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Visionary leadership

Considering the strategic orientation of your organization, what can be expected as consequences, as results of having a visionary leadership? Once defined those consequences or results, you can compare the actual results with the expected or required results.

For example, a visionary leadership may conclude that an organization should prepare itself for leaving a particular market because of low prices and hypercompetition and start working for a premium segment with premium prices and margins. Now, imagine that the organization followed that path and two years later is enjoying a nice rise in new premium clients, and prices and margins while the old market is in turbulence with price competition. You may call that leadership as visionary for that organization.

The following material will provide you more information:

• How to comply with new leadership requirements in ISO 9001:2015 - https://advisera.com/9001academy/knowledgebase/how-to-comply-with-new-leadership-requirements-in-iso-90012015/
• Enroll for free course - ISO 9001:2015 Foundations Course - https://advisera.com/training/iso-9001-foundations-course/
• Book - Discover ISO 9001:2015 Through Practical Examples - https://advisera.com/books/discover-iso-9001-2015-through-practical-examples/

Document formatting change

As long as you avoid obsolete documents in use there should be no problem with that. Be sure to inform people about the change. Personally, I have done that several times in different organizations. The purpose of the revision number is to make easier the verification that the version in use is the last version.

The following material will provide you more information:

• New approach to document and record control in ISO 9001:2015 - https://advisera.com/9001academy/blog/2015/06/30/new-approach-to-document-and-record-control-in-iso-90012015/
• Some tips to make Document Control more useful for your QMS - https://advisera.com/9001academy/blog/2014/05/20/tips-make-document-control-useful-qms/
• Free online training ISO 9001:2015 Foundations Course - https://advisera.com/training/iso-9001-foundations-course/
• Book - Managing ISO Documentation: A Plain English Guide - https://advisera.com/books/managing-iso-documentation-plain-english-guide/
   

EMS Audits

Targets are benchmarks that help us check effectiveness. When targets are defined, they represent the best of our knowledge. We believe that meeting those targets is the best for the organization.

When the due time arrives, we can compare actual performance with the desired performance. In this case the target was 3 audits, but only 1 audit was performed.

Why the difference?

• Lack of resources?
• Lack of commitment?
• Bad target?
• Bad control?

Was that audit enough? Were all areas of the environmental management system audited?

Should your organization improve target definition for the future? Or should your organization improve resources, commitment and control about audits?

Whatever the reason, acting this way your organization will be learning.

Please check this information below with more detailed answers:

• How to measure the effectiveness of your EMS according to ISO 14001:2015 - https://advisera.com/14001academy/blog/2016/09/05/how-to-measure-the-effectiveness-of-your-ems-according-to-iso140012015/
• Environmental performance evaluation - https://advisera.com/14001academy/blog/2015/07/06/environmental-performance-evaluation/
• Enroll for free in this course – ISO 14001:2015 Lead Auditor Course - https://advisera.com/training/iso-14001-lead-auditor-course/
• Book – The ISO 14001:2015 Companion - https://advisera.com/books/the-iso-14001-2015-companion/

ISO 14001 value

Implementing an environmental management system can bring benefits such as:

• Improve your image and credibility allowing your organization to win customers that value the relationship with the environment;
• Help your organization in complying with legal requirements by having a method in place to identify new or revised legal requirements, determine their applicability and translating them into the organization’s activities;
• Improve cost control through higher efficiency and less waste. 

Please check this information below with more detailed answers:

• 6 Key Benefits of ISO 14001 - https://advisera.com/14001academy/blog/2019/08/27/key-iso-14001-benefits-to-customers/nowledgebase/6-key-benefits-of-iso-14001/
• ISO 14001: The benefits for customers - https://advisera.com/14001academy/blog/2019/08/27/key-iso-14001-benefits-to-customers/
• How to get management buy in for an ISO 14001 project - https://advisera.com/14001academy/blog/2015/06/08/how-to-get-management-buy-in-for-an-iso-14001-project/
• Enroll for free in this course – ISO 14001:2015 Foundations Course - https://advisera.com/training/iso-14001-internal-auditor-course/
• Book – The ISO 14001:2015 Companion - https://advisera.com/books/the-iso-14001-2015-companion/ 

What is the efficient way and tricks to address, handle and treat the risk and opportunity?

The most efficient way to address, handle and treat the risk and opportunity is to start by knowing what ISO 17025 requires and keep it simple!

ISO 17025:2017 does not require a formal risk management program nor documented risk management process.  What it requires, as a minimum, is for laboratories to consider and address risks and opportunities that may impact (negatively and positively), on its activities and objectives including the validity of results. Address the activity bearing in mind, at all times, that the objective is to safeguard competence, impartiality and consistent operation of your laboratory.

The goal is to create a structure where the management system is shielded from “upsets” i.e. nonconforming events; and opportunities to drive improvement are enhanced. I suggest initially coming up with a method to consider and address risks first. Then adapt or integrate opportunities into your approach.

You can approach this activity through a sequence of simple steps, whilst using a spreadsheet as a register / risk index.

The steps and measures taken to address risks and opportunities will vary depending on the context of your laboratory. Remember this is an activity that is iterative – it will involve getting started then repeating the cycle to improve the process and adjust the risks and controls as your management system evolves.

As a general overview, considering and addressing risks to meet ISO 17025 involves five steps:.

Step 1: Identifying risks (What can happen, when, where why and how?).

Step 2: Evaluating the risk (Determine existing controls, determine likelihood and consequences leading to estimate level of risk).

Step 3: Ranking the risks (Determine which is to be addressed first, then second, and so on).

Step 4: Determining actions to be taken (Compare against criteria, Identify and weigh options, dependent on availability of resources and the costs to address the risk. Decide on response and establish priorities).

Step 5: Implementing, monitoring and following up (Selected actions must then be implemented within the laboratory. Laboratory management will be responsible for ensuring that resources are provided, that the proposed actions are taken, and that they are having the desired effect).

I shall be sharing more detailed methods and tips in the Free ISO17025 Academy webinar – How to manage risks in laboratories according to ISO 17025. You can register at https://advisera.com/17025academy/webinar/iso-17025-risk-management-how-to-manage-it-free-webinar-on-demand/ to attend on the 1 July 2020.

For more information regarding  actions to address risks and opportunities, see the ISO 17025 toolkit document template: Addressing Risks and Opportunities Procedure - https://advisera.com/17025academy/documentation/addressing-risks-and-opportunities-procedure/ 
and for more information on the five steps to address risks, see the article Five-step laboratory risk management according to ISO 17025:2017 - https://advisera.com/17025academy/blog/2019/12/05/iso-17025-risk-management-in-five-steps/

Similarities between ISO 14001, ISO 9001, ISO 45001 (previous BS OHSAS 18001), and ISO 19011?

Yes

Parent Company Processes

No, it is not necessary to have different processes from the parent company. A division can have the same processes or a different set of processes.

The following material will provide you more information:

• Article - Certifying different legal entities under one certification scope in ISO 9001 - https://advisera.com/9001academy/blog/2018/03/27/certifying-different-legal-entities-under-one-certification-scope-in-iso-9001/
• Enroll for free course - ISO 9001:2015 Foundations Course - https://advisera.com/training/iso-9001-foundations-course/
• Book - Discover ISO 9001:2015 Through Practical Examples - https://advisera.com/books/discover-iso-9001-2015-through-practical-examples/
   

Documentation storage

ISO 9001:2015, clause 7.5.2 b) states that documents and records can be in any media, paper or digital.

Some organizations keep digital documents and records on digital form and simultaneously keep in paper form all those that at some moment during its life cycle have to be in a paper, for signatures for example. More than ISO 9001:2015 requirements I would check if is there any legal obligation in your country of keeping signed contracts in paper form.

The following material will provide you more information:

• Article - How to set up document approval/withdrawal within your QMS based on ISO 9001:2015 - https://advisera.com/9001academy/blog/2016/04/12/how-to-set-up-document-approvalwithdrawal-within-your-qms-based-on-iso-90012015/
• Enroll for free course - ISO 9001:2015 Foundations Course - https://advisera.com/training/iso-9001-foundations-course/
• Book - Discover ISO 9001:2015 Through Practical Examples - https://advisera.com/books/discover-iso-9001-2015-through-practical-examples/
   

Complaint on ISO certified company

Yes, you can. Anyone who feels that an organization, while certified, is not meeting the requirements of the standard, can always formally complain to the certification body that issued the certificate. Normally, they can have a lot of authority over the company and they don’t want to see their certificate being badmouthed.

Can Risk Assessment be automated?

Risk assessment requires a lot of analysis and evaluation work to be done, and today most of these activities cannot be simply automated, because some decisions require a human feeling and perception of the business environment that a machine cannot properly evaluate. However, some activities you can make use of automated tools are:

• collect data from existing databases (e.g. to help identity assets if an asset-threat-vulnerability risk assessment approach is used)
• compare data gathered with risk level limits to warn about risks that require further analysis
• organize and present data for decision making.

This article will provide you a further explanation about the use of tools:

• When to use tools for ISO 27001/ISO 22301 and when to avoid them https://advisera.com/conformio/blog/2021/06/24/toolkit-vs-conformio-which-is-more-applicable-for-my-company/