How to Get the Most Benefit From Your Internal Audits

Facilitator: Robert Zimman

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Location: Baltimore Aircoil Company (BAC)
7600 Dorsey Run Road
Jessup, MD 20794
 (Call Kerry Higgins at 410-627-5178 if you need additional directions)

Event Details:
6:00 - 6:30: Refreshments and Networking
6:30 - 8:00: Presentation & Open Discussion
$5 charge to non members.

Registration: To attend this event, please register here

Program Summary:

Does your organization perform internal audits of your quality management system?

Do you feel that you're getting less benefit from internal audits than you should for the resources invested?

If you answered yes, then this presentation may be just what you're looking for. Internal audits should serve a different purpose and should be conducted differently than external audits. To make your internal audits more meaningful you need a different paradigm from external audits. Yet almost all internal auditor training is based on the way external auditors are trained. This presentation will present a different way to conduct internal audits that has the capability to significantly enhance the return on your investment in internal audits.

Speaker:
Robert Zimman

Mr. Zimman has over forty years of experience and is currently the Director of Quality Management for NCI Information Systems, Inc., headquartered in Reston, VA. He has a Masters Degree in Quality Systems Management and second in National Security Affairs. He is an ASQ Certified Quality Auditor who conducts numerous internal audits every year. Mr. Zimman is a Senior Member of ASQ and recently completed his second term as the Chair of ASQ Section 0511.

Questions? Contact Kerry Higgins, Chair-ISO 9000 Users Group at ISO9000UG@asq509.org

Mission

The Group’s mission is to exchange ideas, experiences and best practices, in an open learning environment among ASQ and non-ASQ members who use or may plan to use ISO 9000 in their organizations.

Regular meetings of the ISO 9000 Users Group are held on the 3rd Wednesday of the month (unless otherwise announced) in Jessup, Maryland.

Making the Mission a Reality

This mission is realized through the exchange of the latest information on the practical application and use of ISO 9000 in areas such as;

• Implementation in various organizations
• Gaining management and employee support
• Developing documentation
• Internal and external auditing
• Choosing a registrar

Group meetings involve;

• Monitored discussions among the group members
• Guest speaker(s)
• Organizing ISO 9000 seminars and workshops

Users include;

• ASQ and non ASQ members
• Quality professionals in the Washington, Virginia & Baltimore area
• Educational and Health Care institutions
• Service companies
• Government agencies

Participants look for and enjoy;

• Information exchange
• Networking opportunities
• Discussion, information, sources for further information on quality management
• Comparison of other standards with ISO 9001 (e.g. CMMi, AS9100)
• Information on other standards

 Information and guidance includes;

• Insight and interpretation on the implementation of the standard
• List of experts
• Books and reference recommendations
• Briefings
• How to find and purchase a copy of the standard
• Audit and Implementation checklists
• Audits and audit packages
• Links to ISO 9000-related sites
• Documentation templates
• Special topics of interest

For more information about Section 509's ISO 9000 Users Group, contact Kerry L. Higgins at iso9000UG@asq509.org.

ISO 9000 is...

• A series of international standards specifying minimum quality management system requirements that are process and not product-oriented.
• Used to address customer satisfaction, by meeting customer and applicable regulatory requirements.
• A foundation for improving quality by reducing the variation of the processes that produce our products and services.
• Applicable to any industry; including hardware, software, processed materials and services.

The following websites provide more information on the ISO 9000 Standard.

• International Organization for Standardization Website. This is the site of the International Organization for Standardization.  Take a look at the tutorial on the ISO 9001 Standard.
• ISO Technical Committee 176. This website is the home of the International Organization for Standardization's (ISO) Technical Committee 176 on Quality Management and Quality Assurance -- the committee responsible for developing the ISO 9000 series of standards and guidance documents.
• ISO 9000 Auditing Practices Group.  This website has been established as an on-line source of papers and presentations on auditing QMSs.  The ideas, examples and explanations given reflect the process-based approach that is essential for auditing the requirements of ISO 9001:2000 Quality management systems – Requirements.