Happy New Year!! While a new financial year probably won’t see you popping champagne and singing Auld Lang Syne (unless you moonlight as an Accountant) it’s still an important time of year. For those very organised folks who regularly scan and file their receipts and make notes about expenses, end of financial year tax returns …read more »
Many of us can spend large chunks of our day seeking information. Whether it’s an update from a team member, negotiations with a contractor or trying to get more than an ‘ugh’ from a teenager, we usually do this by asking questions. Asking questions fuels learning, improves interpersonal bonding and rapport plus it makes us …read more »
Good things come in big bundles Suddenly it’s June and apart from the fact we’ve pulled out our track pants and beanies, the scramble has also started to check budgets before the end of the financial year. And because it can sometimes be a case of ‘use it or lose it’, businesses may be looking …read more »
We’ve written previously about root cause analysis and just how important it is for your quality system. Root cause analysis (RCA) is about problem solving – sort of like CSI for your quality system. As you get better at performing RCA, your process will be less reactive and more proactive, leading to improvements in your …read more »
“Opportunity and risk come in pairs” Bangambiki Habyarimana, The Great Pearl of Wisdom Risk isn’t a chore to wade through a few times a year. As the quote above says, it can be something positive and goes hand-in-hand with opportunities. Many different companies share similar risks, like a poor economic outlook over the short-term (well, …read more »
We’ve all heard the expression knowledge is power. In the hands of cybercriminals, knowledge is also big business. In a lab setting, it’s understood that keeping information safe and secure is in the best interests of clients and your business. If you hold accreditation or certification, it’s also a requirement of the standard. ISO standards …read more »
We believe in seeking out and sharing ideas that will support your business to be better and smarter. Different perspectives on quality and business practices may provoke conversations in your workplace that lead to new and better ways of doing things. We reached out to our network of experts and asked for their perspectives on …read more »
Many organisations have a quality (or environment, or safety) management system. If you’re in one of these organisations, then I bet you’ve sometimes felt like the ‘system’ rules your life, rather than you ruling the system. How did it get to be this way? More importantly, how can you change this? It probably got to …read more »
It took a river of coffee, reams of paper and four years of hard work but in March 2021, Vecta Pty Ltd were delighted to finally be granted accreditation to ISO/IEC 17025! The accredited electrical test methods are in Passive RF and Microwave Devices; intermodulation level measurement (PIM); Return Loss (uniformity of impedance) and Insertion …read more »
How many times have you heard the expression ‘two heads are better than one’? Or heard someone bemoan the fact that they could do with an extra pair of hands. By using a business consultant, you can add an extra brain and another pair of hands without getting bogged down in the process of a …read more »
For those of a certain demographic, this title will conjure up a British television sitcom based in Grace Brothers Department Store. But perhaps you heard those words just today, when you went into a clothing store or supermarket. In last week’s article, we examined the theories of three quality thinkers – Deming, Juran and Crosby. …read more »
Anyone who has ever been involved in quality or project management would have heard the names Deming, Juran and Crosby. Their contributions have had long lasting ramifications and made us all think differently about what quality is, what it means and how to achieve it. Over the coming months, we’ll be running a series of …read more »
Cybersecurity is big business and big news. Many more of us are in hybrid arrangements, working from home and in the office. Businesses have had to re-think not just how they work but also the security of their systems. The healthcare sector was under enormous pressure during 2020. As if this wasn’t enough, ransomware and …read more »
Ah, the start of a new year. Our resolutions are still fresh and crispy (like the salads we’ve committed to eat more of this year…). We have new calendars and wall planners, just waiting for the imprints of our fabulous new year. But before you leap into the year ahead, there’s a couple of things …read more »
As any accredited lab will know, understanding ISO/IEC 17025 is a critical part of how your lab operates. From developing your quality manual to sending out reports to your customers, the process is clearly defined, simple to follow and easy to implement. Right? Well…judging by the number of ‘help with ISO/IEC 17025 courses’ available, maybe …read more »
Every year we see examples of the best and the worst of humans. There are always protests, political unrest, wildfires, and catastrophes on a global scale. But in 2020, this was multiplied by COVID. We were thrown together in our fear. We were kept apart in grief. And the world as we knew it, …read more »
During the 2012 Olympic Games in London, Brenton Rickard was part of Australia’s 4 x 100m medley swim team. The team won a bronze medal in the event. Eight years down the track, the sample he provided on 1 August 2012 was re-tested. It returned a positive result for furosemide. Furosemide is a diuretic commonly …read more »
Measurement Uncertainty. OK, we understand that this isn’t the sexiest of topics. In fact, it probably isn’t something that makes it through your front door, let alone into the bedroom! However, if you’re running a lab, Measurement Uncertainty (MU) is something you should know about in all its shades of grey. Let’s take a look …read more »
No business has ever regretted implementing standards for improvement. A quality management system is put in place because you want to deliver on the expectations of your customers. Get this right, deliver your goods or services according to expectations while remaining compliant with regulations, and you have a recipe for business success. A quality management …read more »
We all know the feeling when an external assessment is coming up. The scurrying search for documents, the interminable hours of scanning, the crossing of eyes and slurping of teas… But what about internal audits? Your colleagues do these. They’re all on your side so you’re bound to get a free pass on some of …read more »
Traceability is an indispensable part of any quality management system. It’s an essential topic in any audit of a quality management system, whether it’s a NATA assessment or a certification audit. It enables tracking back to a point of origin through to the point of release or use. Just as any good detective will tell …read more »
According to the American Society for Quality website a quality management system (QMS) is defined as: ‘…a formalized system that documents processes, procedures, and responsibilities for achieving quality policies and objectives. A QMS helps coordinate and direct an organization’s activities to meet customer and regulatory requirements and improve its effectiveness and efficiency on a continuous …read more »
It’s been a few months since our last article about carrying out remote assessments. Although everyone has improved with experience, there are still new things we’re discovering. During a recent webinar with our friends at the RACI Pharmaceutical Science Group, we picked up these tips and wanted to share them with you. And if you …read more »
In an ideal world, everything would run smoothly with only very small bumps in the road – enough to keep us interested but not enough to cause major headaches. However, as we all know, the world is seldom ideal. We all have ways to deal with problems that arise in our personal lives. But what …read more »
We know that businesses often walk a tightrope between what must be done and what’s possible with the tools and resources they have available. This includes implementing risk management processes. Labs face a particular set of challenges with compliance and maintaining NATA accreditation while still remaining competitive and viable. We’ve put together this list of …read more »
November 2020 saw NATA accreditation transition to ISO/IEC 17025:2017. While the majority of labs have already made alterations to their processes, we did a review of the changes in the new version. Many organisations base their business decisions on information and results provided by laboratories. It is critical that the sampling, testing and calibration activities carried …read more »
We hear it from laboratories all the time (quite often accompanied by an eye-roll or a groan!). Measurement Uncertainty (MU) is something that laboratories do because they have to. Because ISO 17025 and ISO 15189 say so. And, of course, because NATA says so. Every measurement is subject to some uncertainty. That’s why the MU process …read more »
Risk management. It’s a hot topic right now. There are 1.3 billion (that’s 1,330,000,000) entries on risk management that appear in a simple Google search. Risk can be anywhere, from the minute we wake up in the morning until our eyes close at night. We inhabit a world full of risk and uncertainty and have …read more »
The move to carrying out lab assessments remotely has been sudden, with little time for transition. However, considering the cost and time savings, carrying out assessments this way could become the new normal. Maree Stuart, Principal of MAS Management Systems, recently went through this process with one of our clients and shares her experiences. “With …read more »
Will your laboratory business be staying alive during the Coronavirus crisis? The news is full of doom and gloom and there’s a lot of uncertainty about the future. People are clearly wanting control and going into survival mode, as the ‘toilet paper wars’ visibly demonstrate. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail and …read more »
Breaking news! The Guardian says “The only uncertainty is how long we’ll last”. Clearly they haven’t heard about the MAS MU for Testing Labs workshop! Calculating Measurement Uncertainty (MU) can be a daunting prospect for some people. Once they see that it involves numbers, their brain goes numb! That’s why our training course is different. …read more »
The laboratory shall, if relevant, to the extent necessary, maintain records of competence to read standards. Understood? Deciphering these kinds of phrases in standards is not easy. Learning to read and understand them is like learning a new language. But once you get the hang of it, a whole new world of interpretation opens up. …read more »
Finally achieving ‘holy grail’ of NATA accreditation might be your resolution for 2018. Problem is, you don’t know where to start. You might have even started down the path of NATA accreditation and are stuck. And now you’ve heard there’s a new version of ISO 17025 and are worried you’ll have to start over! Or …read more »
Are your laboratory’s problems prone to re-surface over and over again? Are you spending most of your valuable time and resources tackling a recurring problem in preparation for an audit? You may be convinced that your answers are ‘THE’ solutions to the problems identified in your lab. But perhaps it’s time you took a closer …read more »
So you’re facing a NATA audit and it’s being done to the new 17025. You’ve probably read various bits and pieces online that have given you an idea about the significant changes. An ISO 9001-friendly structure, new emphasis on impartiality, confidentiality and customer complaints, decision rules, and a lot of stuff about risk management. A …read more »
ISO 17025:2017. You can see it looming ahead of you. You vaguely know that there’s some change you have to grapple with. Or perhaps you might have already been through an assessment to the new standard. The question is, how do you conquer the NATA ISO 17025:2017 beast? You know, the Titanic hit the …read more »
When you’ve done hundreds of NATA audits, you get to know what the issues are that bring laboratories stuck. One question at a NATA audit will always be, what evidence do you have that your staff are competent? Here are some helpful tips on how to respond and show just how good your people are. …read more »
In my work, I come across lots of laboratories wanting to improve the design and space in which they work. Let’s face it, improvement is not just about documents! Where do you go to get some professional advice on this important improvement project? ‘Laboratory Architect’ is a very niche profession. It makes sense though – …read more »
In my last article, I talked about how you can take steps to simplify your management system. But as a true systems expert, I like to deal with the root cause of a complex problem. The other cause of the creation of a management system is a failure to critically analyse feedback from auditors and …read more »
Many organisations have a quality (or environment, or safety) management system. If you’re in one of these organisations, then I bet you’ve sometimes felt like the system rules your life, rather than you ruling the system. How did it get to be this way? More importantly, how can you change it? It probably got to …read more »
It’s a nice, sunny Sunday afternoon and you’ve decided to take a drive. So you hop in your car and off you go. But I bet you’ve never given a thought to how metrology helps you do this. Let’s take the physical car itself Your car is made so that it can actually …read more »
The NATA equipment tables might be on their way out! Who will tell me how often to check my gizmo? So, you’ve been minding your own business and just doing as NATA says to do for equipment calibrations for years. Now they tell you that you might have to work out your own calibration frequencies and ‘prove’ that …read more »