Hello,
I would like to ask some of you, who have had prior experience with
implementing a quality management system, what your experiences were.
How many people were in the company/branch that was affected, and how
many people were involved in the actual implementation?
I would love to have your input especially about experiences, what you
found was tricky or easy to help with implementation.
What was your first step that you took that actually produced a
"tangible" result?
What did your project plan for this little project look like? (just a
rough idea)
I am facing the daunting task of implementing a QMS system for a
medium sized company that has never had any Quality Management System.
I would like to get a feel for this, the problems involved, before I
ask any more specific (higher-priced) questions.
Any help is certainly greatly appreciated.
George |
Request for Question Clarification by
answerguru-ga
on
03 Jan 2003 11:54 PST
Hi curlousgeorge-ga,
I have been involved in implementing a system that could be called a
QMS, but this tends to be a term that is thrown around quite loosely
and can have varied meaning. Could you provide addition details
regarding your industry as well as what you hope this QMS will
accomplish?
Thanks,
answerguru-ga
|
Request for Question Clarification by
omnivorous-ga
on
03 Jan 2003 12:46 PST
George --
I could provide a detailed description of an implementation of a TQM
system in a Fortune 500 company but it relied less on a specific
software implementation and more on changes in systems. As a result,
at least a dozen software systems needed be revised. I can provide a
lively (and perhaps controversial) description of the process. We
worked on TQM with Philip Crosby Associates, a consulting firm, until
an acquisition threw everything into turmoil:
http://www.philipcrosby.com/pca/index.html
It sounds as if you might be interested in experiences with integrated
QMS software, rather than general experiences in quality management.
If you are, there are probably other researchers who can provide a
better perspective.
Best regards,
Omnivorous-GA
|
Clarification of Question by
curlousgeorge-ga
on
03 Jan 2003 13:57 PST
I am more looking along the lines of ISO 9000, so nothing IT related
or really anything specific. I am looking for examples for this
"thankless" job, as bcguide stated, what was done to overcome
problems/implement a change and how people reacted to it. The goal is
to have an external auditor certify our company within 6 months. I am,
however, not looking for a quick and dirty way, I just want to do the
job right. I feel so overwhelmed I don't quite know where to start to
meet the deadline. How would you go about doing this? We provide
IT-related services to our customers, however I wish to not divulge
any more information, if you don't mind.
|
Request for Question Clarification by
pelican-ga
on
05 Jan 2003 07:12 PST
I consider myself a QMS expert, with many years of experience in
quality assurance and, specifically, QMS design and development for
ISO 9000 certification, auditing, etc. The following key questions
come to mind:
1. Can you assume that the real objective is to improve productivity
and quality, rather than just getting the certification?
2. Have you been given a mandate (with top management support,
authority commensurate with responsibility, adequate resources,
reasonable degree of independence) to develop a continuous improvement
program?
3. ISO 9000:2000 standard -- are you able to quote chapter and verse,
and do you have a personal understanding of the requirements? (be wary
of any magic formulas developed by others -- you must work out your
own synthesis).
4. Since this is an IT business, will the QMS include managing the
quality of software per ISO 9000-3? (9000-3 is currently being updated
for 9000:2000).
5. Do you understand that this is *not* a "thankless job", but one
that can really benefit the company (including the bottom line), the
employees, and all the stakeholders, and give you great personal
satisfaction?
If you wish, I can provide objective evidence that the answer to all
the above is a definitive "yes". ISO 9000 is not a panacea, but it is
the "minimum" that any company should do in order to remain
competitive in the years ahead.
Sincerely,
pelican-ga
|
Request for Question Clarification by
omnivorous-ga
on
05 Jan 2003 07:15 PST
Curlousgeorge --
You'd asked:
>Do I have to "pick" someone here to answer my question?<
It's not uncommon for even the simplest of questions to need some
clarification, as researchers come from dozens of countries and dozens
of industries. You can clarify this question to point it in a
direction that researchers have asked about; you can even cancel it
and repost the question.
Google Answers researchers tend not to respond when they feel they
can't meet or exceed a customer's expectations.
Best regards,
Omnivorous-GA
|
Clarification of Question by
curlousgeorge-ga
on
05 Jan 2003 07:23 PST
Hello, pelican,
I am assuming that the need for a QMS is felt, but to be honest, I
think it's 50:50. 50% getting the certificate, 50% "let's see, would
be nice if it actually worked".
Can't answer question 2. I guess I have all the resources I need, if I
ask for them. Personally, I don't know which ones would be beneficial.
Don't know the provisions by heart, I do have a good overview, though
(www.praxiom.com guide) but doubt that I can read "between the lines"
like you suggest or even know what is meant by the "formulas"...
There is no ISO xxx-3 involved. We buy software, use it to provide a
service to our customers, real development is not involved...
I agree that if the job is well done, it can be very beneficial. I
would love to do a good job. But I need someone with experience and
motivation to help me. I am confident we can do this.
I need some sense of direction, something to start with, I need to see
where I am going, I need to see progress. I have been "planning" a
lot, but when it comes to the actual "doing" of things, I feel
paralyzed...
Do you have any first steps you could suggest? I do not mind tipping
at all, I just want to make sure I am helped by someone not driven for
the money, but more for the challenge. There is a lot of money in this
ISO 9000 business, and I'm afraid there is an overwhelming majority
that is involved only for that reason...
Any help greatly appreciated!
Sincerely,
George
|
Request for Question Clarification by
pelican-ga
on
06 Jan 2003 12:06 PST
Clarification of Question by curlousgeorge-ga on 05 Jan 2003 07:23 PST
Hello curlousgeorge-ga,
My responses are embedded below (between dashed lines):
I am assuming that the need for a QMS is felt, but to be honest, I
think it's 50:50. 50% getting the certificate, 50% "let's see, would
be nice if it actually worked".
--------------------
Sounds familiar ... forget about the certificate ... how important is
product quality and customer care for your company?
--------------------
Can't answer question 2. I guess I have all the resources I need, if I
ask for them. Personally, I don't know which ones would be beneficial.
--------------------
I do, but could you tell me the approximate size of the company
(number of employees) and the management:employee ratio?
--------------------
Don't know the provisions by heart, I do have a good overview, though
(www.praxiom.com guide) but doubt that I can read "between the lines"
like you suggest or even know what is meant by the "formulas"...
--------------------
Praxiom's summary is not bad, but you still need to have your own
personal understanding. Have you been to ISO 9000:2000 training?
--------------------
There is no ISO xxx-3 involved. We buy software, use it to provide a
service to our customers, real development is not involved...
--------------------
Even if you don't do any software development in-house, you are still
responsible for the quality of the software you buy. Do you do any
acceptance testing of the software? Or is it that you *never* have
any significant problem with the software you buy? As you may know,
bad software is costing billions to all kinds of companies worlwide.
It is hard to believe that you don't have any costly software issues,
like everyone else.
--------------------
I agree that if the job is well done, it can be very beneficial. I
would love to do a good job. But I need someone with experience and
motivation to help me. I am confident we can do this.
--------------------
Have you chosen a registrar? I suggest having a thorough discussion
of your situation with at least 3 ISO-approved registrars before
selecting one. The registrar should not be too lenient (ISO is coming
down hard on those) and should add value during the certification
process.
--------------------
I need some sense of direction, something to start with, I need to see
where I am going, I need to see progress. I have been "planning" a
lot, but when it comes to the actual "doing" of things, I feel
paralyzed...
--------------------
Do a self-assessment to identify all areas of non-compliance if the
ISO audit were done *today*. Then determine what has to be done to
close the gaps, and the cost and time required for each one. There
are consulting resources that can assist you. Again don't choose
consultants without discussing your case with at least three that come
with the right recommendations.
--------------------
Do you have any first steps you could suggest? I do not mind tipping
at all, I just want to make sure I am helped by someone not driven for
the money, but more for the challenge. There is a lot of money in this
ISO 9000 business, and I'm afraid there is an overwhelming majority
that is involved only for that reason...
---------------------
The reason that companies want to get certified is that customers are
increasingly asking asking whether or not you are certified. I know
some excellent registrars and consultants who are both competent and
ethical, and who are in this because they believe (as I do) that ISO
requires the minimum that is necessary for sustained success in the
marketplace. I am not allowed to recommend specific companies or
individuals, but you can find them. One way to find them is via the
ISO office in Geneva and, if you are in the USA, via the American
National Standards Institute (ANSI), the American Productivity &
Quality Center (APQC), and the American Society for Quality (ASQ).
The URLs are given below:
International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
http://www.iso.ch/
American National Standards Institute (ANSI)
http://www.ansi.org/
American Productivity & Quality Center (APQC)
http://www.apqc.org/
American Society for Quality (ASQ)
http://www.asq.org/
-------------------------
I look forward to help you as much as I can.
Sincerely,
pelican-ga
|
Clarification of Question by
curlousgeorge-ga
on
09 Jan 2003 12:42 PST
Hello pelican-ga,
I have been so busy lately, I apologize I haven't been able to reply.
I have not been to ISO training. Believe it or not, the company is
about 300 people in size. I have bought the gap analysis tool from
praxiom.com, to start a gap analysis. I admit I haven't completed it,
simply because the questions in the beginning are all pretty much
"no". It seems like there is simply nothing in this company that's
"ISO compliant". The theory was that I am cheaper than hiring an
external person. While that sounds like any further pursuit of the
certificate is useless, this doesn't mean that *I* mean it. I do have
the support from the management, it's just that the driving force is
me, not them. I guess it's hard to get advice without going into
specific detail, isn't it? I was hoping to find an answer that I could
at least get started with.
My biggest worry is that the gap analysis tool will show too many open
gaps to know where to start. Is there anyone that can offer some kind
of plan, or implementation organization? An example would be
marvelous...
Truthfully,
george
|
Request for Question Clarification by
pelican-ga
on
09 Jan 2003 16:56 PST
Hello George,
These are my recommendations:
1. You must go to ISO 9000:2000 training; else, you are shooting in
the dark.
2. You should not do the gap analysis yourself. You need independent,
ojective expertise. Else, my sense is that your gap analysis may be
too harsh on the organization. And all the gaps need not be 100%
resolved prior to the audit. However, all the gaps must be identified
and documented, and plans must be in place to resolve them in a
reasonable time, with supporting evidence that the required resources
will be made available.
3. Honestly, my impression is that we could help you in this space to
answer specific questions as the certification process unfolds. But,
we cannot fully provide the onsite consulting/auditing expertise that
you need. We can provide expert advise, but we cannot be "remote
auditors".
Let me know if you need any additional clarification, or any question
that I can answer from this space. And don't give up! Every company
will have to do what you are doing in order to remain competitive in
the years ahead. The bubble is history.
Sincerely,
pelican-ga
|
Request for Question Clarification by
pelican-ga
on
17 Jan 2003 18:17 PST
Hello curlousgeorge-ga,
Today I received some ISO 9000 literature, and your question came to
mind. Would one or more of the following be of interest to you:
1. Directory of authorized ISO registrars in the USA
2. Directory of ISO training with 2003 schedule
3. Directory of ISO 9000 consulting firms
4. Directory of USA companies with an ISO QMS in place
5. Testimonials of ISO 9000 certification value
Let me know,
pelican-ga
|
