SELAMAT ULANG TAHUN INTERNUSA!

Hari ini, sebagaimana hari yang sama tahun-tahun yang lalu kita diperdengarkan lagi lagu Mars Internusa. PT Internusa Hasta Buana, “bundo kanduang” yang membesarkan ISKA Group kini telah berusia 22 tahun. Meski perannya telah digantikan PT Iska Niaga Darma sebagai holding, sepak terjangnya di masa lalu menyimpan memori yang tak lekang oleh waktu.

Happy Anniversary Internusa!

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MARS INTERNUSA

Bangun amal usaha

berkarya dengan nyata

bersama Internusa

sarana ibadah kepadaNya …

Bekerja sama, taati peraturan

jujur, tanggung jawab pada mutu

disiplin, tanpa ragu, terus maju

cepat, tepat, penuh perhatian …

Kasih sayang, landasan

dalam kita berkarya,

tunjukkan keadilan

untuk masa depan jaya …

Ayo, ayo, mari maju, mari maju

junjung tinggi kehormatanmu,

Ayo, ayo mari maju, mari maju

junjung tinggi kehormatanmu …

(Capt.Radian)

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TIMELINE ISO 9001:2015 - ROLE OF MANAGEMENT REPRESENTATIVE

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND, 6 MARCH 2013 - As part of its ongoing revision and development process, the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) has been preparing for the next major revision to ISO 9001 (the last, minor amendment to the Standard was made in 2008). The ISO Working Group (TC176-SC2-WG24) is currently forecasting final publication in the last quarter of 2015.  Before then, however, there are a number of preparatory stages which have to be carried out.

ISO 9001 REVISION TIMETABLE

The current ISO timeline anticipates that a draft version of the revised Standard (DIS) will be available in Q2 of 2014. Subject to comment and voting on its content, a final draft version (FDIS) could be available during the final quarter of 2014 with publication of the revised version of the Standard approximately a year later. Clearly this timeline may be subject to delay and date slippage.

REVISED CONTENT

At this stage in the revision process, it is uncertain what the precise requirements of the final revised version of ISO 9001 will be. However, it is already known that certain structural changes will be made. 

Following the adoption by ISO of ‘Annex SL’ in 2012, all technical committees developing management system standards have to use the same structure, terms and definitions. Management system standards have already been published using this harmon­ised structure (e.g. ISO 20121:2012, Event Sustainability Management Systems) and ISO 9001 will follow this new format during its revision process.

For this reason, we know that the revised version of ISO 9001 will have ten sections:

1.       Scope

2.       Normative references: Both of these sections will have wording that is specific to the Standard (including its intended outcome)

3.       Terms and definitions: This will reference the common terms and core definitions outlined in Annex SL as well as any which are specific solely to QMS

4.       Context of the organisation: This section will include requirements relating to understanding the organisation implementing the Standard, the needs and expectations of interested parties, the scope of its QMS and the QMS itself.

5.       Leadership: Top management leadership and commitment, the QMS policy, as well as organisational roles, responsibilities and authorities.

6.       Planning: Actions to address risks and opportunities, QMS objectives and plans to achieve them.

7.       Support: Resources needed for the QMS, personnel competence and awareness, communication and documented information.

8.       Operation: Operational planning and control.

9.       Performance evaluation: Monitoring, measurement, analysis and evaluation, internal audit and management review.

10.   Improvement: Non-conformity, corrective action and continual improvement.

Aside from some general wording changes (using the term ‘documented information’ to replace references to ‘documentation’ and ‘records’, for example), the text that Annex SL requires to be used contains no specific requirements for ‘preventive action’. Although it is made clear that this is because one of the principal purposes of any management system as a whole is to act as a tool for preventing non-conformity in the first place, ‘preventive action’ may still yet be included in the final revised version of ISO 9001.

Annex SL includes a specific requirement that organisations determine the risks that need to be addressed to ensure that their management system can achieve its intended outcomes, prevent or reduce undesired effects and achieve continual improvement. Each management system standard can define risk in terms that are relevant to their specific discipline; so the revised version of ISO 9001 may do so in relation to product or service conformity and customer satisfaction.

Clearly at this stage in the revision process  no organisation can be sure of the additional QMS specific content that will be included in the final revised version of ISO 9001. Until the final draft is issued towards the end of 2014, no organisation can realistically make any definite forecast about requirements, detailed plans for internal process or procedural revisions, or for ISO 9001 certificate transition arrangements.

We have seen through several years transformations in ISO 9001 which substantiates the important role of Management Representatives (MRs)  from Managing Procedures to Managing Processes to Managing Results .  ISO 9001 has gone past the 25 years since its inception last 1987 and is here to stay. The concepts of customer, process, management review and continual improvement among others have been stable through many organisations and so is the application of the ISO 9001 standard. Everyone can associate with the requirements that guided organisations in managing the assurance for quality products and services all towards increasing assurance for customer satisfaction and the drive for continual improvement. 

With its silver years of existence and 4 revisions, it has seen through the transformation of the role of management representatives in various organisations and is yet to see some further developments to address the emerging issues that we have today. Through the years, with the observed  revisions of related management system standards and the emerging revision for ISO 9001:2015, we are about to see further challenges for the post of being the management representative, be it a QMR : Quality Management Representative or the increasing role of being the IMR: Integrated Management Representative. A growing question then arises in every practitioner for Management System.

(Q) What do we anticipate for ISO 9001:2015? What is in store for the new QMR?

The technical experts behind the ISO 9000 series of standards have been chartering the change and soliciting data from user communities and reviewing the feedback from the market. With the results of such studies are two key directions: 

The first being intention is that ISO 9001:2008 would be revised with only minor changes, and this had  already been witnessed approximately 5 years ago where the revision was only on terminologies, linkage with relevant standard and provisions for managing competence particularly for auditors as has been supported with the ISO 19001 version 2011. 

Second, ISO 9001:2015 which is its target date of release would result in a more extensive revision, addressing global and technological changes in the marketplace.  There are areas of consideration that will go into the next revision, and they are those that relates to (1) sector - specific standards and to improvements and changes in technology, supply chain management, and globalisation.

(1)    Sector-specifics and related management system standards

Over the years, there’s been a proliferation of sector-specific standards based on ISO 9001. In the last two years, standards have been added relating to food safety - ISO 22000,   road safety management – ISO 39001, and the petroleum industry - ISO 29001. They join the now-mature standards in such areas as medical device - ISO 13485, automotive - ISO/TS 16949, telecommunications - TL 9000, and aerospace - AS9100. These sector-specific standards are mostly founded on ISO 9001 and their sector-specific nature revolves around the addition of requirements that are unique to a particular industry. For example, automotive suppliers, registered to ISO/TS 16949, deal with customer specific requirements and application of core tools. 

The standards field has been further augmented by standards relating to environmental issues - ISO 14001, health and safety - OHSAS 18001, energy management – ISO 50001, sustainable events management – ISO 20121 and competence in laboratory testing and calibration - ISO 17025.  The above related standards are now growing to be not just an effort for environmental integrity and societal accountability but are becoming to be a customer contractual requirement. 

It can be challenging for an organisation complying with such commitments with customers and to develop a QMS that incorporates the requirements of multiple sector-specific standards effectively and efficiently.  Though reality prevails that meeting customer requirement entails that you manage the business risks and related risks that will lead to its disruption. And such is where the auditors’ competence and the integrative function of the management representative are headed in the future of ISO 9001:2015- the ability of your present management system to integrate or link with related management system standards and the accompanying objectives.

Some of the future concepts being addressed are the integration of risk-based thinking. The objective of other management system standards i.e.  ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 differ significantly from this quality management system standard but the model being espoused in the ISO 14001 and the OHSAS 18001 as has been summarised in PAS 99 is being looked at as the integrative model for effective reconciliation of management plans, processes and performance results. This is expected to be another significant input in the next major revision of ISO 9001 to formally adopt the wider perspective of planning which incorporates risk-based thinking.

With such, the QMR: Quality Management Representative or the IMR: Integrated Management representative has to consider the completeness of his knowledge regarding the risks prevalent to the business that will affect customer requirements and their satisfaction. Likewise, this necessitates the challenge on the currency and completeness of the Quality Management Principle to manage uncertainties on its objectives and not only its process and system interfaces. An auditor and a management representative thus not only must possess process and systemic approach of thinking but a risk-based approach for the decisions he must make.

(2)    Improvements and changes in technology, environmental factors, information management, supply chain management, and globalisation.

The developments we see in the technology will likewise give rise to enhancements in processes that deals with Knowledge   Management, Technology and changes in Infrastructure and Communications technology, Lifecycle Management including Outsourcing and Offshoring.

Outsourcing has been addressed in the 2008 version as such that refers to those processes needed by the organisation that are performed by an external entity. It is recognised that outsourcing is a growing aspect of many organisations in focusing on its core competencies and managing cost-effectiveness in managing its processes. The outsourcing strategies also lead the way for globalisation and the growing dependence in supply chain management. Challenges in the management of supply chain abound such as managing least-cost and least-distance including the medium and frequency of shipments that challenges the paradigm towards an efficient and optimal way of doing things.

The growing pace of information growth creates a challenge for application systems to manage documentation and the convenience gives rise to certain risks on information security. 

The future of ISO 9001 depends on its ability to retain the generic and universal concepts that make it work among organisations to be workable in managing its most important stakeholder- its customers and its ability to give a framework for managing emerging needs to ensure its continued applicability in our ever-changing world. The thrust for the PDCA cycle might bring further enhancements on the way we improve things utilising principles beyond improvement and on to innovation taking the premise to manage  Performance Effectiveness through Product Conformity and Process Efficiency and the incorporation of Quality Tools and Best Practices.

It is still an anticipated revision but the manner in which such will be addressed will have a long-range effect on the continued viability of ISO 9001 and its value-add to the business. Being an MR then may mean that you manage the emerging concerns abound the industry that your business is in and focus not only on the customer satisfaction but its linkage with the emergence of developments on the global market-place, and such entails managing risks in the business setting. The risks may not be exactly on higher perspectives such as environmental integrity and social accountability just yet but there are risks that go beyond quality that matters to your customers and the top management that you represent.

So as ISO 9001: Quality Management System is here to stay , so does the Management Representative in their role for managing the system along with the risks that goes with it. Way to go FORWARD for all MRs will be to learn Risk-Based Process Management and Auditing and towards Business Risk Management. Risks comes in the picture as creating uncertainties in achieving our objectives, and so we journey from Managing Results and on to the future of Managing Risks and Value Chain in the continuing developments in ISO 9001.

Source of this article: http://www.allanta.be/nl/page/700/timeline-iso-90012015-role-of-management-representatives

Original Source: ISO.org, SGS & Neville Clark

CUSTOMER AWARDS & MOTIVATION TRAINING

Berita Foto

Pada 19 Februari 2013 yang lalu, FPS Indonesia menyelenggarakan kegiatan dengan tajuk sebagaimana tersebut di atas. Acara tersebut merupakan bentuk ekspresi dan ungkapan terima kasih perusahaan khususnya kepada para pelanggan yang telah memberikan support dalam setahun terakhir.

Selain pemberian plakat kepada pelanggan yang termasuk dalam “Top Ten Customer”, pelanggan juga disuguhi sebuah acara menarik dalam bentuk training. Training yang materinya boleh dibilang “baru” ini cukup memberikan kesan tersendiri, terbukti para pelanggan yang hadir tidak beranjak hingga acara selesai.

Training yang oleh instrukturnya diberi tema “Brain Dominance-based Performance Improvement” itu berisi ulasan tentang dominasi kerja otak seseorang yang terdiri dari 5 area otak manusia. Training menjadi semakin menarik manakala tipe dominasi otak tiap peserta diumumkan oleh instruktur, yang sebelumnya para peserta pada saat registrasi telah dilakukan tes sidik jari oleh tim trainer. Dalam pembentukan perilaku, meski pengaruh lingkungan adalah 80%, artinya kita tidak bisa serta-merta mendudukkan / me-reposisi kemestian yang didukung oleh factor dominant itu, para peserta tetap saja terkesan termasuk yang pada 26 Februari 2013 dilakukan secara internal terhadap sejumlah karyawan dari berbagai divisi dan unit bisnis di lingkungan Iska Niaga Darma group itu.

Berikut petikan gambar-gambar pada kedua acara tersebut :

( Jaeroni Setyadhi )

Catatan : 

Penganugerahan plakat diberikan kepada beberapa pelanggan PT FPS Indonesia dan PT FPS Movers yang berkontribusi paling besar selama setahun terakhir.

CUSTOMER AWARDS & MOTIVATION TRAINING

Sesi foto bersama pada acara "Customer Awards & Motivation Training", 19 Februari 2013

MERESPON PERLAMBATAN DAN RESIKO EKONOMI GLOBAL

Oleh: Aunur Rofiq, Ketua DPP PPP Bidang Ekonomi dan Kewirausahaan/Praktisi Bisnis Pertambangan dan Perkebunan

PEREKONOMIAN Indonesia pada tahun 2012 menunjukkan kinerja yang cukup menggembirakan. Pertumbuhan ekonomi tahun 2012 diperkirakan dapat mencapai 6,3 persen dan selanjutnya ditahun 2013 diperkirakan meningkat dikisaran 6,3 hingga 6,7 persen. Pertumbuhan tersebut didorong oleh kuatnya permintaan domestik yang ditopang konsumsi rumah tangga dan investasi.

Tekanan inflasi dalam tahun 2012 dan 2013 diperkirakan masih cukup rendah yakni 4,5 plus minus satu persen. Hingga akhir tahun 2012, nilai tukar rupiah bergerak sesuai kondisi pasar dengan intensitas depresiasi yang menurun. Namun pada awal tahun 2013, rupiah melemah akibat neraca perdagangan kita yang defisit.

Dari sisi kinerja perbankan hingga Desember 2012 tetap terjaga dengan penyaluran kredit yang cukup tinggi, seiring tren perkembangan ekonomi yang terus meningkat. Per oktober 2012, kredit tumbuh 22,40% dari Rp 2.028,14 triliun per Oktober 2011 menjadi Rp 2.482,52 triliun per Oktober 2012. Pertumbuhan itu mengangkat rasio antara kredit dan DPK (loan to deposit ratio/LDR) dari 81,03% per Oktober 2011 menjadi 83,78% per Oktober 2012. Dengan demikian LDR perbankan nasional sudah melewati LDR minimal 78% sebagaimana disyaratkan Bank Indonesia untuk menggeber kinerja kredit pada kisaran LDR 78-100%. Dengan LDR minimal 78% berarti ketika suatu bank dapat menghimpun DPK Rp 100 triliun, bank tersebut wajib menyalurkan kredit minimal Rp 78 triliun.

Rasio kecukupan modal (CAR/Capital Adequacy Ratio) berada jauh di atas minimum 8% dan terjaganya rasio kredit bermasalah (NPL/Non Performing Loan) gross di bawah 5%. Dengan kondisi perekonomian yang terus tumbuh, terutama konsumsi domestik yang kuat, menyebabkan adanya kegiatan ekonomi sehingga perbankan Indonesia masih memiliki ruang untuk memperkuat laju pertumbuhan kinerjanya. Meski demikian, kinerja perbankan nasional masih beroperasi dalam kondisi yang tidak efisien dimana besaran rasio net interest margin selalu berada diatas 5% yang merupakan angka tertinggi di kawasan Asia. Hal ini menyebabkan sektor perbankan belum optimal berperan sebagai agent of growth bagi perekonomian nasional.

Dengan kondisi fundamental yang cukup baik ini, ketahanan ekonomi ditahun 2013 diperkirakan masih cukup kuat. Meski demikian, terdapat tiga hal penting yang harus diwaspadai oleh pemerintah dalam menghadapi perkembangan ekonomi 2013, yakni:

Pertama, Pada 2013, potensi ancaman krisis dunia masih tetap tinggi yang bersumber pada pemulihan krisis di Zona Eropa dan pelemahan ekonomi Amerika Serikat akibat program pengetatan belanja publik dan kenaikan pajak.

Kondisi ekonomi dan keuangan global masih cenderung melemah akibat berlarutnya pemulihan ekonomi Amerika Serikat dan lambatnya pemulihan krisis Eropa. Rencana pemerintah Amerika Serikat mengatasi masalah fiscal clif dengan menaikkan tarif pajak untuk meningkatkan penerimaan pajak hingga 600 miliar dollar AS akan berpotensi menimbulkan kontraksi perekonomian Amerika Serikat. Dampaknya akan menimbulkan penurunan daya beli domestik Amerika, sehingga berpotensi melemahkan impor Amerika dan ekspor negara lain ke Amerika termasuk Indonesia.

Potensi destabilitas kawasan terkait dengan konflik kepulauan Senkaku/Diaoyu antara dua kekuatan ekonomi terbesar Asia yaitu Jepang dan China juga menciptakan kekhawatiran baru. Konflik terbuka antara kedua negara sangat dikhawatirkan mengganggu kinerja ekonomi kawasan dan juga Indonesia.
Tanpa adanya solusi diplomasi dan meruncingnya konflik akan mengganggu investasi, perdagangan dan jalur transportasi antar negara-wilayah dalam kawasan Asia Pasifik.

Kedua, efek berantai kedua wilayah ini berpengaruh terhadap sejumlah kinerja ekonomi nasional terutama di sektor perdagangan dan investasi. Sebenarnya pada 2012, perekonomian nasional telah menerima dampak atas pelemahan ekonomi global. Secara akumulatif Januari-November 2012, deficit Neraca Perdagangan Indonesia (NPI) mencapai 1,33 miliar dollar AS dengan nilai impor mencapai 176.09 miliar dollar AS dan ekspor sebesar 174,76 miliar dollar AS.

Defisit neraca perdagangan kita sudah mulai terasa dampaknya terhadap kestabilan rupiah. Defisit ini bukan semata karena daya saing ekspor kita yang melemah, tetapi juga pangsa pasar ekspor kita yang melemah akibat krisis global.

Ketiga, terjadinya perlambatan pertumbuhan ekonomi global ikut mempengaruhi ekspektasi pertumbuhan ekonomi domestik. Beberapa lembaga keuangan dan perbankan telah mengoreksi target pertumbuhan ekonomi pemerintah dari 6,8 persen menjadi sekitar 6,3 persen. Perlambatan ekonomi global berdampak terhadap penurunan harga komoditas internasional sehingga kinerja ekspor ikut menurun. Kinerja ekonomi Indonesia tahun mendatang akan sangat tergantung pada kemampuan memobilisasi kekuatan domestik, yakni konsumsi rumah tangga, pengeluaran pemerintah dan investasi.

Keempat, pertumbuhan ekonomi yang kita capai masih belum mampu menampung pertumbuhan tenaga kerja baru dan mengentaskan kemiskinan. Meski pertumbuhan ekonomi melahirkan banyak kelas menengah baru, namun kemiskinan dan pengangguran masih tetap tinggi, sehingga masih terjadi ketimpangan distribusi pendapatan antarpenduduk.

Menyadari berbagai kemungkinan tersebut, Pemerintah perlu mengoptimalkan beberapa potensi dan peluang yakni:

Pertama, struktur ekonomi Indonesia yang masih berorientasi pada kekuatan permintaan domestik yang ditopang oleh kinerja sektor UMKM dan informal. Sektor ini telah menunjukkan kemampuannya dalam memberikan andil dalam perekonomian nasional terutama dalam menghadapi krisis.

Kedua, kuatnya fundamental ekonomi Indonesia dengan pasar dan sumber daya alam yang besar masih menjadi daya tarik bagi investasi ke depan, baik PMA maupun PMDN. Meskipun beberapa komoditas berbasis sumber daya alam sekarang ini menghadapi pelemahan permintaan global, namun sektor ini masih mampu memberikan kontribusi terhadap pertumbuhan ekonomi.

Ketiga, iklim investasi yang cenderung membaik, yang diawali dari kenaikan peringkat Indonesia yang telah kembali menjadi investment grade pada awal tahun 2012 lalu. Perbaikan iklim investasi ini membaik sejak terpuruk akibat krisis tahun 1997/98. Investasi telah meningkat baik investasi langsung maupun tidak langsung.

Keempat, sektor perbankan masih cukup kuat dalam menopang perkembangan ekonomi, dimana jumlah dana di lembaga keuangan khususnya perbankan Indonesia yang belum mampu dimanfaatkan sektor riil masih besar. Kelebihan likuiditas inilah yang selama ini terpaksa diserap oleh Bank Indonesia, yang dewasa ini berjumlah sekitar Rp430 triliun.

Tantangan ekonomi global membutuhkan kesiapan kita bersama untuk membuat kebijakan dan strategi antisipatif. Strategi dan arah kebijakan dalam tahun 2013 selain harus memperkuat ketahanan dalam menangkal risiko penularan krisis global terhadap stabilitas makroekonomi dan keuangan Indonesia, juga harus mendorong potensi dan kekuatan perekonomian nasional.

Pemerintah harus terus memonitor dan mempersiapkan langkah-langkah antisipatif-kebijakan untuk memitigasi setiap potensi resiko ancaman eksternal. Semangat Indonesia-Incorporated dalam meminimalisir resiko ekonomi global sangat penting. Sehingga kita dapat mencapai target-target pembangunan baik yang tertuang dalam RPJP, RPJM dan ausmsi APBN 2013.

Dari sisi kebijakan makroekonomi, kebijakan fiskal Pemerintah dan kebijakan moneter Bank Indonesia perlu diarahkan untuk dapat menstimulus perekonomian khususnya dari sisi permintaan dengan tetap menjaga stabilitas makroekonomi dan sistem keuangan. Dari sisi keseimbangan fiscal, meski defisit anggaran dan utang masih cukup aman, tetapi beban subsidi BBM yang terus membengkak bisa mengurangi fleksibilitas pengelolaan fiskal.

Proporsi defisit/PDB dan utang Indonesia masih pada zona aman. Pemerintah dan DPR telah menyepakati defisit anggaran terhadap PDB pada 2013 sebesar 1.65 persen dan dibawah rule of thumb standar aman sebesar 3 persen. Sementara rasio utang terhadap PDB berada pada lebel 25 persen. Proporsi ini perlu terus kita jaga dan pertahankan untuk menciptakan fundamental ekonomi yang semakin kuat. Sekaligus juga sebagai antisipasi terhadap setiap external-shock kepada kesehatan belanja dan fiskal Indonesia pada 2013.

Sementara itu, dari sisi kebijakan sektoral dan struktural, peningkatan investasi dan kapasitas perekonomian untuk mendorong pertumbuhan ekonomi dari sisi penawaran perlu dilakukan melalui percepatan berbagai program yang selama ini telah dicanangkan untuk peningkatan investasi dan infrastruktur, khususnya dalam Master Plan untuk Percepatan Pembangunan Ekonomi Indonesia (MP3EI).(*)

http://www.lensaindonesia.com/2013/01/18/merespon-perlambatan-dan-resiko-ekonomi-global.html

THE FUTURE OF ISO 9001

By :  Yasuhiko Yoneto

Yasuhiko Yoneto discusses the Japanese view of ISO 9001 and his suggestions for the revised version of the standard in 2015

When ISO 9000 was first published in 1987, many Japanese companies showed a strong resistance to the requirements of western-style documentation. ISO 9001:2000 was expected to breathe new life into Japanese companies that were suffering from the collapse of the bubble economy, and to help restore their competitiveness. However, we found out that the quality management system on its own was not enough to strengthen the economic results of Japanese companies' operations. The revision in 2008 was not a full-scale one and there were only minor modifications. With this in mind, from a personal point of view, expectations are high for the revised version of ISO 9001 (expected to be released in 2015).

Today, you would be hard pressed to find an organisation that is unaffected by the wave of globalisation.  It is now common to procure materials, components for products, and even services, from abroad. For example, a company in the US might be continuously carrying out around-the-clock development work on computer software in collaboration with an Indian company. Despite this situation, the only wording that reflects this in the current version of the standard is "evaluation of suppliers". So it is difficult to say that the standard places enough emphasis on the management of suppliers. Many companies have responded by creating a supplier qualification process using their own rating criteria, such as supply capability and quality control level. There has been a host of challenges for international supply chains recently, which demonstrate the need for supply chains to be strengthened. It's therefore desirable that a clear statement about the requirement for supplier evaluation is made in the revised ISO 9001 standard, addressing the presence or absence of supply chain management and need for periodical second-party auditing.

According to a recent ISO survey on the relationship between financial results and the concept of zero defects, a financial disadvantage can surface when the management system for the manufacturing process aims to achieve a zero-defect product infinitely through the principle of 'quality first'. The survey also found that many companies are seeking economic benefits through the utilisation of the ISO 9001 quality management system. In Japan it is not as prevalent as the rest of the world, but some companies do seek third-party certification of their management system for the sole purpose of increasing their commercial advantage. This is a particularly strong pattern among small and medium-sized companies. To avoid such improper trends, one option for the revised ISO 9001 standard would be that 'management review' requires organisations to discuss investment efficiency as well as cost reduction.

Due to advances in information technology, it's become common practice for management systems and various documents to be digitalised. This practice encourages the internal sharing of various documents so that they can be facilitated at every level of an organisation. Today, many organisations use information technology to strengthen their internal communications and share knowledge of customer information and personal experiences. However, the current international standard does not specifically mention the utilisation of information technology, other than referring to "documents containing digital data". An active utilisation of information technology could be encouraged in the standard, by adding a requirement regarding documentation.

The difference between corrective and preventive actions is not so clear, although these are major requirements in the current international standard. Not only that, but the requirement for preventive action cannot be described as a proactive approach, but rather a reactive approach. In addition, 'preventive action' is often synonymous with risk assessment, hence it has to be positioned at the 'plan' stage in Deming's plan-do-check-act cycle. Very fortunately, the newly proposed high level structure for international standards follows this direction and emphasises risk management in the planning stage as a part of the management system. The risk-based approach adopted for another standard – PAS 99:2006 – might be one of options to encourage organisations to carry out a simple risk assessment. Therefore, my final suggestion for the revised ISO 9001 standard is to add a note referring to the risk-based approach of PAS 99.

Yasuhiko Yoneto is a quality commentator, former employee of ExxonMobil Chemical, and former quality improvement engineer in Japan, the US and Singapore

Source :  http://www.irca.org/en-gb/resources/INform/archive/Issue38/opinion/