https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7ujxXvjQwFbeEpnaVVMeHlYVFU/view?usp=sharing

QMS for SME’s

     

•       Small scale industries play an important role in the country’s economy- it is the critical link in the entire value chain of medium and large enterprises. This is realized by the industries, government, and the banks. 
•       It is true that many automotive giants treat their major and critical vendors/ outsource providers as their partners and give them inputs for product, quality and service improvements. Has it REALLY helped them to move forward or make products for open market with the same quality levels?  The answer is NO. The Big Brothers have ensured that their products get the highest priority in terms of meeting the specified standards. They also insist the suppliers to get them certified to ISO 9001 standards-as a routine matter. Companies carry out certification and subsequent sustenance to satisfy the Big Brothers.
• ·         With the advent of ISO 9001:2015, the whole concept of QMS has undergone a conceptual change and it is for the small industries to embrace it and get the benefits.  The new requirements of Leadership, Context of the organization, Risk based thinking and Performance monitoring would help the SME’s to move forward to integrate the QMS and the business management and improve their value additions with confidence.
• ·         Also they can NOW outsource the QMS design, implementation and sustenance to a qualified professional who can ensure that the QMS is fully integrated into the Business management system
• ·         Against this background I am proposing to provide the necessary support to the SME’s thro the following options. These templates would be a simple tool for the SME’s to understand, and implement.
• ·         Option 1- Templates for the above 4 major requirements would be provided. Companies can use them and develop their own total system documentation, based on the existing documentation. These templates have been used for getting a company certified by reputed certification body.
• ·        Option 2- Based on the inputs, obtained thro a standard questionnaire (which will be kept confidential) and  company details, products & services offered, customer profile, company culture, etc., documentation for the above 4 major requirements, would be customized to the particular company.
•      Option 3- Total system documentation needed to meet the requirements,  would be carried out if the existing documentation is provided, but without any modification of the existing process documentation
• ·         Option 4- Total documentation package to transit from the certified ISO 9001:2008 to the  upgraded version of ISO 9001:2015
• ·         Option 5- An uncertified company going in for the  upgraded version of ISO 9001:2015 from scratch
• ·         Option 6- Providing documentation for conducting Internal audits to meet the requirements of the standard, implementing the same and facilitating the company ready for the external certification audit
• ·         Option 7- Be an outsourced QMS professional to guide the company

SME’s have the flexibility to choose the above options individually or in combination. Also a group of companies can come together, form a cluster and choose to go in for any of the above options as one common entity. 

Transition from ISO 9001:2008 to ISO 9001:2015 standards

I am happy to inform that I have been successful in completing a consultancy assignment towards taking a company in Bangalore, for transition from ISO 9001:2008 to the next version of ISO 9001:2015 standards. This company is the first company in Bangalore to be recommended by TUV for ISO 9001:2015 standards.

This has been achieved in a record time of 3 months during December, 2015-March, 2016, from initiation to the end. While transiting, major conceptual changes have been addressed and incorporated, minor changes in the procedures and in the Quality Manual were made and marginal changes were done in tweaking of the system. The new concepts which have been introduced in the updated standards, include

• Context of the organisation, 
• Leadership& commitment, 
• Risk based thinking, 
• Control on outsourced processes, products, & services, 
• Internal and external communications, and 
• Performance monitoring.                                                                                                                                                      

These were conceptualized, incorporated, and implemented successfully.
External audit was carried out by TUV, Nord and the company was recommended for certification without any observations/non-conformity.

This has ensured validation of the- understanding of the concepts, templates and processes I had developed,approaches deployed, methodology used were adequate to meet the requirements of the standard and the needs & expectations of the certification body.

AS can be seen, major changes has a focus on integrating Business Management with the system management. Focus is more on performance based requirements, under specific organisational conditions as envisaged by the Leadership. Therefore, the transition calls for the following- 14 major conceptual changes to be addressed, 17 minor changes in the Apex Manual and the control procedures and 22 marginal changes that calls for tweaking of the system,

THE EXISTING PROCESSES AND THE PROCEDURES BEING PRACTICED CAN BE CONTINUED AS THEY ARE.

I am suggesting to companies to upgrade the documentation which can be customized to suit the  the organisational culture, products & services offered and to meet the standards requirements, training on the concepts and the requirements of the new standards, carry out an Internal Audit from a qualified Transition Auditor and go in for upgradation audit. This would be particularly helpful for small and medium industries.

I have the necessary templates, and the other relevant documentation to effect this transition in a short time frame and in a cost- effective manner.  I have also upgraded myself by getting qualified through IRCA Regsitered Tranistion Course

I am here to provide a service to meet your upgradation/new requirements for QMS, from concept to certification

Updation on ISO 9001 and ISO 14001

1.  ISO 9001 –Quality Management System standard is under revision. The revised standards versioned ISO 9001:2015 is scheduled to be released by end of 2015. Pl check the following link for details- http://www.iso.org/iso/home/standards/management-standards/iso_9000/iso9001_revision.htm
2.      ISO 14001- Environmental Management System standard is also under revision. The revised standards versioned ISO 14001:2015 is scheduled to be released by September 2015. Pl check the following link for details- http://www.iso.org/iso/home/standards/management-standards/iso14000.htm
3.  The major change in ISO 9001 on revision to the 2015 version would be the introduction of risk management. This would mean that the organizations need to evaluate quality, environmental, and health and safety risks. QMS, EMS, and OHSMS require risk evaluation within the organization with controls in place for the highest risk items. The new ISO 9001, scheduled to be released in 2015, will require risk evaluation for quality within the organization
4.  In the revised ISO 9001:2015 standards, there is a much welcomed and long needed focus for the quality policy and business objectives to be in alignment with the overall strategic direction of the organization. A much greater emphasis is placed on managing a business with all its intricacies rather than simply product quality
5.   Karnataka State Pollution Control Board has launched a Software for accepting consent applications for Green category organizations.- Refer http://kspcb.kar.nic.in/OM_04042015.pdf

Training Bouquet

Rolling out a Management Systems training schedule

·                  The topics given below are only indicative. Changeable as per request from individuals

·                  Training will be imparted at the company workplace

·                  If the participants are more than 15, it can be organized outside, if needed

·                  Topics can be combined and tailored depending on the company needs

·                  Any topic other than the above can be taken up, if required

·                  Training charges will depend on the topic(s), number of participants, location of training and the number of days

·                  Training will be provided by and can be organized thro an external  experts, for specific topics 

Sl. No.	Training topics	Objective
SPECIFIC TO INTEGRATED MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
IM 01	Hard and soft of legalities in QMS, EMS and OHSAS	To understand and appreciate legal and regulatory requirements
IM 02	Monitoring and measurement in QMS, EMS, and OHSAS	To achieve process objectives and regulatory compliances
IM 03	Specifics in Hazards and risks	To understand  better, the safety requirements
IM 04	Specifics in environmental planning	To enhance environmental awareness
BUSINESS RELATED
BU 01	Automating system documents and records - an easy life	To achieve higher productivity and zero non-compliance
BU 02	Focussing on Customer, the driving force	To achieve enhanced customer satisfaction
BU 03	Standards, Specifications and Systems	To enhance product competitiveness
BU 04	Integration of business management to systems	To enhance business bottom line
SPECIFIC TO PROCESSES
PR 01	Quality- core or support function	One step towards “Make in India”
PR 02	An effective system of outsourcing controls	To achieve improved quality and productivity
PR 03	Process management and improvements	To understand basics of processes and manage to enhance process quality
SPECIFIC TO SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT
SM 01	An effective Management Representative	To enhance system effectiveness leading to process improvements
SM 02	Effective Management reviews	To enhance participation by top management
SM 03	Skills in framing policies and objectives	To achieve company’s vision and mission
SM 04	Internal auditors training in QMS	To achieve improved systems compliance
SM 05	Internal auditors training in EHS	To achieve improved systems compliance
SPECIFIC TO SKILLS
SK 01	Skills in Internal audits	To enhance system compliance
SK 02	Skills in risk management	To adequately address business risks
SK 03	Enhancing skills and competencies of personnel	To improve product quality and achieve regulatory compliance
SK 04	Root causes and corrective actions	To achieve enhanced quality, environment and safety
SK 05	A Quad chain- Nonconformity, analysis, corrective & preventive actions, and continual improvement	To understand the core of the system standards

Personal Strategy for 2015-16

Greetings for the ensuing FY 2015-16 and looking forward to a year of positive growth. This would mean a revival of focus on Management systems , which I am looking forward to.   

Changes to standards 

FY 2015-16 is a landmark year for the management systems due to the major changes. 

ISO 9001 standard with a new look and feel with structural changes is being released in the 2nd quarter of the year. In view of this change, ISO 14001 is also being revised as per the revised format and aligned with ISO 9001.  

Also, OHSAS 18001, which is now a BSI standard is being adopted by ISO and amended and aligned with ISO 9001, as ISO 45001 and planned to be released in FY 2016-17.  

Accordingly, existing Integrated Management Systems with 9K, 14K and 18K, will need to be restructured, realigned and released for getting certified . Major changes would be in the area of risk-based thinking and larger involvement of the top management. Existing documents need to be realigned and tweaked to meet the changed requirements. No hurry, however, since companies will get at least 2 years from the date of release for the transition.  

You can therefore count on me to provide adequate support in terms of understanding, training and implementation.   

Integration of systems 

In view of the focus on environment, health and safety mandated by the various MNC's, it would be advisable for the existing clients who are certified only for ISO 9001, to integrate with ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001. The benefits of integration would be a better work environment, higher workforce discipline, and improved productivity. I would urge the companies, irrespective of industry domain, to therefore look at the IMS more closely and plan for the same.  

Automation of management systems 

Another area of importance is the automation of management systems. In my experience of more than 22 years in management systems, the major lacunae in implementation and compliance, is in the realm of documents and records- irrespective of whether they are in hard and soft. Companies do not seem to realise that system compliance is one of LINKAGES. Linking documents and records with practices is the real need for compliance. This cannot be achieved by simply converting a few documents and records to a paperless form. Another area of concern is controlling the documents and records. Little importance is given in this area and it becomes a major WORK for the MR to carry this out just before the external audits.  

What is needed therefore is an integrated software to link the following- Document management, Audit management, NC control and CAPA, Aspect-Impact (for ISO 14001) and Hazard- Risk assessment (for OHSAS 18001), Policies, objectives and programmes, legal and statutory compliances, monitoring & measurements, Continual Improvement, I believe that such a software would provide a robust management system to the company, and ROI will be both in tangible and intangible.  

Strategic Value adders 

As a strategy, I plan to go in for horizontal deployment of experience, expertise and skills during the coming year. 
Accordingly, the following areas have been identified for supporting my clients 

• Provide support to automate IMS documents and records, with a proven software   
• Provide customized on-site class room training , workshops, on specific topics- a training plan is attached   
  https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4t8Z1kpwIizdHQ2ckdFYVFIWXc/view?usp=sharing
• Provide domain support in design/implementation of ERP solutions related to operational areas   
• Provide support to carry out assessment on suppliers and service providers on technical/system issues including Quality, Environment, Health& safety