In Lean applications, it is very important to assess “value” from the customer’s vantage point. Activities that don’t add value to the product or service are by definition “waste.” Delivering what the customer wants when he wants it is the primary thrust of Lean.  The vehicle for accomplishing this is the elimination of waste from processes.  ISO  Read more »

The International Workshop Agreement (IWA) system allows guidelines to be issued for compliance with ISO standards for specific sectors. These guidelines are not new requirements, nor do they change the requirements of the standard; the intention is not to be used for compliance or certification, but serve as guidelines for better application of the standard.  Read more »

People not familiar with the ISO 9001 standard may think of it as being bureaucratic with lots of extra paperwork.  In reality, this is far from the truth. The ISO 9001:2008 standard requires that you establish controls for your business, that you monitor customer satisfaction and that you continually improve your processes.  These basic elements  Read more »

The elimination of waste is the main focus of Lean Manufacturing.  In recent years, many organizations have incorporated the concept of the “eighth waste” in their implementation of Lean Manufacturing.  Many early sources spoke about the Seven Wastes that are found in most processes: Overproducing Transporting Waiting Inappropriate processing Building unnecessary inventories Conducting unnecessary movements Defects and errors Lean  Read more »

Some people think that compliance with ISO 9001:2008 inhibits innovation and Lean transformational change. This is very far from the truth. I previously wrote about how compatible and complementary both methods are when implemented in the same timeframe. I will explain in more detail below. ISO requires the organization to be engaged in Continual Improvement.  Lean provides one vehicle for a company  Read more »

Some people get stuck soon after starting an ISO 9001:2008 implementation with developing a Quality Policy and, soon after, in developing Quality Objectives.  Once you know what is expected, the process of developing them is very simple. You could think of a Quality Policy as a company’s mission statement from the customer’s point of view. The policy  Read more »

Why make ISO 9001 part of your organization’s culture? I have seen many companies registered to ISO 9001:2008 failing to take full advantage of the structure that this standard provides.  These organizations only see the marketing benefits of the certification while missing the opportunity to improve the quality of their products and services by testing their systems against their customer requirements.  Read more »