With regard to the 2015 changes to the ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 Standards, there are some very strong proposed improvements which will make them even more relevant to Construction. For main contractors the customer assurance element of ISO Certification is enhanced as generally there will be a greater requirement of their supply chain to [...]

The ISO 9001 Quality Management Standard and ISO 14001 Environmental Management Standard are changing! But, for the moment we would advise you NOT to rush into training or development activities that are related to the ISO 9001:2015 standards. As a business who has secured UKAS accredited ISO Certification I am very concerned that you may [...]

Improvement Objectives are crucial – the clue is in the title. You may have had the courage to declare an ambitious quality policy statement and it is the selection of well-chosen targeted objectives that turn that intention into reality and strive to back up the statements that you have made. They must deliver worthwhile and [...]

Management Review is another major tool in the improvement arsenal. As the MD/Owner you should lead this review of what your organisation came up with in the Plan phase of developing your system and indeed how it performed in the Do phase. Incidentally, Management Review is a must-do not only for the effectiveness of your [...]

  I have seen people tense up and metaphorically hold their cards to their chest when you approach them as an internal auditor. When I tell them that together we are trying to assess if things are working around here and to see if they could be improved people lighten up. I am not auditing [...]