Integrated Management System

On the “Integrated Management System - Lean BOS” page of our website I discuss the emerging trend in and demand for integrating quality, environmental, health & safety, regulatory, and business improvement objectives into a single business operating system (BOS).  On this page I state that “today’s integration objectives are generally clear: companies want a management […]

Cost of Consulting & Certification

We have been getting a lot of inquiries from companies that are trying to budget for consulting and implementation of an ISO 9001 based quality management system (QMS).  These inquires include every QMS standard:  TS 16949, AS9100, TL 9000, ISO 13485, and even ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001.  The last inquiry went like this:  “I […]

The Modern Quality Manual

It is hard to believe that 8 years after the release of ISO 9001:2000 there are still a lot of “old school” perspectives and misconceptions about the role, form, and function of the “quality manual” (ISO 9001:2000 sub-clause 4.2.2).  I developed the Lean QMS® Map (a 2-page graphical version of a quality manual) in 1999 […]