ISO Certification



             


Thursday, March 6, 2008

Comparison of Microsoft Office 2003 with Microsoft Office 2007

Lots of people have Microsoft Office 2003 and are interested in upgrading to Microsoft Office 2007. However, there are lots of differences between the two although they are the same program with different edition years. As a result, anyone with Microsoft Office 2003 should keep on reading to learn about some of the differences of Microsoft Office 2007.

One of the changes is the digital signature. For instance, if you are in Microsoft Office 2007 training you will learn that with this edition the digital signature is formatted with XMLDSig, which is different than what you learned in Microsoft Office 2003 training. Also, the Microsoft office training courses will teach you that in Office 2007 you will find the digital signature under File, Finalize Document, Signatures rather than in Tools, Options, Security, Digital Signatures. The digital signatures were changed to be more intuitive and easier to find.

Another change that you will learn about in all of your Microsoft office training programs is that the add in tool for Office 2003 was removed. It was replaced by a document inspector that can run multiple times at once which makes it easer to clean up documents.

In Microsoft Office 2007 there is now some versioning offered. Before in Microsoft Office 2003 you could only enable or disable versioning, but now versioning numbers are included and numbers such as 3.3 may be used as well as whole numbers like 3.

Another change that exists in Microsoft Office 2007 that is different from Microsoft Office 2003 is that Windows Rights Management Client v. 1.0 is no longer supported. A new client version of Windows Rights Management Client SP1 is used in Microsoft Office 2007 and the new version is easy to install and no change is seen when the new version is installed.

Yet another change that occurred is the Send for Review feature that could be found in Microsoft Office 2003 under File, Send to, Mail Recipient (for review). These entry points do not exist in Microsoft Office 2007.

There are of course many other changes that occur in Microsoft Office 2007 that Microsoft Office 2003 users must learn and get accustomed to. However, there are not so many that users who upgrade will have too difficult of a time converting.

Caitlina Fuller is a freelance writer. One of the changes is the digital signature. For instance, if you are in Microsoft Office 2007 training you will learn that with this edition the digital signature is formatted with XMLDSig, which is different than what you learned in Microsoft Office 2003 training. Also, the Microsoft office training courses will teach you that in Office 2007 you will find the digital signature under File, Finalize Document, Signatures rather than in Tools, Options, Security, Digital Signatures.

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Sunday, January 6, 2008

How Can ISO 9001:2000 be Applied to Healthcare?

Definition of ISO:

 

  • ISO means “all sides being equal”. To date, more than ½ a million organizations in 149 countries have implemented the ISO Standards.
  • ISO 9001:2000 is a fundamental quality management system standard that requires an organization to identify, define, document, implement (follow), monitor/measure, and continually improve the effectiveness of its processes. It is a self-directed system that requires the organization to identify and address all imposed requirements; as well as improve its organizational performance by modifying systemic issues (e.g. those traditionally associated with the “hand-offs”).

 

Application of ISO in Healthcare:

Using the ISO Family of Standards, the organization can establish a comprehensive Quality / Business Management System which:

  • Provides a solid basis for compliance with all imposed requirements (e.g., JCAHO, AABB, Federal & State regulations). Makes all other certification & accreditation processes easier and less costly.
  • Facilitates improved understanding of roles & responsibilities among employees; and enhanced communication/coordination between departments.
  • Requires the establishment of measurable improvement objectives and accountability to those objectives through monitoring/measuring and reporting.
  • Results in improved systems, processes, and outcomes.

 

Structure of the ISO 9001:2000 Standard:

The ISO:9001 2000 Standard is comprised of 8 Clauses. The 1st 3 are introductory in nature. The subsequent 5 clauses include the requirements the organization must address. They are:

 

  • Clause 4 – Quality Management System
      Process Management, Documentation Requirements, Records Control
  • Clause 5 – Management Responsibility
      Customer/Patient Focus, Policy, Objectives, Planning, Responsibility & Authority
  • Clause 6 – Resource Management
      Human Resources, Infrastructure, Work Environment
  • Clause 7 – Product / Service Realization
      Planning of New Products & Services, Customer Interface/ Communication, Design, Purchasing/Supplier Management, Production/ Service Operations, Calibration
  • Clause 8 – Measurement, Analysis, and Improvement

     

    Internal Audits, Customer/Patient Satisfaction, Monitoring/Measurement of Products/Services and Processes, Handling Nonconformances, Corrective & Preventive Action, Continual Improvement

 

Process / Methodology

While the standard does not prescribe the approach or methodology to be utilized by an organization, the following is recommended.

 

      Obtain Management commitment to support, understanding, involvement, provision of resources
      Educate Management & Staff about the ISO 9001:2000 Standard, Scope of Work, Organizational impact
      Define Key Improvement Objectives
      Identify and Map Organizational Processes, key as well as support. Address all imposed requirements.
      Develop the organization’s Quality Policy and Quality Manual
      Establish approach to document control and access.
      Develop, review/revise, and incorporate all required support documentation (e.g. Department Policies/Procedures, forms).
      Educate Staff on QMS documentation
      Establish and implement monitoring/measurement for each process
      Train internal auditors. Implement an Internal Audit Process.
      Conduct a Management Review of the QMS.
      Undergo a Pre-Assessment or “Mock Survey” to assess system implementation, readiness
      Make required corrections
      Submit Document Review to Registrar (Quality Manual, Processes)
      Undergo the Certification Audit

 

Sample Key Improvement Objectives

 

  • Improve Patient Satisfaction
      Goal: Improve to 70th Percentile
      Department Goal: Reduce Wait time for Outpatient Registration to < 4 minutes
  • Improve Patient Safety
      Goal: Reduce Medication Error Rate to < .3%
      Goal: Reduce fall rate to < 2.6 per 1,000 patient days

 

Sample Process Interaction Diagram
See =>http://www.iqsconsulting.net/applications-of-iso9001-to-healthcare.html

Sample Quality Policy

We will strive to be the leading provider of healthcare services in Southern Ohio. We will accomplish this through

 

  • Consistent compliance with all imposed requirements;
  • Our focus on Patient Safety and Satisfaction; and
  • Continual improvement of our products, services, and processes.

    Innovative Quality Solutions Company is a full service training and consulting firm focused on total customer satisfaction, performance improvement and achievement of organizational objectives. Innovative Quality Solutions provides all aspects of support to organizations seeking certification and compliance to the ISO 9001, ISO 14001, AS 9100 and ISO/TS 16949 (TS 16949) Standards. Since 1995, the firm has lead more than 250 organizations to successful first time certification/registration.

    Innovative Quality Solutions is located in Akron, Youngstown, Cleveland and Columbus. Renee Mallett, Vice President, Healthcare Division, may be contacted at 614-855-0008 or email: reneem@iqsconsulting.net

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Wednesday, November 28, 2007

How to Meet Quality Standards with ISO 9001

In today’s hectic business environment, it is vital that we are all on the same page, right? But how do we know if we meet those standards? Business owners and executives can avoid the uncertainty, and that’s where ISO 9001 certification comes in.

Standardizing Quality Systems

The ISO, or International Organization for Standardization, was established in 1947 to develop international standards for everything from electronics to management systems. Having over 13,000 standards currently in place, ISO has created the auditing and certification process known as ISO 9001. This began the drive toward quality standards.

Improving Customer Satisfaction

Companies choose to implement ISO 9001 and get certified because many customers and industries require it. By keeping customers happy, they can increase sales and profitability for their business. And if an area of the company’s program appears to be too bureaucratic and non-value-adding, then it might also be an area for continuous improvement efforts.

Enhancing Company Policy and Performance

Both customers and industries alike use ISO certification as a way to evaluate and audit their suppliers and products. Through an independent verification process, customers can gain assurance of their suppliers’ products. And as a supplier becomes certified, the testing requirement is waved, which saves the company both time and money.

Developing a Best Practices Process

Employed as a “Best Practices” model, ISO 9001 utilizes the philosophy of the “Plan-Do-Check-Act” continuous improvement cycle to achieve requirements. This process approach centers around eight quality management principles used by management as a guide toward improving performance and identifying the main elements needed in a good quality system:

1. Customer Focus

2. Leadership

3. Involvement of People

4. Process Approach

5. Systems Approach to Management

6. Continuous improvement

7. Factual Approach to Decision-Making

8. Mutually Beneficial Supplier Relationship

Building Stable Processes

ISO 9001 policies, procedures and forms can provide employers, managers and employees with a systematic and consistent approach to implementing policies, plans, procedures and work routines. Instead of building their own policies and procedures from scratch, some companies prefer to hire professional writers that have already prepared a set of written policies and procedures to help on the way to certification.

Auditing a Company System

In the certification process, an independent registrar will perform an on-site audit of a company’s operations to verify that it complies with the ISO standard. If the business complies, then that company will be registered as ISO 9001 compliant.

Effective Policies and Procedures

On the way to certification, a business can meet its ISO needs by:

• Using well-defined processes and procedures to build stable processes

• Training in the audit and certification process

• Continuously improving with ISO 9001 standards

Quality Management System

With complete procedures manuals for ISO 9001 Quality Management System, required HR procedures, and an ISO training class, a template like an ISO 9001 Quality Manager Procedures Manual Series can help a business on its way to ISO 9001 certification. Sometimes the effort can be very great, but companies typically notice a remarkable difference in efficiency and effectiveness after the first year.

Chris Anderson is currently the managing director of Bizmanualz, Inc. and co-author of policies and procedures manuals, producing the layout, process design and implementation to increase performance. To learn how to increase your business performance, visit: Bizmanualz, Inc.

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