS) meeting ISO 14001 requirements ensures companies control and possibly minimize any potentially harmful impact on the environment from operations, products, and services. This sets the stage for continual improvement.

Today’s aerospace and defense companies need to enhance customer and community confidence. ISO 14001 certification demonstrates concern for the environment on an international scale and is able to be integrated with existing business practices. An aerospace or defense company that achieves ISO 14001 certification accesses green marketing tools, and furthers their competitive edge to potentially increase market share.

ISO 14001 certification can boost profitability by reducing the use of raw materials and energy, improving recycling efforts, and minimizing negative environmental emissions. For today’s aerospace company, ISO 14001 greatly enhances their company’s image and efficiency.

Have you heard that ISO 9001, 14001 or AS 9100 management systems can identify process gaps? Have you ever wondered how? If you wanted to identify some of the gaps yourself, you can – by asking five simple questions. This will likely allow you to see where the gap is happening as a management system would.

The first question to ask is who is responsible. Having a department or a person responsible in your business is part of the foundation of a management system. Simplifying the question will help you identify the responsible party, and in turn produce your desired results.

Secondly, ask who has authority. If the person responsible for something does not have the authority to take care of the issues that arise, how will issues be resolved? Authority implies responsibility, but you must verify the people authorized to make a decision are in fact responsible for the decision as well.

The next question to ask is who has the skills? If the person responsible for a process does not have the competency needed to own a process, it jeopardizes the process effectiveness. Mistakes might occur that puts the whole organization at risk.

Fourth, are accountability measures in place? This means there is evidence of process effectiveness.

Finally, ask how processes are recognized. If a process has a problem, or is extremely successful, how is this recognized? By identifying the need for improvement or addressing a known issue, a company recognizes the processes need for continual improvement.

If we think of quality and environmental management systems as ways to run businesses from a process versus product standpoint, then it allows you to identify most gaps and nonconformances. Even if a company provides service, the same principle applies. Remember, most management systems have major findings at their registration audit because key components are not functioning as they should, and in all likelihood, one of these five questions could have identified the problem. Management systems address how to resolve these issues for any company of any size.

Hey guys saw this comic strip and thought, wow these people need standards!  Have a great day!

Management Systems International recently addressed the question, what are the pros and cons of a company transitioning from multiple ISO certified sites to a consolidated corporate ISO certification. We spent a few days analyzing and researching the specifics of this question, and came to the conclusion that consolidating a management system is beneficial for all companies asking this question, whether the management system is certified to ISO 9001, AS 9100, or ISO 14001. Listed below are a few pros and cons if you find yourself in the same conundrum.

MSI recently completed ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 internal auditor training for aerospace and electronics manufacturers. It was defiantly two days of intensive training. As we start another workweek, I wanted to recap some of the things our training class attendees learned last week including why we preform internal audits, and why internal audits are beneficial.

In case you didn’t know, the purpose of internal audits is to meet the requirements of ISO standards. Some of the standards that require internal audits are the ISO 9001, ISO 14001, OHsaS 18001, and AS 9100. These standards have one thing in common – they are all standard management systems. That means that these standards all focus on a P-D-C-A (plan, do, check, and act) model. These Standards require internal audits to measure performance and verify conformance of a company’s operations.

When a company has added document requirements specified in procedures and manuals they can use internal audits to expedite implementation of procedures. Internal Audits can also be used to meet statutory and regulatory requirements in order to receive or maintain ISO 9001, ISO 14001, or many other ISO standard registrations.

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