ISO9001:2015 uses the Deming cycle of Plan Do Check Act as it's basis, and the 2015 version of the standard really drives forward business improvement through clauses 9 and 10 but how many companies are actually consciously taking steps to identify areas where improvement can be made, and then taking action to drive in those improvements?
Clause 9.1 asks us to consider what measurement and monitoring activities we want to take to address known areas of risk and opportunity. It encourages us to analyse the data we gather and to make informed decisions on the basis of that information. It is backed up by 9.2 (Audit) and 9.3 (Management Review), both of which provide further areas for us to consider how well we are doing and where we have areas which could be improved.
In auditing companies who have really got their teeth into the 2015 standard I am seeing some really positive stuff being identified as improvement opportunities. One company decided to review the accuracy of their quotation process, undertaken by 3 members of staff, to see just how the actual cost of the delivery of work compared to their quotation process. They identified quite significant differences between the 3 members of staff and put in place some measures to re-train and re-focus. Six months later the variation has gone and the business is making more money as a result.
In other cases businesses are struggling to see that these 3 clauses all provide information to aid the improvement process and are losing out as a result. Management review is the key to this but if you only hold your meetings annually you miss the chance to put in quick interventions. Consider increasing the number of management review meetings you hold and really use them to consider all the information you have about your business performance. There could be some surprising areas of 'gain' to be had.

​I have long been of the view that the damage caused by poor PR following accidents and incidents can hit firms far harder than the fines which courts may levy.  Today the news advises that the directors of the failed contractor Ikon Construction are saying that one of the reasons for their demise is an ongoing HSE and criminal investigation resulting from a death on one of their worksites.
 
It is interesting to note that the man who lost his life was not directly employed by IKON but was working for one of its subcontractors.  He fell through a roof on the IKON site, dying from the injuries sustained.   The investigation had spent some time looking at IKON in it’s role as main contractor.
 
It is understood that in statements included in the administrator’s proposals, the firm’s directors said a primary cause of its insolvency was the “adverse publicity” following the death.  In turn this had, according to the Directors, caused uncertainty about the company and preventing them from securing performance bonds on a range of contracts.
 
Having robust safety systems in place is one thing, but the key to successful safety management is driving those right down the supply chain.  I am thankful that ISO45001 recognises this need and look forward to seeing improvements across industry as everyone starts to ‘step up their game’. It’s no longer enough to just manage your own processes, you need to think carefully about the interested parties who can or may impact on you and your company.

Exciting times at the Elliem office as we bring a member of staff on board to help with the admin.  It's already making a HUGE difference, with some exciting work to come!  Welcome on board Ellie!

I was doing some work with my new mentoree this week and we were pondering system structure for multi-divisional organisations.  It provided good material for our discussion and we spent time looking at how systems could most effectively be made to work where there are multiple sub-businesses or divisions producing different products or services, supported by corporate functions.  The attached note may be of interest - it was the basis of our discussions and produced at the end of our session.

Sat on the beach in the sunshine yesterday watching my daughter windsurfing.  Pondered interested parties and came to the conclusion it was me, her and the seal who kept popping up near her board.  Oh, and the lady walking 3 dachshunds along the beach who was watching the action.

There's a tangible air of panic around at the moment as organisations begin to realise that they are soon going to have to meet the new versions of 9001 and 14001 or lose their certification.  For some losing certification is a business decision with little impact but for others it will have massive impact on contracts and business going forward.  With cert bodies now starting to critically look at manpower planning for the next 18 months and identifying shortfalls in assessor v forecast demand it's going to be an interesting time.

I've had a number of companies contact me looking for me to 'update their manual to the new standard'.  These have clearly not looked at the standard in any way shape of form because there's far more to becoming 2015 compliant than changing some text in a document.  Yes, my quote for x days is realistic, no it can't simply be done by renumbering some paragraphs in a day off site.  Yes I will want to sit with the leaders of the business and get stuck into their ribs on strategy and risk and opportunity, to understand their interested parties and the needs and expectations they have of the business.  If you don't like it at this stage how are you going to cope when the 3rd party auditor wants to do the same thing?

Last year I audited a company who's MD was notably absent throughout the audit.  He appeared at the very end and I took the chance to talk about 'the transition audit next year' and how I was looking forward to talking to him as part of that visit.   Rabbit in headlights - panic - 'errrrrrr talk to me - why? - I pay the Consultant to be here to cover for me at audit'.   I've spent a considerable amount of time this year undertaking 2015 compliant system audits for 3rd party cert bodies and the one thing that is abundantly clear is that this is a standard which requires leadership and strategic planning to be visible throughout, so if the consultant can achieve this then all well and good but my suspicion is that if they could they'd be the MD in that case . . . .

So, if you get a quote from a Consultant telling you they can make you 2015 compliant with some simple changes to your existing documentation think long and hard about the VFM being offered, because it might turnout to be a pig in a poke!

Found this interesting article published by The British Assessment Bureau today:

​DON’T RISK IT – CHOOSE UKAS
 
The process of achieving ISO certification can appear complex. Whilst certification to the ISO 9001 standard may help you demonstrate that you deliver quality service, in recent years a number of other standards have risen covering the likes of information security and care for the environment. Understandably, some find it difficult in knowing which direction to take.
The challenge doesn’t stop there. Do we implement an ISO standard alone? Who’s going to take responsibility? Do we need training first? Should we get a consultant instead? Which Certification Body should I go with?
 
Potentially, there are lots of decisions to make. But you’re not alone – thousands of businesses have made the journey and overcame the same obstacles. We’re here to help – obligation free – to suggest the best route based upon experience, budget, available resource and urgency.
 
AN IMPORTANT DECISION
 
If you’re like the majority of our clients, certification can unlock fresh opportunities and secure work with existing customers. However, beware that all certificates are not equal.
There is a European-wide agreement that each country should have a single National Accreditation Body to oversee Certification Bodies like ourselves. The UK’s only National Accreditation Body is the United Kingdom Accreditation Service – more widely known as UKAS.
With the market not being regulated, UKAS provides the assurance that a Certification Body has demonstrated technical competence and meets recognised standards.
Crucially, this is backed and supported by Government. Their policy document says:
 
“Recommends UK businesses, government and local authorities requiring third party conformity assessment services to source such services, where they exist, from conformity assessment bodies accredited by a NAB.”
 
This is key for those looking to qualify for public sector tenders, as the expectation is that you should have an ISO certificate from a Certification Body which is accredited by UKAS.
 
BE WARY OF IMPOSTERS
 
The UK Government is clear in emphasising the appointment of UKAS as our National Accreditation Body, as detailed in their policy document:
 
“Appoints on behalf of government as a whole a NAB for the UK. By means of the accreditation regulations 2009 (si 2009 3155), the United Kingdom accreditation service is appointed as the NAB for the UK”
 
And yet, this hasn’t stopped privately owned ‘alternative’ Accreditation Bodies emerging. And whilst there is no law against this, the question, is whether a certificate obtained via this route will be recognised, regardless of the effort you put into achieving certification.
 
WHY TAKE THE RISK?
 
Every day, we receive calls from traumatised businesses that have found that their certificate has been rejected by one or more of their clients, or simply was not recognised at the Pre Qualification stage.
 
In a few cases, businesses that have transferred to us have found the issue only arose a year or two down the line, but evidence shows that – inevitably – they always get found out. Sadly for those clients, this means they have to pay to start the certification process from the beginning, as none of their prior work can be recognised.
Having a certificate issued by a UKAS accredited certifier is your guarantee that it will be recognised and respected by any procurement team or buyer, worldwide. Use of the coveted ‘Crown and Tick’ UKAS logo is a respected symbol that allows the smallest of organisations to demonstrate parity with some of the world’s largest.

ISO9001 and ISO14001 have now been available in their 2015 versions for 15 months and yet we see so many businesses yet to even start on their transition process, let alone think about when they will be ready to have their transition audit.

Unless there is a real change of pace we run the real risk that there will be a huge amount of transition work to be undertaken in 2018 with neither enough time or auditors to do the necessary work.  This is a signfiicant issue and one which I know is causing headaches for certification bodies as they look at the sheer volume who could have transferred by now and havn't, and the ever tightening timescales. 

If you have yet to start on your transition journey take this as a warning to 'get a wriggle on'!

What a lovely way to start the New Year - a recommendation from an existing client to one of the companies they work with has resulted in me getting a very nice new client to work with - and it all got sorted out in the space of a couple of hours this morning.  A really nice 'extension to scope' scheme for an engineering company - just what we do best!

I've been very privileged to have been involved in the development of a new standard, PAS 7 for Fire Safety Management, and recently led a workshop training auditors in the skills they would need to effectively audit the standard.

PAS7 seeks to provide a defined structure for the management of fire safety and is already raising interest amongst housing agencies, universities and other providers of accommodation.  Taking the principles of other management system standards, primarily 9001, on board the standard encourages landlords and organisations to take a risk based approach to their management of fire safety, looking at how they make their provisions, how they define what those provisions should be and how they assure themselves that what is in place is not only working but is suitable and sufficient.  

The standard will shortly go out for 'trial' and a small group of companies will take forward the 3rd party testing of certification against the standard, and I will be very interested to see how this testing stage goes, and to be involved as the standard rolls out across the UK.  I suspect there is going to be high demand for it!