Quality Management System Training Is A Win-Win

Have you come across COPQ before? It stands for the Cost of Poor Quality and is something every business should take very seriously. This formula explains very clearly how any decline in quality will cost your organisation money.

You may think that all is required is a quick fix, but you’d be wrong. Quality costs fall into four distinct categories: Prevention, Appraisal, Internal failure and External failure.

Quality Management System Training

External failure occurs when you have already produced and distributed a faulty or poor-qualityitem. This is the cost that covers refunds and replacements, warranty claims, product recalls and even legal costs. Internal failure is slightly better, because the fault is found before the item is distributed. However, the product has already been manufactured so costs have been incurred.

The two most important areas to consider and prevention and appraisal – and that’s where quality management system training and implementation comes in. You could even say that appraisal and prevention costs represent money well spent.

Standard Consulting Training Center

When you implement a quality management system such as ISO 9001, it automatically appraises your policies and procedures to see what could be done better, and to identify and manage risk. It then prevents those risks and mistakes from occurring.

Queensland businesses that want to improve how they do business – and save time and money – tend to work with the Standard Consulting Training Center in Brisbane. This is the most efficient and cost-effective way of implementing the system and organising quality management system training.

Those businesses have already discovered that this is the best way to reduce or even eliminate the Cost of Poor Quality and that the ROI is impressive. Rather than making the same mistakes over and over again – increasing the COPQ – they have invested in a system that works.

It’s a simple solution to an age-old business problem.

Reasons to Consider Internal Auditing Training in 2019

Things are changing in the world of internal auditing, making it an excellent time to consider making this your new career in 2019. In fact, demand for internal audit training courses is already on the rise.

One of the many positive results from the Banking Royal Commission is that internal auditors are demanding – and getting more power. With an increase in the importance of the role will come even better salaries and more responsibilities.

Internal Auditing Training

Did you know that internal auditing as a profession dates right back to the ancient civilisations? And it’s not just about accounting. With more organisations adopting ISO management systems for quality assurance, environmental management and workplace safety, the job of an internal auditor is varied and exciting.

So, why should you consider internal auditing training?

It’s More Than a Job

Internal auditing training can take your skills from a 9-5 job to a successful career with potential. Once qualified, you can continue to grow your skill base and work your way up through the grades.

High Demand

It’s all about compliance these days and organisations that get it wrong pay the price. More and more businesses are employing internal auditors to ensure their management systems are working and all legislation is being adhered to. Companies seeking ISO accreditation will hire internal auditors to get them ready for external auditing, and then maintain their status.

Variety and Respect

Internal audit training courses are designed to make you a key employee in organisations of all sizes. You will very much be in the corporate spotlight, with an interest across all areas of the business. The variety of projects, and the responsibility, makes internal auditing a smart career choice for anyone with an interest in business, systems, risk assessment and analytics.

 Becoming an internal auditor is easier than you may think. Your first step is to talk to a top training provider, such as Standard Consulting, and sign-up for an entry level course. Why not get started today?

Reasons to Choose an Integrated Safety Management System

Some smaller businesses wrongly believe that integrated management systems are only useful for big organisations. They don’t imagine that they would have enough procedures and policies to warrant using one.

The truth is, all ISO management systems, including the integrated system, are ideally suited to SMEs. Designed to maximise efficiency and minimise waste, implementing one, for example an ISO Quality Management System, can bring huge benefits to any organisation.

Integrated Safety Management System

Having said that, it’s true that a small business could probably manage without in previous decades. Not now, however; with business and industry increasingly governed by legislation, steps must be taken to ensure compliance and manage the related workload.

ISO management systems are designed to be integrated. They share many common processes and goals, and there is often a crossover in the subject matter, too. For example, between environmental management and workplace safety.

ISO Quality Management System

An integrated safety management system ensures that you provide a safe workplace, comply with related legislation, minimise risk and protect yourself from compensation claims. The system sits at the center of your operation, for easier implementation, and continually checks and revises procedures for better protection.

Businesses that go down this route generally start by implementing an ISO Quality Management System. This puts down strong roots and sets the standards for the organisation. It builds a culture of quality that improves product and service quality, customer satisfaction and staff morale.

Once your ISO Quality Management System is operational you could consider integrating other ISO management systems, such as the new ISO 45001:2018 standard, which replaces AS/NZS 4801:2001 (Australian Standard) and OHSAS 18001:2007 (International Standard).

Combining this with quality management will help your brand build customer loyalty, by boosting your reputation as an ethical and socially responsible company. It will also ensure you operate within the legislation.

Why not take the first step in the New Year and discover what ISO can do for you?

Get It Right with An Integrated Safety Management System

Queensland’s peak advisory Board to the Government on work health and safety issues, the Work Health and Safety Board, has launched a five-year plan to improve work safety throughout the state.

Industrial Relations Minister Grace Grace said the plan reflected contemporary thinking on work health and safety and identified four main areas to be focused on over the next five years. These include designing healthier, safer workplaces, fostering a culture of health and safety and regulating effectively.

Integrated Safety Management System

Largely instigated by the Dreamworld and Eagle Farm tragedies in October 2016, the plan will increase pressure on businesses to ‘get it right’. And yes, that will mean more Red Tape. But there is a way of achieving all this with minimal disruption, and that’s implementing an ISO integrated safety management system.

ISO management systems across the board are recognised as the best systems in the world. These are doable management systems based on real situations. The advantage of an integrated system is a reduction in documents and duplication. It will also put workplace safety at the core of your operation.

Safety Management System Training

Integrated also means that it will use the best of your current systems and will be tailor-made to suit not only your industry, but also your goals and expectations. A key part of all this is safety management system training, to ensure everyone’s on the same page.

An integrated safety management system is suitable for any sized organisation, in any industry. Once implemented, you can apply for certification, which make you stand out against other businesses. It will also make you an employer of choice, ensuring you attract and retain the best employees.

Using the ISO mark on your packaging and marketing tells consumers that you take workplace health and safety seriously. There is proof that such accreditation will boost your business, with around 55% of consumers globally saying they will pay more for products produced and sold by socially responsible organisations.

Why You Really Need A Quality Assurance Management System

Shoppers love a bargain, that’s for sure, but don’t for one-minute think they’ll accept poor quality. Queensland consumers tell it how it is and regularly complain about faulty poor-quality products, poor customer service, incorrect labelling and poor communication.

These are such basic requirements that it amazes me they are not done correctly. But then I remember that not every business has a quality assurance management system in place. If they did, the chances of disappointing customers would be drastically reduced.

Quality Management System Queensland

In fact, if more organisations adopted an ISO quality management system in Queensland, they could charge more for their products! It really comes down to understanding the difference between quality control and quality assurance.

If you are operating purely on quality control, you can offer refunds or replacements on faulty or damaged products but is that enough? What is it costing you? And is that customer likely to buy from you again?

The whole point of a quality assurance management system is to reduce the number of errors from the get-go. The system ensures quality is built in throughout your organisation, in everything you do. It gives you more control over the quality of your products and can help you make decisions about future product lines.

Quality Assurance Management System

The best approach is to work with a quality assurance consultant to create and implement a management system tailored to your organisation. The world's favourite quality assurance management system is ISO 9001.  

International Standards such as ISO 9001 are formulated by experienced global experts, regularly reviewed and updated to reflect market changes. The latest quality assurance management system is ISO 9001:2015.

ISO 9001:2015 is different from the 2008 version in that it places far more emphasis on customer satisfaction. It also puts a stronger focus on your organisation's leadership and commitment.

If you want to be confident about the quality of your business, this is the way to go.

Getting A Quality Management System in Queensland Is A Smart Move

Rather than considering why you need a quality management system in Queensland, I can’t think of one reason not to! There really is nothing to lose but everything to gain.

Management systems of any kind are always of benefit to any sized business. It is often the smaller organisations that benefit most, as management systems are proven to save time and money; improve efficiency and ensure you comply with legislation.

Any type of system that improves your business should be seen as an investment, not a cost! In fact, the cost of not having a quality management system could be much higher! In today’s competitive market, you need to ensure your business is producing and selling products that are consistently good, safe and fit for purpose. How are you currently ensuring that’s the case?

Quality Management System Training

Do you have a quality management system in place? And do you ensure your team regularly receives quality management system training?

Quality assurance is not something you simply put in place and forget about. To work properly it must be constantly reviewed and improved. That’s why more organisations are choosing an ISO 9001 quality management system in Queensland.

This system can be integrated with other ISO management systems, and with your current quality control procedures. Having said that, you should find that costly returns and refunds are drastically reduced once you put ISO 9001 in place.

Attract More Referrals

Some businesses believe that if they implement quality management system training, they must go through the certification process. That’s not the case but quite frankly, why wouldn’t you? ISO accreditation offers many benefits including greater customer confidence, stronger brand, better reputation, more referrals and more.

It will also enable your organisation to tender for government contracts or become a supplier to a major company. In fact, ISO 9001 certification is usually a requirement.

Now’s the Time for A Quality Management System in Queensland

When businesses define the word ‘quality’ they generally refer to their product or service; but ‘quality’ is about far more than that. From the consumer’s point of view, quality should apply to every aspect of their buying journey, from first viewing the product online or in-store to after-care.

This difference of opinion has even revealed itself in surveys, with business owners saying product quality is improving and consumers saying it is declining.

Quality Not Price

The fact is that globally, quality is becoming more important to consumers than price. A recently released report on customer expectations in the US revealed that 53% considered quality the most important factor when buying a product, as opposed to price (38%). Interestingly, the report also revealed that store discounts don’t hold the same appeal as they used to. Most shoppers would prefer to pay the normal price to get a quality product AND service.

The results of surveys like this will have a huge impact on how retail and online stores do business in the future. The big stores had shoppers well trained to focus on deals but, with that no longer as relevant, they will need a new approach to marketing.

Quality Assurance Management System

In Australia, more businesses are implementing a quality assurance management system in a bid to lure and hold onto customers. Such a system is not just about the quality of the product but the overall service.

Quality Management System

By placing quality at the heart of the operation, a quality assurance management system can create a different workplace culture. Through regular internal audits, the company can ensure everything about it spells ‘quality’, including its marketing, packaging, customer relations, after-care and more. In other words, exactly what those surveyed consumers wanted.

Right now is an excellent time to consider a quality management system in Queensland. Not only will it put you ahead of your competitors, but it will lay the foundations for a healthy customer base in the future.