ISO Archives | GrowEQ: ISO systems, Process Improvement & Management

What is Certification?

Certification is a process where an independent body verifies that your business is meeting the necessary or appropriate standards. These standards might be regionally, nationally, or internationally regulated. Your business or organisation may have a variety of aspects certified – for example its management system, or products, or both. Certain products sold in Australia must be certified to a Standard. The purpose of a mandatory standard is to make particular safety or information features on products compulsory for legal supply into the Australian market. It is an offence to supply these goods if they do not comply with [...]

Business processes outdated and inefficient? Here’s how to fix them

It happens in every business at some stage… you realise that your processes are inefficient, laborious, and starting to cost money. So how do you fix them? Here is a step by step guide to business process improvement:

Top 6 Tips: Choosing a Consultant

You know you need to implement a management system be it ISO 9001 for quality, ISO 14001 for the environment, AS 4801 for safety, ISO 50001 for energy, or a combination of these. You’ve decided that it’s too hard/time consuming/risky to do it yourself. You need a consultant. They have to be experienced, highly effective and hold a successful track record. It’s an important decision, one you can’t afford to get wrong. You need someone who’ll ensure project success. Someone [...]

Is Certification Worth It?

Is Certification Worth It? “To be or not to be that is the question” although I don’t think Hamlet had certification in mind when he said this. It is a decision to be taken on business grounds. Here are some of the reasons why organisations choose certification: By setting a clear goal, certification motivates staff and helps to gain their commitment. Certification improves processes and refines activities. There is nothing like certification for focusing one’s attention on this key requirement. [...]

Simple Rules on Purchasing

Simple Rules on Purchasing – Part I When it comes to purchasing goods and services for your business the ISO 9001 Quality Management Systems standard is full of good common sense. Here is what it says – 7 Product Realisation 7.4 Purchasing 7.4.1 Purchasing Process The organization shall ensure that purchased product conforms to specified purchase requirements. The type and extent of control applied to the supplier and the purchased product shall be dependent upon the effect of the purchased [...]

Keep it Simple

The following information is so important that it is one of my downloadable Top 5 Essential Tips for ISO systems. Why is it so important? Because a) your management system must be simple and practical or your staff won't use it; b) cumbersome systems don't help a business achieve its goals; and c) overcomplicated systems are expensive to maintain. You need a simple system that effectively helps run the business & meet the needs of both customers & stakeholders. Just [...]

What are Corrective Actions?

I ended my previous blog by stating that there is a relationship between non-conformances (problems) and corrective actions (solutions). Clearly action is necessary to fix a problem and this action can take 2 forms – immediate corrective action and root cause corrective action. The names really say it all. You need to take immediate action to prevent the material or service from being used and to fix it. You need to take root cause corrective action to prevent a recurrence [...]

Top 10 Tips: Choosing a Food Safety Consultant

You know exactly what your business needs are. Right now you need to find a Food Safety Consultant. They have to be experienced, highly effective and hold a successful track record. It's an important decision, one you can’t afford to get wrong. You need someone who'll ensure project success. So how do you go about finding the right person for the job? I’ve worked as a Food Safety Consultant for over 20 years and throughout that time I've listened closely to [...]

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