There’s no doubt that environmental impact has become a huge consideration for businesses in recent years. If we don’t start reducing our carbon emissions, we won’t have a planet to protect for much longer. Yet, despite the increased focus on sustainability, many organisations still have no idea where to start and wrongly believe that ISO …
If the global pandemic taught us anything, it’s that businesses can be turned upside-down very quickly and without warning. Having an effective business continuity plan can help minimise the impact and losses in a disaster situation. You can’t prepare for every eventuality, but you can prepare for the most likely. And a lot of that …
Is your business continuity strategy a waste of paper? Read More »
Quality management systems are at the core of ISO 9001 and form the framework for building a world-class business. Unfortunately, too many organisations view the QMS as a means to an end – something that is required for the sole purpose of satisfying auditors to gain ISO certification. Once they have gained that certification, the …
Maintain versus improve: are you getting the best from your QMS? Read More »
‘Accidental managers’ aren’t uncommon. Employees who perform well are often rewarded with promotions into line manager roles, project management roles or quality manager roles. Unfortunately, these promotions don’t always come with adequate training. And although the employee might have the enthusiasm and capability required for the role, they don’t always have the knowledge or experience. …
Are you supporting your accidental quality managers? Read More »
There was a time when a person left education, got a job with a company and stayed with that company until retirement. These days that rarely happens. Not only do most employees move from company to company throughout their career, they often change roles too. And that is how so many people find themselves accidentally …
There’s always room for improvement, no matter how small. Continually reviewing and refining your systems and processes will help you spot opportunities for improvement as well as potential risks and threats. In the final part of this seven-part series, we’re looking closely at continuous improvement. If you’ve got effective management systems in place, you can …
Building a quality business one brick at a time Part seven: Continuous Improvement Read More »
Most businesses keep track of income and expenditure so they know if they are profitable, but you need to measure other metrics too. If you don’t measure results, how do you know if what you are doing works? In part six of this seven-part series, we’re looking closely at evaluation. Just like any area of …
Building a quality business one brick at a time Part six: Evaluation Read More »
Documenting everything may sound laborious and long-winded, but it doesn’t have to be. In fact, we’ve been known to cut a company’s written policies down from 125 to just 40 – we’re big fans of efficiency and simplicity. In part five of this seven-part series, we’re looking closely at documentation. Just like any area of …
Building a quality business one brick at a time Part five: Documentation Read More »
Most businesses have processes they follow, but these aren’t always documented. As more employees join the company, these processes can get watered down or lost completely. This has an impact on the quality of the product or service that’s being delivered. In part four of this seven-part series, we’re looking closely at processes. Just like …
Building a quality business one brick at a time Part four: Processes Read More »
The right team, with the right attitude, can take a business from average to extraordinary. But unfortunately, if your employees aren’t engaged, motivated or happy, they can end up being your biggest source of problems instead. In part three of this seven-part series, we’re looking closely at employee engagement. Just like any area of your …
Building a quality business one brick at a time Part three: Employee Engagement Read More »
