Build a New Model: Quote Attributed to Buckminster Fuller

Today’s Quality Quote is attributed to Buckminster Fuller, although its original source is uncertain: “You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.”

Related guide: Clause 4.4: map your business like Google Maps, on designing a better process rather than patching the old one.

Undoubtedly the ISO Framework of continual improvement which requires action to be taken to improve the business management system in order to prevent the recurrence of non-conformities is closely related to the intent of Buckinster’s quotation.

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Building a new model that makes the old one obsolete is precisely what is happening in governance right now. ISO 42001 AI management and ISO 27001 information security are the new models Australian businesses are being asked to prove, alongside the established ISO 9001 quality framework.

Streamline designs, audits and mentors practical ISO systems built to certify first time. Have us build it, get an independent internal audit of what you already have, or use ISO mentoring to build your own with expert guidance.

More quality quotes

Black and white portrait of W. Edwards Deming

“Without data, you are just another person with an opinion”

Black and white photograph of a young bearded man seated beside an apple

Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren’t used to an environment where excellence is expected. Steve Jobs.

A still turquoise alpine lake below forested mountains

The Relentless Pursuit of Perfection

A lone tree silhouetted against an orange sunset

The fastest way to starve a horse is to assign two people to feed it

Attributed to Henry Ford

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TEAM Together Everyone Achieves More

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General guidance only. This article is general information, not legal, financial, safety or compliance advice, and it does not take account of your specific circumstances. Streamline ISO Consultants are ISO management-system consultants, not lawyers or licensed advisers. Standards, laws and regulator guidance change, and details were correct only at the time of writing. Always seek professional advice before acting. See our full Disclaimer.