Question: Can you find useful information about policies and procedures on-line? »» Read more… »

Comedian Dimitri Martin repeats the old adage “People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.” Then he adds “My policy is: No stone throwing regardless of housing situation.” »» Read more… »

According to comments we receive from attendees at the conclusion of our two day Well-Defined Processes course, one of the more enjoyable aspects of the course (besides the excellent instruction and great materials!) is the interaction that typically takes place between participants. »» Read more… »

I recently had a long conversation with a customer on the topic of polices and procedures. They were a small but growing company (as many of our manual product customers are) and the need for standardization and consistency was becoming apparent.

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It is our pleasure to announce the launch of www.policiesandprocedures.com, a brand-new website dedicated to offering hundreds of instantly downloadable policies, procedures and forms. »» Read more… »

Question of the month:  Does complying with the ISO 9001 Standard have to be a “document nightmare?”

The old adage frequently applied to ISO 9001 is “Say what you do and do what you say.”  Some organizations seem to take this to mean “Write down everything you do,” but that is really not required by the standard.  The actual requirement is that processes are well-defined and responsibilities clearly communicated.  This can be accomplished through a lot of methods that require little documentation, such as training.  »» Read more… »

In the two previous articles of this series we discussed two important aspects of a Lean ISO 9001 Quality Management System: a Lean Quality Manual and Lean Quality Management System (QMS) Procedures. But what about other documentation that may be needed? »» Read more… »

In last week’s article I attempted to convince you of the value and sense of a Lean Quality Manual. But, how useful is a Lean Quality Manual if the Quality Management System (QMS) procedures are burdensome books with tons of detail and little value? »» Read more… »

Lean ISO 9001? To many of you this will seem like a contradiction in terms. The term Lean and ISO 9001 are not generally used together, but why not? Does a Quality Management System (QMS) have to be complicated and cumbersome?

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Question of the month: How is diligent planning important for effective management?

In June, our articles covered topics like improving business ethics, learning operational assessment, creating effective management and maximizing departmental communication. All these are important ingredients for successful business management. »» Read more… »