Certification Audit - Confused Newbie Questions

[AndyN]

Hi there. Our stage one audit is in May. I attended ISO9001 implemntation training this week and next week I will be on a 3 day internal auditors course. I am starting to get the hang of things now. Its so great to be able to chat to other Quality Enthusiasts.

Mwhaaaaaaa to all.

Sharon

Excellent! Mwhaaaaaa to you, too!

 

[SHARON MYNHARDT]

Hi there, I have not had much luck with the help from other departments. They say that ISO has nothing to do with their departments and only quality. Every time I try and schedule meetings so that I can explain ISO to them no one pitches. I don't know what to do as sometimes I think my boss gets annoyed with me as I sound like a nagging old lady. I have now typed up Management weekly review minutes for our Managing Director. He is new and shows interest in everything and gives support when needed. In the minutes I have mentioned what has been done until now and what still needs to be done. Hopefully this will help. If any one out there has some sort of a diagram or matrix that explains the involvement from other departments I'd be grateful if you share that with me. All departments must be involved even the Finance department. When it comes to analysis of data (They do a lot of that).

Mwhaaaaaaaaaa

 

[AndyN]

Sharon - maybe you could change your technique - as they say 'doing the same thing over and expecting a different result.."

Try to de-emphasize 'ISO' - people don't speak that language, so you may sound like you're talking a different language and they only get some words - a bit like Afrikaans is to me! I hear some English words, some Dutch, but the rest is lost!

 

[Big Jim]

Hi there, I have not had much luck with the help from other departments. They say that ISO has nothing to do with their departments and only quality. Every time I try and schedule meetings so that I can explain ISO to them no one pitches. I don't know what to do as sometimes I think my boss gets annoyed with me as I sound like a nagging old lady. I have now typed up Management weekly review minutes for our Managing Director. He is new and shows interest in everything and gives support when needed. In the minutes I have mentioned what has been done until now and what still needs to be done. Hopefully this will help. If any one out there has some sort of a diagram or matrix that explains the involvement from other departments I'd be grateful if you share that with me. All departments must be involved even the Finance department. When it comes to analysis of data (They do a lot of that).

Mwhaaaaaaaaaa

I hear you. Sometimes you feel like a lone prophet crying out in the wilderness. The lack of attention from middle management is usually because of a lack of direction and commitment from the top.

You have the right idea. Work on obtaining management commitment. Once you have that, life will start to get better.

 

[John Broomfield]

Hi there, I have not had much luck with the help from other departments. They say that ISO has nothing to do with their departments and only quality. Every time I try and schedule meetings so that I can explain ISO to them no one pitches. I don't know what to do as sometimes I think my boss gets annoyed with me as I sound like a nagging old lady. I have now typed up Management weekly review minutes for our Managing Director. He is new and shows interest in everything and gives support when needed. In the minutes I have mentioned what has been done until now and what still needs to be done. Hopefully this will help. If any one out there has some sort of a diagram or matrix that explains the involvement from other departments I'd be grateful if you share that with me. All departments must be involved even the Finance department. When it comes to analysis of data (They do a lot of that).

Mwhaaaaaaaaaa

Sharon,

Your MD needs a private briefing from you so he can lead the development of your management system.

This system requires all departments to collobrate in understanding how their cross-functional processes work.

It would help him if, before he calls on the department heads, he has a diagram that shows what the company does with its customers and suppliers to convert the needs of customers into cash in the bank.

This you can do with him at a high-level simply to determine the key processes in the core process.

You can then determine the key processes necessary to sustain the core process (such as recruiting, training and other processes from ISO 9001).

Each key process on the list of key processes in your management system will be owned by its subject matter expert.

Your MD can then confirm the names of the process owners with the relevant department head.

Do not implement ISO 9001!

Develop your process-based management system instead based on what you are your colleagues already do to satisfy customers and get paid for it.

Name your management system after your company and do not call it an ISO-anything.

Stop talking about ISO and the fear and loathing should seep away.

Good luck,

John

 

[JRKH]

Hi there, I have not had much luck with the help from other departments. They say that ISO has nothing to do with their departments and only quality. Every time I try and schedule meetings so that I can explain ISO to them no one pitches. I don't know what to do as sometimes I think my boss gets annoyed with me as I sound like a nagging old lady. I have now typed up Management weekly review minutes for our Managing Director. He is new and shows interest in everything and gives support when needed. In the minutes I have mentioned what has been done until now and what still needs to be done. Hopefully this will help. If any one out there has some sort of a diagram or matrix that explains the involvement from other departments I'd be grateful if you share that with me. All departments must be involved even the Finance department. When it comes to analysis of data (They do a lot of that).

Mwhaaaaaaaaaa

What you are going through is not extremely common in new start-ups.

It concerns me that your department heads say that ISO only has to do with the Quality (the quality department I presume). Not that we haven't heard it before, but it seems to indicate a poor understanding of what quality means and who is responsible for it....But mainly you just have a bunch of managers who just don't want any extra work or any change...also very common.
As for a matrix or diagram, as John pointed out, you can easily put together a core process diagram and show how other proceses fit into this. How the output of each of these processes provides input for the next and if the output quality of one process is defective it has a cascading effect down the line.

For now, look to you managing director to help you. Without top management support your system will never function smoothly. With it others will fall in line.

Peace
James