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Showing posts with the label ISO Audit Process

WHY GET ISO 9001 CERTIFIED

 I get this question all the time. Here are some of the common ones I hear all the time. It's costly. We can't afford it. Why should we spend that money. It serves no purpose. It's a waste of time. It's a big money grab. The auditors make the money. We don't get any benefit. Our company's philosophy is just do it. We fix problems as they come along. Why do I need ISO to tell me how to run my company? We don't have time to document what we do. Time is money. I don't have the people or resources to spend on this. My customers don't require it of me so why spend the money I'm making good money on my product now. How's this going to positively impact my bottom line? I can answer some of these questions easily. The answer to some of the other questions will require you and your organizations to seek on your own. Business's which stagnate typically follow the adage: "Why change how we do things. If it ain't broke don't touch it...

ISO AUDIT PROCESS

  Much has been written on the ISO Audit Process. This article will break down the items which must be considered by an organization when engaging an auditor. In a previous article," Inside the mind of an auditor " we delved into how an auditor thinks. This article will give the actual "nuts and bolts" of how an ISO Auditor should navigate himself/herself through the ISO Audit Process. The two major activities of an auditor will consist of: 1. Review of an organizations current documents. This consists of verification of the organization's documentation. The goal is to gage how the documentation adheres to the relevant tenets of the ISO Standard. 2. Process Review: This is the main part of the physical audit. This is the activity whereby the ISO Auditor physically examines the organization's adherence to the ISO Standard. An auditor will sample operations in an organization looking for evidence of conformity to relevant tenets of the ISO Standard. This is w...

Inside the mind of an ISO Auditor

 Having your organization audited can be daunting, stressful and a generally anxious event. Whether this is your first audit or you've been part of many audits before, it's still not something which generates excitement.(At least not the kind we look forward too) Here's some helpful tips to help you negotiate your next audit. Firstly, there's no guarantee of a flawless audit where the ISO auditor finds no non-conformances. It's not uncommon that he/she will find at least one or more minor non-conformances or one or more major non-conformances. In fact it's typically normal that an organization has non-conformances after an audit. Preparation is key: The more prepared you are the better. An internal pre-audit should be performed many weeks before the audit date. This can be done with your own staff or you can contact a third party certification group such as ISO Certification Consultants Inc . In any case, its advisable to assess your readiness by honestly answe...