News Blog

Handling of Incorrect Data During Auditing

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Handling of Incorrect Data During Auditing In our latest dilemma, find out what to do when a company appears to have supplied duplicate testing images in order to meet the delivery requirement. Dilemma A customer quality engineer is conducting a release inspection at a manufacturer of high-pressure ball valves. The valves are for a pipeline project in northern Alaska. The contract requires full radiographic non-destructive testing of the welds for the flange…

Conducting Safe On-Site Audit During Pandemic

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Safe On-Site Audit During Pandemic Sharjeel Farooq, IRCA Principal Auditor, and Director of Advanced Certifications Pvt Limited in Pakistan, shares his experience and advice on how to hold a safe on-site audit during the Covid-19 pandemic. The Covid-19 pandemic has introduced new challenges to most organisation’s management systems. For compliance with conformity and assessment requirements,…

Effective Approach and Interaction Determined a Successful Audit

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Effective Approach and Interaction Determined a Successful Audit Stanley O’Donnell IRCA Principal Auditor, has conducted audits globally in a variety of industries including aerospace, medical, oil and gas, to name a few. He has experienced many pitfalls when auditing and shares some of the obstacle’s auditors should avoid. When auditing any internationally recognised management system…

Essential of Using Right Approach in Problem Solving

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Using Right Approach in Problem Solving Derek Scott, CQP FCQI, Quality Manager at Rubberatkins, Scotland, takes a look at models and strategies for problem-solving. Quality professionals are frequently required to engage in two areas that are as certain as death and taxes. The first is involvement in activities intended to result in continuous improvement, and…

Nonconformity and Corrective Action in ISO 9001

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Nonconformity and Corrective Action in ISO 9001 Ravindiran Gurusamy, IRCA Certificated Associate Auditor, offers an overview of nonconformance and the corrective action process for management system standards. Management system standards (MSS) will prevent nonconformities using the process approach, the plan, do, check, act (PDCA) cycle and by utilising risk-based thinking. The process-based approach, which could…

Appreciative Inquiry and Future-Focused ISO Audit

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Future-Focused ISO Audit Jessen Yeoh, CQP, MCQI, IRCA QMS/EMS/OHS Principal Auditor, Principal Advisor, P Excel Advisory Pty Ltd, explains the benefits of the Appreciative Inquiry approach in auditing. The motivation and ultimate intention of audit is to check conformance and determine whether audit criteria are fulfilled. Audit should not be a “non-conformance focus” process, concentrating on identifying non-conformances and problem-solving, or even…

ISO/IEC 27022 Incorporation with Process Approach in Information Security Management System

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ISO/IEC 27022 Incorporation with Process Approach Richard Green, CQP FCQI, Managing Director of Kingsford Consultancy Services, UK, outlines the newest guidance on information security implementation and operation. In the early days of management systems, a high degree of emphasis was placed on operating in accordance with specific, designated procedures. Management system standards were highly prescriptive,…

Value of ISO Audit in Different Industries

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ISO Audit in Different Industries Cheekeong Loh, CQP MCQI, MIEAust CPEng, outlines how auditing can develop in the future. As an industry practitioner, I have helped manufacturing organisations across geographical regions and industries achieve improvements and have conducted research, most recently into Quality 4.0 and smart manufacturing. Through my work, I have observed emerging trends, such as Industry 4.0, artificial intelligence, machine learning, blockchain, the Internet of Things (IoT) and virtual reality. Some questions that have arisen during my research include: How…

Supplier Management and Supplier Audit After Brexit

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Supplier Management and Supplier Audit After Brexit Malcolm Harrison, Group CEO of the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS), talks to Daniel Moore about how Brexit will impact supply chains and logistics in 2021. Daniel Moore: What threats and opportunities, related to Brexit and trade deals, are emerging in supply chain and logistics management?  Malcolm Harrison: Supply…

The High Level Structure Management System Standards

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High Level Structure Management System Standards Horacio Martirena, a CQI technical assessor, IRCA Lead Auditor and Independent Consultant in management systems, outlines the development of the Harmonised Approach and the issues it addresses, and what it needs to resolve. The beginning: two standards Until the beginning of the 21st century, there were two ISO management system…