Issue 79 – Element 10: Improvement – Why should Management want to improve the business?
ISO 9001:2015…
Element 10: Improvement – Why should Management want to improve the business?
I appreciate receiving emails with questions and/or comments from readers of this Newsletter… please continue to do so since it provides me with direction on where to aim the content of these publications. In my last Newsletter (ISO 9001:2015 Newsletter Issue 78) we discussed the topic of “Element 9: Performance evaluation – Why should Management want to measure their processes?”, and now in this Newsletter we will discuss “Element 10: Improvement – Why should Management want to improve the business?“.
The ISO 9001 Element numbering…
Element 4 – Context of the organization
Element 5 – Leadership
Element 6 – Planning
Element 7 – Support
Element 8 – Operation
Element 9 – Performance evaluation
Element 10 – Improvement
Element 10 – Improvement consists of three (3) Clauses as listed below:
10.1 General
10.2 Nonconformity and corrective action
10.3 Continual Improvement
Let’s talk about Element 10… Why should a Manager want to “improve” their business? The problem with the terms “improvement” and “continuous improvement” is that they are easy words to say and everyone assumes by saying it that it will become reality. Improving your business can be hard work… it shouldn’t be a random event but rather a planned outcome, resulting from a set of specific actions that you put in place. Actually, the best Managers/Supervisors simply ask good questions rather than “telling” or “directing” their Team on how they need to improve. Why not just ask your people what they see as a way to improve their process? Ask them what challenges/problems they face each day and do they have a suggestion on how to fix them? I believe Managers/Supervisors need to do a better job tapping into the talent of their people, especially when trying to uncover innovative ways to do the work… and stop with the “command & control” approach they are used to using.
Clause 10.1 General: This section of the Standard is asking Managers/Supervisors to focus their improvement efforts on the Customer. This seems obvious until you ask: “If a Customer was in this room would they be excited about the improvement you’re planning?”. Too many times our improvements are never felt by the Customer. The intent of this Clause is make an improvement for the external Customer (the ones paying your wages) however you can also focus your efforts on the internal Customer (the next activity downstream from your process). Perhaps that should be the first two questions you ask before you launch into an improvement project: “Will your external Customer notice any change?”… if not… “Will your internal Customer notice the change?”… if the answer is still “no” then you should seriously wonder why you are spending any resources on doing it.
Clause 10.2 Nonconformity and corrective action: This Clause contains two (2) sub-clauses, Sub-Clause 10.2.1 and Sub-Clause 10.2.2, neither of which have titles on them. This Clause can be called the “problem solving” section of the Standard because that’s exactly what it is. Everyday, many Managers/Supervisors spend lots of time solving problems in their area of responsibility. The first question you should ask is are you using a systematic process to solve your problems? The second question you need to ask is how many times are you re-solving the same problem? Some people enjoy the thrill of being a “fire fighter” but that always keeps you in the reactive mode (or only playing defense). If you would simply pause before rushing to install a fix, and apply the 5-Y technique (repeatedly asking Why), you just might uncover the root cause underneath your problem. Eliminating the root cause means you only put out the fire once, which gives you more time to go on the offense with your Customers (eliminating complaints before they surface), not to mention keeping your competitors in check by being one step ahead of them.
Clause 10.3 Continual Improvement: This Clause is almost identical to the first one above (10.1) since they are both asking you to “improve”, with the difference being that this Clause (10.3) wants you to improve your overall Quality Management System (QMS), and it doesn’t have to be focused on the Customer. As I said earlier, the only improvements I like are those felt by the Customer but unfortunately we didn’t get to write this Standard, so we’ll need to find a way to comply with the requirements in this Clause.
Be sure to watch for our next Newsletter issue where I will be answering some of the questions that I get from Readers of my Newsletters about how to implement the requirements of ISO 9001:2015 in a specific and practical way, that will also help improve business performance…
To view all of our past Newsletters or to sign up to receive them… click here
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Need Help?
ISO 9001:2015 Internal Audit Outsourcing (we can do it for you OR with you!)
For cost effectiveness, the Internal Audit function can be outsourced to an external experienced auditor on a periodic basis. This will provide an independent and objective assessment to management, of where process issues may exist, along with identifying opportunities for improvement. It will also provide the evidence needed to satisfy the Internal Audit requirements in the ISO Standards. We have used two different approaches with this service: a) We conduct the entire audit ourselves, or b) We act as the lead auditor, and along with your Team of internal auditors, we complete the entire audit together. This latter approach allows your people to receive guidance and direction from an experienced lead auditor while at the same time maintaining significant involvement in the internal audit process.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Internal Process Auditor Training for ISO 9001:2015
The two (2) day Internal Process Auditing for ISO 9001:2015 Training Session is focused on a process approach to auditing with the objective being not only to assess conformance of the quality management system, but also to uncover process improvements during an audit. This goes hand in hand with the process auditing requirements found within ISO 19011 and the process approach covered in ISO 9001:2015, which promotes continual process improvement throughout this Standard. An enhanced checklist is developed, and there will be workshops throughout, to reinforce learning, as well as a live, practice audit. If you are looking to meet the ISO 9001:2015 internal audit requirements and to “raise the bar” for your internal audit program then this is the course you should consider.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Until next time…
Tim Renaud
Helping Business Professionals Reduce Risk and Remove Waste!