Dear Subscriber,
"September morn...We danced until the night became a brand new day...Two lovers playing scenes from some romantic play...September morning still can make me feel this way"... No - this is not a Neil Diamond tribute (our apologies to all his fans). For some reason I just thought of at least half a dozen "September" songs that raced through my mind...what a wonderful time of the year it is as we transition seasons. Clearly, the doldrums of summer have vanished.
2008 has certainly been an interesting year - to say the least! For those of you who have been following our newsletter this year you may have noticed some mention of economic slowdown and getting back to basics. We try not to get to political in this publication, but is it November 5th yet? I think we all welcome CHANGE in our country...let's just hope whoever gets elected can live up to the promises. As far as a slowdown goes it is going to be tough out there for a while but we are seeing a considerable jump in activity, especially with organization who have their quality certificates in order.
CHANGE is also coming to certified organizations over the next year with a revised ISO 9001:2008 that will be released any day. The aerospace community will soon follow with AS 9100 Rev.C that will most likely be released in first quarter of next year. Those changes promise to be much, much more substantial than 9001:2008.
We will also be hearing more about ISO 17021 which is the new guidance for our registrars. All these changes seem to be a great benefit for those who implement quality management systems. It's all about process controls and how to audit them properly. We know there are still a number of companies out there who are resistant to change and think that ISO will only create a mountain of paperwork. We want you to know that things have really improved (so if you are still stuck in the nineties - move on!). If you don't believe us just consider for a moment those who were resistant to some improvements a few years back - by Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Edison. Where would we be without electricity and phones? Our world is changing faster than our political structure - and there is still hope for that,right? We invite you to take a quantum leap to the next level of operational efficiency. If you already have an ISO 9000 quality system in place then perhaps its time to GO GREEN and implement ISO 14001! If you are a Tier 2 or lower supplier then perhaps it's time to move up to ISO 13485 for medical device, or TL 9000 for telecommunications, or AS 9100 for aerospace, or perhaps TS 16949 for automotive. Gain a competitive advantage and do whatever it takes to get the right controls in place as well as more contracts to support them! We hope you enjoy our latest edition. At WQN - CHANGE is what we live for. Maybe our politicians could use some quality management?
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ANSI STANDARDS - GET THEM RIGHT HERE!
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We are very proud to announce a new partnership - WQN is now an official reseller of standards with ANSI - the American National Standards Institute. WQN will now be offering the most common ISO 9000 series of standards. So for all you who will soon need the latest addition of ISO 9001:2008 we'll have it available as soon as it is released. We are offering a 10% discount on all new standard purchases through December 15th - please use the following PROMO CODE - ANSI-121508
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ISO/IEC 17021 - WHAT"S THIS?
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If your organization is currently certified to one of the ISO 9000 standards you will soon be hearing a great deal more about ISO/IEC 17021:2006 - this is the standard that replaces Guides 62 and 66 for conformity assessment. This is the standard that governs the registrars - those who audit quality management systems. The transition to this new standard is effective September 15th, 2008.
Most registrars have completed their accreditation to this new standard or they are in process. What does all this mean? This standard was designed to increase confidence in management system certification and focus on the process approach to auditing.
Initial audits will now include 2 stages, similar to having a pre-assessment on site (this is recommended to be on site) and the 3 year cycle begins with certification, or recertification. There will be surveillance audits in the second and third years with a recertification audit in the third year prior to expiration.
The overall process of going through an audit does not change substantially, however you will need to make some changes. Look forward to more information coming from your registrar or go to the ANAB site and click on the "Heads Up" tab. We have found an excellent Powerpoint presentation available on the Internet by clicking on the link below. (Our thanks to the South African Society for Quality)
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COMING VERY SOON - ISO 9001:2008
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There are some rumors circulating about the upcoming changes to the current ISO 9001:2000 standard as it will soon become 9001:2008. ISO 9001:2008 Does Not Include Any New Requirements and you will not need to be recertified as was the case back in 2000. These revisions are minor and most people should be able to handle this without having to hire expert consultants. If you have any trouble or questions feel free to contact us.
Again, ISO 9001:2008 introduces no new requirements. ISO 9001:2008 only introduces clarifications (in the form of additions and/or deletions, appropriately) to the existing requirements of ISO 9001:2000. The intent of the changes was to also continually improve consistency with ISO 14001:2004.
Validity of Certifications to ISO 9001:2000 (Provided by ISO/IAF) One year after publication of ISO 9001:2008 all accredited certifications issued (new certifications or recertifications) shall be to ISO 9001:2008. Twenty four months after publication by ISO of ISO 9001:2008, any existing certification issued to ISO 9001:2000 shall not be valid.
A practical approach would be to wait until the standard is formally issued, which should be in October 2008. Once you have purchased it (and now you can easily purchase that from WQN), review the Annex B which clearly outlines the ISO 9001:2000 paragraph by clause and the new addition or deletion. It will not be any clearer than the facts that are laid out for you. What will you need to do with existing documentation to keep up with the changing times? Understand the change itself and address it within your existing documentation if it is necessary to represent the change. The changes start in the foreword section and continue into sections 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4. 1.1, 1.2, 2, 3, 4.1. 4.2.1, 4.2.3, 4.2.4, 5.5.2, 6.2.1, 6.2.2, 6.3, 6.4, 7.1, 7.2.1, 7.3.1, 7.3.2, 7.3.3, 7.5.1, 7.5.2, 7.5.3, 7.5.4, 7.5.4, 7.6, 8.1, 8.2.1, 8.2.2, 8.2.3, 8.2.4, 8.3, 8.4, 8.5.2, 8.5.3.
Here is an example of what you will find: You will see an A or D or A + D in each column. 4.2.3-bullet f-the addition (A)-to ensure that documents of external origin determined by the organization to be necessary for the planning and operation of the quality management system are identified and their distribution controlled. The underlined words have been added. As you can see, it just clarified the existing requirement. 8.2.3-paragraph 1, sentence 3-(D)-when planned results are not achieved, correction and corrective action shall be taken, as appropriate, to ensure conformity of the product. (The italics are strikethrough deletions within the requirement.)
There was also a separate additional note added to clarify suitable method determination appropriate to each process. Remember "notes" are provided as guidance in understanding or clarifying the associated requirement, they are not the requirement. (Refer to the Introduction, 0.1) Foreword-paragraph 2-(D + A)-International Standards are drafted in accordance with the rules given in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 3 Part 2.
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WQN MOVIETIME!!!
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If you haven't already done so you may want to watch to watch our little FLASH movie. If you don't see what you are looking for please let us know because we are always adding on new services. Our goal has always been to be a "full service" quality consulting & training organization and if we can find a better way to do it...then we will!
In just 3 minutes you will get a very good idea of WQN's capabilities. This is FLASH presentation so feel free to forward this to a colleague as the file isn't very large. We hope to eventually send this around the world a few times.(If you need to download FLASH on to your computer we have an easy link on our homepage.)
The picture above is from our debut tradeshow a few years back with the movie playing on our HP monitor. Hey, that picture is too small so click on the link below and make sure you have your speakers turned on!
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ORGANIZATIONAL IMPROVEMENT
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There are so many ways to skin a cat. If it can be done we will find a way to do it... WQN, Inc. provides professional quality consulting to internationally recognized quality standards and applications including; ISO 9001:2000, AS 9100/9110/9120, ISO 13485, ISO 14001, ISO 17025, TS 16949, SIX SIGMA, 5S, LEAN Manufacturing, Reorganization and more. Our services range from consulting, gap analysis, on going maintenance, internal auditing, full system development, customer/regulatory requirement, supplier audits, and integration workshops (on or off site). We are also the only training organization to offer the "Baustein Koncept" (building block) series of workshops. Build and customize your own training program from these building blocks or different workshops that cover - Process/Quality Improvement, Tools for Teaming, Training and Organizational Development, LEAN Manufacturing, JIT/CTM Practice, Cycle Time Management, Process Mapping, Customer Satisfaction, Surveys, Employee Motivation, and many more. Log on to: WQN's Baustein Workshops Now offering RAB/QSA Certified Lead/Internal Auditor Training in our Camarillo facility. Call us today for a FREE analysis or at least to answer any questions you may have and offer some realistic option. You can do it on our dime... 877-WQN- TODAY (877-976-8632)
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