ANAB Result of Smithers Complaint Resulted in No Changes Whatsoever
This will be news to exactly no one, but ANAB’s quasi-response to the official complaint filed against Smithers has resulted in no changes whatsoever. Not only has Smithers failed to close the ANAB complaint in time, they are ramping up the very activities that caused the complaint in the first place.
“Risk Based Thinking” Meme Infects Job Postings
A new job posting by Johnson and Johnson for a Product Quality Manager requires the candidate to have a “track record of risk-based thinking across many disciplines required.” The only problem? “Risk based thinking” doesn’t exist.
Through CASCO, ISO Certification Bodies Write Their Own Rules
The accreditation rules published as ISO 17021 (for certification bodies) and ISO 17011 (for accreditation bodies) are published by an internal committee called CASCO, or the Committee on Conformity Assessment. Unfortunately, CASCO is comprised entirely of representatives from Certification and Accreditation Bodies, who tailor the rules to suit their own needs, often against the needs of standards users.
After Double Whiskey, ANAB Moves to “Single Brand”
Apparently under the influence of a double-shot of the finest scotch your money can buy, the ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board has merged all its various companies into one, all under the name ANAB. That includes ISO 17025 accreditation body ACLASS and the whatever-the-hell-it-was company Forensic Quality Services (FQS.) The change went into effect this month, and was announced alongside a new website rollout, complete with painful video by ANAB head John Knappenberger.
Feedback Sought: Has BSI Written Findings Against Your CAPA Implementations?
This is a call for feedback from my fellow ISO 9001 consultants, as well as ISO 9001 user organizations. I am seeking evidence of BSI auditors having written nonconformities against corrective / preventive action systems implemented by either the consultant, or home-built by the client itself. This means any database, spreadsheet or other tool you might have purchased or developed to manage, track and resolve CAPAs.
Let’s Do Something Productive, Shall We?
The problems facing ISO 9001 and related certifications are serious. ISO certified companies are releasing products that injure or kill consumers, while registrars and Accreditation Bodies ignore rules designed to ensure the trust and value of the certification...
One Question for ISO TMB’s Susan LK Briggs
As I mentioned earlier, ISO 9001 registrar NQA-USA is hosting a pricey seminar on transitioning to ISO 9001:2015 featuring ISO Technical Management Board representative Susan LK Briggs. Ms. Briggs is one of the top architects of the controversial "Annex SL" mandate...
Ka-Ching! Registrars Start the ISO 9001:2015 “Transition” Cash Machine
It was inevitable, but certification bodies (CBs) have already begun cashing in on the upcoming ISO 9001:2015, and as usual it’s not by selling the services they are actually accredited for.
Fact-Checking Daryl Guberman’s ARM9009 “Firearms Standard” Claims
The Daryl Guberman / IndustrialPR Net machine is in full swing in the past two months, pushing a newly created certification scheme called ARM9009, purporting to be for firearm manufacturers. There’s a problem though: the claims being made by Guberman and friends appear to range from highly distorted representations to absolute falsehoods. Let’s look at some of them.
The Future is Risky: How Risk Sellers Have Usurped the Quality Profession
Quality has always been a profession lacking in unity and vision. With rare exceptions, few rock stars have emerged to drive quality forward, and nearly none since the retirements of Crosby and Juran. We have watched our profession waft from fence post to fence post, pausing only temporarily on “the next big thing,” such as quality circles, statistical process control, Lean, Six Sigma, and ISO 9001. Nowadays, the loudest salesman is often the only voice left in quality. So it’s not a surprise that ISO caved to the newest, loudest salesman: the risk sellers.