Category Archives: Auditing

Auditing: Teach a Man to Think ….

Posted on June 27, 2014 by Shaun

Lately the IRCA has made some attempt to add weight to the development of thought processes and abilities in their course criteria. That means less weighting on memorising facts and definitions, and more scenario based testing. I think maybe the old systems are at least partly to blame for the levels of unconscious incompetence that I see too regularly Continue reading →

Posted in Auditing, IRCA | Tagged auditing, Auditing for Effectiveness, IRCA, irca audit, irca exam, irca training, ISO 9001, iso 9001:2015 | Leave a comment

IRCA Exam Revision Tips

Posted on May 19, 2014 by Shaun

I spend more time than I really want to advising people on how best to prepare for IRCA Lead Auditor exams, so I suppose it is time for a time saving hyperlink Continue reading →

Posted in Auditing, IRCA | Tagged IRCA, irca exam solutions, irca exam tips, irca exams, shaun sayers | 3 Comments

The real benefits of ISO 9001 certification

Posted on March 5, 2014 by Shaun

ISO 9001, that part of the ISO 9000 series that defines the quality management system requirements, clearly means many things to many people. There are certainly people with a vested interest in promoting its virtues and (sometimes) overstating its merits in the process. There are also some very vociferous opponents, including some career critics who have made a good living from disparaging it. But let’s try to be objective and think things through clearly Continue reading →

Posted in Auditing, Certification schemes, ISO 9000, Quality Improvement | Tagged benefits of iso 9001, ISO 9001, ISO 9001 benefits, ISO 9001:2008 | 10 Comments

EFQM and ISO 9001 – A comparison of approaches

Posted on February 20, 2014 by Shaun

A comparison of the relative strengths and weaknesses of the efqm model and iso 9001 Continue reading →

Posted in Auditing, EFQM, ISO 9000 | Tagged Compare EFQM and ISO 9000, Comparison of EFQM and ISO 9000, continual improvement, EFQM Excellence Model, EFQM Model, EFQM Radar, EFQM Self Assessment, ISO 9000:2000, ISO 9001:2008, ISO 9004, ISO 9004:2009, shaun sayers, Weaknesses of EFQM | 26 Comments

Are 3rd party audits actually 1st party audits?

Posted on January 26, 2014 by Shaun

I’ve been thinking. Isn’t that more or less how 3rd party certification audits are positioned and dressed up these days? In fact, they even refer to the certified entity as “the client” (the person requesting the audit). They seem happy to flaunt the consultancy they often perform in tandem with the assessment, so certification bodies are hardly independent any more Continue reading →

Posted in Auditing, Certification schemes | Tagged auditing, internal audit, third party audit, third party certification | Leave a comment