Alone to get my company certified!!!

[Joe Cruse]

To go with the others,

look at what is already down and see if it is workable to go towards the 2000 standard. The most important step I'd recommend is to get on the shop floor with the supervisors AND the employees who are doing the work. Compare what the old QMS has to what is being done now to conduct business. Then wrap that into the 2000 requirements. But you have to get out there and get a good sense of what is going on. Get the heads of the departments in your business to help you write out what they do in each department, even if it means they tell you, and you then write it out yourself.

It isn't all that bad an idea to use flow charts, either. You can at least use them to give yourself an idea of how your business' processes flow while you write the QMS. You may not end up using any charts, but they do have their uses, and can be used for the process map in your QMS to show how everything in the business flows. They can also be used for how each department flows.

Good luck,

Joe

 

[David Hartman]

Tanahy,

If the previously documented QMS has not been maintained/updated since its implementation/development, I would NOT expect it to reflect the current methodologies. You have to keep in mind that a QMS is a "living" organism. The company's methods SHOULD change as process and product improvements are developed (this is a good thing). So don't be discouraged if it appears that they are NOT compliant with the documents on hand, just ensure that what is currently happening meets the intent of the companies policies, external regulations, and the ISO 9001 requirements.

Also be open to "interpretations" of the ISO requirements. It is NOT a prescriptive set of standards, but is a guideline that should be viewed with a jaundiced eye towards what's best for your company, their customers, and your community.

 

[Tanahy]

Thank you ddhartma
Being on the shopfloor is my first step and its working so well now, workers and supervisors are showing very nice attitude especially when they are convinced that we are doing that FOR IMPROVING THE SYSTEM, which will reflect on thier working conditions for sure, some other people are showing a very strange reactions, probably because i am the youngest engineer in the factory, and they have like double my age of experience, but oh well, one way or another there must be a way to fit all into the system
thanks for help regards
Tanahy

 

[Jen Kirley]

Youth has the advantage of not inherently getting caught in the "We've always done it this way" mind set.

It certainly sounds like you are on the right track, and that your coworkers on the floor have given you their support. This is the most important thing.

Good lighting, and safety practices like lifting equipment and clean floors can do wonders for working conditions. I encourage you to look at the workers' comfort as one important means to raising morale and lowering defect rates. It is okay to do this while reviewing the QMS as "Man" is among the most basic factorsa within the Cause-and-Effect analysis for improvement.

Be well!

 

[Rachel]

... some other people are showing a very strange reactions, probably because i am the youngest engineer in the factory, and they have like double my age of experience, ...

Tanahy,

I can relate! I just started work this past October (graduated from uni last April) and my first major deliverable was to transition the company from QS 9000 to ISO 9001:2000. I was 23 when I started (turned 24 a couple of months ago). Age has been thrown at me on many occasions - not just at this job, but at co-op placements as a student.

The best advice I can give you is LISTEN. When half of the people at your company have been working there longer than you've been alive, you can bet they have some pretty good ideas about how to make things more efficient. I know a lot of engineers - some, my classmates! - who headed into the workforce with a totally cocky attitude, thinking they were going to change the face of the industry - and while initiative is good, there's a way to present it. Contrary to what many of us youngsters think, things *don't* always work out the way the textbook says they will - real life is a completely different playing field than the assume-vacuum-pressure-and-perfect-insulation situations that we experienced as students.

So, my advice - don't get overwhelmed - pick things apart into small chunks that are more chewable and don't choke you - and get feedback from those around you. It's a neat position to be in, getting into a project from the start and having the ability to mould your system into something better - but make sure that you take into consideration the wealth of *real-life* experience around you. They've been doing this job for years - they've got to have tons to tell you!

Just my - take it with a grain of salt (preferably on the rim of a margarita!).
Cheers,
-R.

 

[Carl Keller]

Tanahy,

The advice so far has been very good.


Stay Positive- While it is sometimes frustrating, it isn't rocket science. You can do it.

Take it section by section and ask yourself "what do I have to show that supports this requirement?" If you have evidence that you are doing it, don't dwell on it and move on.

Keep it as simple as possible, if you do not need it to meet the standard, don't include it. You can (and will) expand in the future to benefit the business.

Relax- As long as you pay the bill from the registrar, you are going to pass.

Regards,

Carl-

 

[williamgunn]

Tanahy,

I believe you are facing the problems most of Management Representatives face. The top management appoints the MR, and the MR has to do all the work. It is hard should there be no commitment / cooperation from the team. I have seen many of these cases.

My advise is to do things a step at a time. And always try to get involvement of the top management in decion making and pushing the system and people to work. U cant work alone.

Regards.