“Quality is not an act, it is a habit”.
Aristotle – Greek Philosopher (384BC – 322BC)
Quality Quote by Aristotle – Greek Philospoher
How to use Smartsheet for ISO 9001, ISO 45001 & ISO 14001
Smartsheet is a cloud-based software solution that is extremely easy to use (same as Excel), very cost effective and provides some powerful tools such as conditional formatting and alerts/notifications, team collaboration and resource allocation. Here is our guide for Smartsheet for ISO 9001, ISO 45001 & ISO 14001.
As ISO Consultants, we find Smartsheet is our preferred platform to develop Quality 9001:2015, Safety 45001:2018 and Environmental 14001:2015 Management Systems. It streamlines administrative processes associated with the maintenance of ISO business management systems and ensures information is kept current and accessible when and where it is needed.
Typically, we establish the following registers in Smartsheet to support Quality, Safety & Environmental Management Systems:
- Document Register – centralised document storage with permissions to control read/write access as required. Reminders set to alert relevant personnel when document review is required.
- Training and Competency Register – an improved version of the standard excel Training Matrix that can store employee details, licenses, qualifications, and competencies. Conditional formatting in place to identify when qualifications have expired or Verification of Competency is due.
- Approved Suppliers & Approved Subcontractors – register of suppliers and subcontractors including business information, qualifications, insurances and performance history/data.
- Risk Register – Threats/Hazards, Risks, Inherent Risk Score, Residual Risk Score, Responsibilities and Controls.
- Equipment Test & Calibration Register – list of equipment requiring test, calibration, inspection including due dates, reminders and conditional formatting to provide a visual indication of status.
- Plant & Vehicle Register – plant and vehicle information including service, registration, and insurances. Conditional formatting and reminders to ensure key dates are monitored and renewed prior to expiry.
- Improvement Register – non-conformance, incidents & improvement opportunity registration, corrective action and action to prevent a recurrence. Responsibility allocation and identification of status.
- Quality, Safety & Environmental Objectives Register – register of Quality Objectives, Safety Objectives, and Environmental Objectives along with performance data history.
- Internal Audit and Inspection Register – schedule for managing all internal audit and inspection requirements. Copies of completed reports held on register and link to Improvement Register for any improvement items identified.
- Any other registers required to support the operation of the management system eg Enquiries Register, Tender/Contract Register, Project Register etc.
To ensure the registers are updated with current information, a combination of Smartsheet Forms and Update Requests can be utilised. We highly recommend you review the possible functionality benefits to your business and consider a Smartsheet based ISO Management System.
For more information contact us, or see below for some links to the Smartsheet Software videos.
- Intro: https://youtu.be/N-5ZTcKgo5c
- Smartsheet 101: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7BYs1O_XbU
SMARTER ISO 9001 Quality Objectives
What are Quality Objectives?
Clause 6.2 of ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management Systems Standard requires an organisation to establish ISO 9001 Quality Objectives at relevant functions, levels, and processes needed for the quality management system ie – how will the performance of the quality management system be measured and what are the objectives we are hoping to achieve through implementation of the QMS.
How SMARTER Quality Objectives can Help
Whilst it is not specified in ISO 9001, we recommend SMARTER Quality Objectives that underpin the delivery of the goals detailed the organisation’s strategic plan, support the Quality Policy, and are aligned with the SMARTER philosophy of:
- S – Specific: quality objectives should be clearly articulate what is trying to be achieved. They should be relevant to the conformity of products and services and to enhance customer and stakeholder satisfaction.
- M – Measurable: Quality Objectives should be quantitative and data to support performance able to be measured. This data is needed to identify baseline performance against the objectives and to allow for ongoing performance measurement.
- A – Achievable: Quality Objectives should be realistic and attainable to be successful. There is no point in having an objective that is not achievable.
- R – Relevant: Quality Objectives should support the Quality Policy and the organisation’s Strategic Plan.
- T – Time-bound: When will the objective need to be achieved by? Is it an ongoing objective measured at a specified frequency or a targeted completion objective?
- E – Evaluated: Quality Objectives are required to be evaluated at Management Review Meetings – Clause 9.3.2 of ISO 9001:2015.
- R – Reviewed: Quality Objectives are required to be reviewed at Management Review Meetings – Clause 9.3.2 of ISO 9001:2015.
Clause 6.2.2 of ISO 9001:2015 also requires that when organisations are planning their Quality Objectives they determine:
- what needs to be done,
- resourcing requirements,
- responsibilities,
- schedules and due dates,
- how the results of the performance will be evaluated
Government Funding Grants for ISO 9001 Certification
Did you know that many Australian businesses are actually eligible for help with ISO 9001 Certification through a government-funded Business Growth Grant? Click HERE for more information.
Who Needs to Know about the ISO 9001 Quality Objectives?
Quality Objectives should also be communicated to all personnel whose roles and responsibilities have a direct or indirect bearing on the performance of the objective. This includes the results of monitoring, review, and evaluation of performance data in order to ensure ownership and accountability of performance.
Summary
Quality Objectives and being able to measure the performance of the Quality Management System are key to identifying performance problems and also demonstrating continual improvement. Importantly, developing clear, concise SMARTER Quality Objectives also requires systems for capturing meaningful data to support performance against the objectives, and ultimately the achievement of the Quality Policy and goals as detailed in the organisation’s Strategic Plan.
ISO 9001 QMS for Tenders
Why do Tenders require ISO 9001 Certification?
Both Government and Private Request for Tenders (RFTs) often include criteria related to Quality, Safety and Environmental Certification. Depending on whether you have a Quality Management System that has been certified to ISO 9001 by an Accredited Third-Party Certification Body then it may mean the difference between winning the tender and going to contract, or losing the tender to a competitor.
RFTs include Quality, Safety and Environmental certification criteria to provide the organisation issuing the tender with an assurance that you have appropriate business management systems in place to deliver the goods and services as specified in the RFT, as well as comply with all legal requirements including Workplace Health and Safety and the Environmental Protection laws. It also demonstrates your organisation has undertaken a commitment to establishing and implementing best practice business processes and continual improvement.
How are Tenders evaluated?
Typically tenders are evaluated/assessed using a weighting system, something like:
- Fully Certified ISO 9001 Quality Management System – Full Points
- Quality Management System implemented but uncertified – Half Points
- No Quality Management System – No Points
Based on this, if you are submitting a Tender Response without full ISO 9001 QMS Certification, and your competitors are certified then it may be the difference between winning and losing the tender.
What if the Tender is closing soon?
If you have a Tender that is closing soon there is a chance that you may be able to achieve fast ISO 9001 certification in as little as ten days. There are some required conditions for this to happen so CLICK HERE if you are in this situation.
How Streamline can help
Streamline ISO 9001 consultants can design, develop and implement a certification-ready Quality Management System from the ground up to meet ISO 9001 requirements – ensuring you get ISO 9001 QMS for tenders. If you already have an existing management system in place we will help you integrate ISO 9001:2015 into your current management system (eg ISO 45001 Safety or ISO 14001 Environmental) to form an Integrated Management System (IMS).
Our trained and experienced ISO Consultants have a 100% track record achieving certification for our clients and we guarantee your ISO 9001:2015 quality management system will get certified by a JAS-ANZ accredited Certification Body.
Contact Us Today
If you’d like more information, or to request a Quick Quote please use the form to the right and one of our ISO Consultants will contact you within one business day. Alternatively, you are welcome to contact us directly by emailing [email protected] or calling:
- Brisbane 07 3667 8280
- Sydney 02 8315 7780
- Melbourne 03 9034 3990
We look forward to hearing from you and answering any questions you may have.
DRY ISO 9001 Quality Management Systems – Don’t Repeat Yourself
Today I came across an interesting TLA (three letter acronym for the uninitiated) that is used in Software Engineering called DRY – Don’t Repeat Yourself. The basis of the principle is to reduce the repetition of information by ensuring every piece of knowledge has a single, unambiguous, authoritative representation within a system. Basically a single source of truth.
The application of this methodology into ISO 9001 Quality, ISO 45001 Safety and ISO 14001 Environmental Management Systems provides for a more maintainable, extensible system that is easy to navigate and locate information.
So the next time you are preparing or developing a quality management system (QMS), safety management system (SMS) or environmental management system (EMS) ask yourself – is it DRY or is it WET (Write Everything Twice).