The IRCA have recently announced that they are redeveloping the Examinations for IRCA approved courses. – UPDATED 25/01/2012 – see bottom of article for updated information

What does this mean and how will it affect me? Click here to read more...

ISO 9001: 2008 requires organisations to define processes and procedures. In simple terms the difference between process and a procedure in this context is that a process is what you do and a procedure is how you do it. By introducing the process approach it is possible to link quality objectives with the overall objectives of the organisation. An example would be delivery performance, this being the measure of the performance of the delivery process, an important measure for most businesses. Click here to read more...

Batalas provides a comprehensive range of training courses for auditors and management systems. Most Batalas training courses are available as scheduled public (open) courses. All training courses are available on an in company basis. We have 6 UK venues and many courses are run every month. Click on the course name below for more info.

Internal Auditor Courses from only £545:

• ISO 9001 – Quality (IRCA approved – A17209)
• ISO 14001 – Environmental
• OHSAS 18001 – Occupational Health and Saftey
• ISO/TS 16949 – Automotive
• AS 9100 – Aerospace
• ISO 13485 – Medical Devices
• Integrated Management Systems

Lead Auditor Courses from only £975:

• ISO 9001 – Quality (IRCA approved – A17043)
• ISO 14001 – Environmental
• ISO 13485 – Medical Devices
• AS 9100 – Aerospace
• Integrated Management Systems Click here to read more...

The Chartered Quality Institute (CQI) have recently announced a new grade of membership. This new Practitioner grade PCQI is designed for those individuals who are actively practicing quality as part of their job role.

If you can demonstrate a minimum of 2 years experience applying your knowledge in the quality world, and you have successfully completed an IRCA Lead Auditor course, then you are eligible to apply. The CQI have many membership grades, click this link to visit their website and read more info on the new PCQI grade – http://www.thecqi.org/Membership/Individual-membership/Practitioner/

For those of you that have not heard of the CQI, basically they own the IRCA, or should I say the IRCA are a sub-division of the CQI.

One of the most common misunderstandings internal auditors and auditees have is the differences between correction, corrective and preventive actions. Click here to read more...

Let’s face it; the majority of organisations only have an ISO 9001 certificate because their customers demand it. Consequently, most management systems fail to promote or even support business improvement, their modest aim being to engender a degree of control and consistency in its operational activities. In this situation internal auditing is usually the sole domain of the quality representative/manager supported by less senior members of staff. The result is that the outputs of internal audits are low level issues, providing top management with further proof that the QMS has a limited input to improving business performance. Click here to read more...

Is your Quality Manaual still paper based?

Do you want to convert it to an Electronic version? Click here to read more...

Unless you have a sadistic streak, you will not take pleasure in raising a nonconformity report. However, the lack of enthusiasm is no excuse for a poorly written report.

The most common faults found on nonconformity reports are: Click here to read more...

In the UK, the British Standards Institute is expecting to publish 150 new British, European and international standards in 2011, covering a diverse range of sectors including construction, business services, facilities management, information technology and healthcare.

The most eagerly awaited Standards to be updated this year include risk management guidelines standard BS 31100, and European toy safety standard EN 71-1.

One of the major changes to ISO 9001 in 2008 was the introduction of the process approach. The process approach is described in a manner which allows for a wide range of interpretations, particularly in defining the processes of the QMS. This lack of prescription was deliberate; the aim being to link policy and objectives with procedures by the use of processes, without specifying the level of complexity. The result is that some companies have identified as few as 6 processes whilst others have chosen to define 60 or even more. Click here to read more...

You’ve embraced the philosophy of TQM, you’ve reshaped the organisation using Business Process Re-engineering, you’ve trained your best people as Six Sigma black belts and you’ve made the organisation Lean. You’re even made use of every improvement technique from Japan. What next? Click here to read more...

Most people view auditing as a negative experience. You might expect this of managers and staff who are auditees but it is surprising how many internal auditors who see their role as being someone who is looking for fault. Click here to read more...

There are three objectives of an internal audit; compliance, effectiveness and improvement. Being able to conduct an effective audit against all three objectives is a demanding task, requiring a reasonable level of skill in communication, observation, analysis and report writing. Dependent upon the audit criteria the auditor will need a knowledge of the relevant standard, understand business processes and possibly have an insight into environmental/health and safety regulations. The pool of people in any business who have these attributes is usually small and they tend to be people in high demand. Click here to read more...