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Let's talk fundamentals today! Understanding the fundamentals, entries and initial processes of Management standards is the first step towards a more solid and successful career.

If you already understand the subject well and are an expert in it, the newsletter will be a brief lesson in concepts. But if you're just starting out or have questions about standards, certification and audits, the 6 guidelines below will help you a lot.

Guideline 1 - Understanding Management and the Management System for the requirements standards

• Management: Controlled activities to direct and control an organization
• Management system: Set of interrelated or integral elements of an organization, to establish policies, objectives and processes to achieve these objectives.

Tip: Interrelated reminds us of systems thinking and PDCA, i.e. no activity is isolated. Access the post on Systems Thinking in a Quality Management System, for more information.

Guideline 2 - Requirements or guidelines standard

The requirements standard specifies mandatory activities that the organization has to carry out. The guidelines standard specifies a set of guidelines, so pay attention to the initial explanatory chapters. Examples:
ISO 19011 - Guidelines for auditing the management system
ISO 9001- Quality Management System - Requirements

The standards have a sequence of activities in chronological order. So start with chapter 4 and follow the order of the standard itself. If you start with chapter 9, then 7 and finish with 5, it won't help you (on the contrary, it will make understanding worse).

Guideline 3 - Attention to Portuguese and writing standards

• Must = mandatory requirement
• Should = recommendation
• Can = permission/possibility or ability
• Consider = think, but can be excluded
• Taking into account = thinking, but cannot be excluded
• Appropriate = appropriate, with degree of freedom
• Applicable = relevant or possible to apply, if it can be done, it must be done
• Ensure = responsibility can be delegated, but not the responsibility to ensure that an action is carried out
• Activities “under shared control of the organization” = activities for which the organization shares control over the means and methods or shares the direction of the work carried out with respect to its Occupational Health and Safety performance
• Retain or Maintain documented information: evidence of compliance with a requirement

Tip: All the entries are detailed in the Annexes to the standards.

For a qualitative dictionary, see the explanatory post by Dictionary of Quality.

Guideline 4 - How to start when the company is a mess

• Check that the company has the official ISO standards, as these will be the guideposts. PFor example, the official ABNT sells the ISO 9001:2015 standard for R$ 170.
• Tell the leadership that you are going to carry out a current situation diagnosis, audit or gap analysis, i.e. take a “snapshot” of the processes in an organized and methodical way, indicating conformities and points of attention.
• Based on the results of this diagnosis, draw up an action plan for each point of care.

Guideline 5 -  How can I argue with the leadership that Quality Management is important?

Identify the situations related to quality management in the project: customer and supplier complaints; waste of time, money and raw materials; rework and delays in processes and schedules; accidents. How much time/money was spent dealing with these problems? Methodically organize all possible situations.

• The standard has 2 interesting consequences for Leadership: Facing challenges and adding value
  Facing challenges: “The concepts and principles of quality management described in this standard provide the organization with the ability to FACE the CHALLENGES presented by an environment that is profoundly different from that of recent decades”
• Adding value: The quality of products and services includes not only their intended function and performance, but also their perceived value and benefit to the customer.

Guideline 6 - How does certification and certificate maintenance work?

As soon as an organization decides to be certified to a requirements standard, it is necessary to contact a Certification Body (e.g. BV, DNV, ABS, etc.), as this is the body that conducts and grants the certification of conformity based on the standards.

Check the INMETRO website for Certification Bodies. In Brazil, the accrediting body is INMETRO, which verifies the requirements of ISO 17021 - Conformity assessment - Requirements for bodies providing audit and certification of management systems Part 1: Requirements.

The criteria adopted for accrediting these bodies are based on interpretations by the IAF - International Accreditation Forum and IAAC - Inter American Accreditation Cooperation.

For example, an organization's ISO 9001 certification is valid for 3 years. After the certification audit, maintenance audits must be carried out and in 3 years all processes must be checked.

Any additional questions that haven't been answered? Let me know so that we can develop this community with harmony and synergy!

Phrases on the subject

”We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit” Aristotle - Greek philosopher

Find out more with our ISO 9001 Professionals Expert Online Shop

Qualiexpert Services - Processes that add value

If you find yourself in the midst of the complexities of maintaining or developing an effective management system, know that you are not alone. Qualiexpert is at your side to navigate these challenges. We understand that building a robust management system requires more than just technical knowledge; it's a combination of strategy, adaptation and a deep understanding of your company's unique needs.

We offer personalized support to help overcome common obstacles, such as resistance to change within teams, the complexity of integrating new processes, and the challenge of maintaining a culture of continuous improvement. With our experience, we can help you avoid rework, reduce waste and optimize processes, ensuring that your management system not only meets, but exceeds expectations.

Contact us for a detailed consultation, and let's work together to turn challenges into opportunities for continuous improvement.

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