[Updated 20 March 10:00 PM EST, see below.]
George Hummel of the US Technical Advisory Group to TC 176 claimed on LinkedIn today that the US TAG expects ISO 9001 certified companies to have a copy of ISO 9000 — the vocabulary document — on hand, and that third party auditors will have to have it as well.
At our meeting today, it was emphasized that ISO 9000:2015 will be an external document that every certified organization is expected to have. Also, all auditors will be required to have a copy on audits.
Here’s a screenshot, and here’s the link.
There’s only one problem. The US TAG can’t make such requirements. The US TAG develops domestic language for the ISO 900x family of standards, and then presents that to ISO’s TC 176 for voting, alongside all the input of the other countries of the world.
The US TAG has no authority over what certified companies can and cannot do, since it has no role in certification. The US TAG cannot dictate what third party auditors can or cannot do, since auditors are governed by ISO 17021, which is developed by CASCO, and not TC 176, and certainly not by the TAG to TC 176.
It gets worse… if the US TAG really did make this claim, then it could be deemed an illegal breach of its authority, as it would be operating as a de facto marketing wing of ANSI, which profits from the sales of standards like ISO 9000. If the US TAG were falsely alleging that buying copies of ISO 9000 was mandatory, it could lead to an antitrust lawsuit.
I wrote to US TAG leadership about the problem, and cc’d Hummel. So far, I didn’t get a reply from the leadership (no surprises there) but here is what Hummel wrote:
Once again you’re speaking your brand of mis-conception. You’re LinkedIn’ s Faux News. All of what you alleged is not what was posted. BTW, it’s “Mr. Hummel” to you. You have absolutely no respect for any people whatsoever. I’m sure you will receive the answer you deserve.
When I sent him the above screenshot, proving I had quoted him exactly, he didn’t reply.
It is unlikely the TAG leaders will write back at all, but here’s what is the most likely explanation. Hummel mis-heard something, and ran to his computer to post it on LinkedIn, without understanding the ramifications. What’s likely to happen next is that Hummel will get a quiet, behind-the-scenes scolding, the LinkedIn post will disappear, and all will return to normal.
With TC 262’s Tim Fisher falsely accusing people of crimes, TAG 176 leaders using ASQ staff to defame a speaker they don’t like, and now Hummel posting misinformation, and then lying about it afterwards, is this how ANSI wants the world to view its standards body representatives?
UPDATE: As expected, Hummel has posted an apology on LinkedIn:
Hummel has not apologized to me, of course, for his “Faux News” crack, nor has the US TAG leadership written back. We are supposed to believe that if they close their eyes, they turn invisible. As any parent of a 4-year old knows, that’s never works.
Christopher Paris is the founder and VP Operations of Oxebridge. He has over 35 years’ experience implementing ISO 9001 and AS9100 systems, and helps establish certification and accreditation bodies with the ISO 17000 series. He is a vocal advocate for the development and use of standards from the point of view of actual users. He is the writer and artist of THE AUDITOR comic strip, and is currently writing the DR. CUBA pulp novel series. Visit www.drcuba.world
