Latest News & Opinion on the ISO Certification Scheme
South African Presentation on Auditor Behavior Includes Racist Graphic
A 2012 presentation to the Southern African Auditor and Training Certification Association (SAATCA) on auditor competence and behavior includes a racist graphic, Oxebridge has learned. "A Question of Competence: A Paper to the 2012 SAATCA Conference" was given by Iain...
Early Support for Halt to ISO 9001:2015 Development
Yes, I am as surprised as you are by that headline. While certainly less radical than some of Oxebridge's previous attempts to improve the ISO 9001 certification scheme, I have no illusions that calling on ISO -- a ship that does not right itself easily -- to pause in...
DNV Aerospace Rep: ISO User Feedback is “Moronic”
ISO 9001 registrar DNV's Director of Aviation, Space & Defense Services Sidney Vianna sits on the AAQG committee responsible for drafting the next edition of AS9100, and frequently gives seminars on topics related to ISO 9001 standards development. Despite the...
Management Maturity Model – Draft Schema
The Management Maturity Model (AKA "ALT 9001") would be comprised of two levels of "practices" (preferred term, rather than "requirements.") The first level (indicated by the number 1) is the Trunk, and includes practices for all management systems of any type which...
Oxebridge Calls for Temporary Halt to ISO 9001:2015 Development
Oxebridge has released a paper calling on ISO TC 176 to issue a temporary halt in development of ISO 9001:2015, citing four "converging factors" that it feels will permanently damage both ISO and ISO 9001 if the standard is allowed to proceed: Failure to fully develop...
Tinsmithing in the Age of the Boson: How ISO 9001 Revisions Go Wrong
Today a friend of mine, who does some work with TC 176, wrote asking my feedback on making minor word changes to 9001. He specifically noted 9001:2000's struggle with "product" and "service," and hinted that some simple terms may yet again be up for grabs as part of...
RABQSA: Del Straight NOT Certified Lead Auditor (UPDATED)
Just received this from Teresa Tidball at RABQSA: I have checked our system and do not have any record of a Del Straight being or having been certified with us. For years, Del Straight has advertised himself as a RABQSA Certified Lead Auditor, including using the...
Unaccredited Registrar Del Straight Calls Critics Sex Offenders, Drunks and Terrorists
It's been a tough month or two for the certificate mill operators. Since getting confronted for their activities on LinkedIn, we've seen QualityMasters' Mike Kuklewski accuse the entire ISO 9001 forum of censorship, and claim it was like a "crucifixion," while...
ISO 9001 Growth: the Truth about Asia
Presumably to deflect the nagging issue of ISO 9001 declining growth rates, ISO has taken to pointing to "Asia" as the glimmer of hope for the standard. I put that in quotes for a reason, so stay with me. The last release of the annual "ISO Survey" includes data as of...
10 Questions for Daryl Guberman
As he prepares for his April 17th ASQ speaking event, here are some questions we may want to have Daryl Guberman answer about his unaccredited certificate mill, G-PMC: 1.) You have called ANAB a monopoly. You then entered into an exclusive accreditation arrangement...
Humor: If ISO Ran the Michelin Awards
Shaun Sayers has a hilarious post on his CapablePeople blog, "What a Way to Run a Certification Scheme." It presents a scathing view of how ISO would manage the Michelin Star restaurant awards, if given the chance. Here's a snippet: “What sort of things are they...
Headscratcher Blog Post at PRI Registrar
Someone please tell me what this blog post at PRI is about, because I can't figure it out. Excuse me, Mr. Whipple? I have sat silent long enough. I have seen this behavior manifested in enough organizations that it is either chronic or a conspiracy. Are you a member...
Guberman “Endorsements” Disappear from G-PMC Website Overnight
After publicity for his upcoming ASQ speech prompted many to question the claims made on the G-PMC LLC website, unaccredited registrar operator Daryl Guberman has removed more than half of the endorsements previously posted there. The G-PMC page titled "Endorsements"...
TC 176 Must Stop Development of ISO 9001:2015 Now
ISO's Technical Committee 176 must stop all development on ISO 9001:2015 right now. To fail to do so will be such a massive, public display of ineptitude that what little respect the world has for ISO 9001 will be thrown away, possibly forever. This is not hyperbole....
Full Accounting of Daryl Guberman / Don Labelle Fraud and Ethics Violations
A full accounting of the various examples of fraud, abuse, and ethical violations conducted by Daryl Guberman, Felice Guberman and Don Labelle of Guberman PMC LLC.
ASQ Chapter to Host Speech by Unaccredited Registrar Daryl Guberman
New Haven CT -- The New Haven chapter of the American Society for Quality (ASQ) is hosting an April 17th dinner featuring certificate mill operator Daryl Guberman as the guest speaker. Mr. Guberman operates G-PMC, an unaccredited ISO 9001 registrar, or "certificate...
Certificate Mill G-PMC: Accreditation is Antisemitic
In my series of articles The Indefensibles I point out the simultaneously hilarious and ethically void behavior of the world's unaccredited ISO 9001 and AS9100 registrars, or "certificate mills." I am working on two more such pieces, but this bit couldn't wait. Daryl...
Automotive, Aerospace Industries Consider Dropping ISO, Cite Frustration Over 9001:2015
(Updated) Contacts within ISO Technical Committee 176 have notified Oxebridge that the automotive and aerospace industries are considering dropping all connection with ISO 9001, citing frustration over a "lack of improvements" in the proposed ISO 9001:2015 standard....
Quick Review of ISO 9001:2015 Working Draft
The ISO 9001:2015 draft is leaked like a pirated DVD screener, so let the pre-release reviews commence. As you probably know, I've "sat out" this round of 9001 development and have not participated in the US TAG to TC 176 this time. So I've relied on my ever-growing...
Smithers: SN9001 is “Internationally recognized” — Wait, WHAT?
The shameless, fact-free marketing of Smither's pending SN9001 certification program continues apace, with the ANAB-accredited registrar expanding it's dubious claims not only conceptually, but geographically. So far, Smithers has made the unsupported claim that...
ASCA Yields to Oxebridge, Posts SN9001 Purchase Details, Penalizes Non-Members
After a months-long battle with Oxebridge founder Christopher Paris, resulting in a warning sent by Oxebridge to ANAB, the American Snow Contractors Association (ASCA) has posted details on how non-ASCA members can purchase copies of SN9001, it's ISO 9001 sector...
“Unfiltered” ISO 9001:2015 User Discussion Launched on LinkedIn
Oxebridge has started an unfiltered discussion group on ISO 9001:2015 development and usage on LinkedIn, here: http://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=4928605 The group was formed to counter current ISO 9001:2015 discussion groups which are being moderated and...
This IAQG Configuration Management Diagram Will Drive You Insane
This you have to see to believe. In it's "helpful" IAQG Configuration Management Guidelines (ver. A), the IAQG included this slide, depicting a typical CM workflow for AS9100-minded companies. Caution! If you look at this, Oxebridge disavows any damage to your...
ANAB Was Right… and I Was Wrong
I am not above eating crow, but generally do so only under two conditions: when I am proven wrong, and have to face up to it, or when I am really, really hungry and those crows are mocking me, so they deserve it, the bastards. In this case, it's the former. I recently...
Unauditable: A Review of the New SN9001 Standard
There's been some controversy brimming over ASCA's release of SN9001, the ISO 9001 sector variant for the snow and ice management industry, but few people have actually seen a copy of the standard to assess it accurately. I've been personally challenged by...
Consultants: Win Loyalty with Honest Pricing
Another installment on Oxebridge's "How to Be An Excellent ISO 9001 Consultant" series, this time we look at one aspect of billing practices: expenses. There's a popular perception that consultants, of any industry, are scam artists intent on nickel-and-diming clients...
The Indefensibles: Unaccredited ISO 9001 Certificate Mills (Part 2)
In Part 1 we examined an unaccredited registrar operating as a sole proprietorship. But that's not representative of the full range of certificate mill companies. There are also auditing firms that offer a more formal looking conformity assessment service, but which...
Battle Over “Snow 9001” Heats Up
Quick hit: I've already come out against this ridiculous SN9001 standard created out of thin air by Smithers Quality Assessments and the American Snow Contractors Association, but I decided to attempt to confront the shysters pushing this scheme directly, taking to...
The Indefensibles: Unaccredited ISO 9001 Certificate Mills (Part 1)
There are many interpretations as to what, exactly, ISO 9001 certification means. Is it a third party assessment of pure conformity to ISO 9001 requirements? Or is it a confirmation of process effectiveness? Or both? Neither? Regardless, the validity of any ISO 9001...
RABQSA Suspension Lifted
RABQSA has announced that its suspension by the AAQG Registration Management Committee for issuing AS9100 auditor certifications has been lifted. The suspension ended on February 9th. RABQSA has alerted its customers and users that it has resumed certifying new...
Registrar: Accreditation Questions Like a “Crusade”, Akin to Crucifixion
I am preparing a large piece on the unaccredited registrars, but this one couldn't wait. A Lead Auditor with QualityMasters, an unaccredited certificate mill out of the Netherlands, has been making quite a fuss at LinkedIn whenever questions are asked about his...
AS9101E — Goodbye OER, Hello PEAR 2.0
IAQG's Registration Management Committee (RMC) is circulating a sudden revision to AS9101, the rules for auditing under AS9100. The Rev. E draft takes into consideration some market realities pushed by the CB's and their auditors: the previous rev D had tripled the...
PastBlast: “Beware the Sudden Experts”
Going through the old database, I found this gem from July, 2001. Warning against "The Sudden Experts" -- those consultants who claimed expertise on a standard that hadn't even been released yet -- the piece is as relevant now as it was then. This piece came on the...
How IAQG Could Have Spent $750 to Shut Down AS9100 Certificate Mills Forever
I'll have another piece shortly on the rise of the unaccredited certificate mills in AS9100, but in researching that, I came across a shockingly dumb oversight by IAQG which basically handed the keys to the con men. First, some basics. IAQG develops the AS9100 family...
Top Ten Mistakes ISO 9001 Consultants Make – Part 2
(Part 1 of this article can be found here.) Continuing on the top 10 mistakes made by ISO 9001 consultants, in no particular order: 6.) Training the client to be a consultant. Consultants often don't realize that by teaching clients everything they know (see #5 "Data...
