SUSTAINABLE SUCCESS ALERT

By Kimberly Douglas

Editor's Note: This is the first of a two-part article.

It’s Friday afternoon, and your team is filing into the conference room, mumbling and grumbling as they take their seats for yet another meeting. An hour passes and the meeting comes to a much-anticipated end, leaving everyone involved wondering why the meeting was held in the first place. After all, the usual suspects dominated the discussion, and the same ideas that came up in last week’s meeting were once again batted around. No one seemed to write anything down, and no one agreed to put anything discussed into action. If this kind of ineffective meeting sounds familiar, you’re not alone. It’s a problem that plagues many organizations — but it’s also one that can be remedied. 

In these tough economic times, every second of the work day is valuable. None of it should be wasted in meetings that seem to go nowhere or that are plagued by conflict or lack of participation. I have sat through countless meetings myself — some great, and some not-so-great. But those that weren’t so great could have been so much better with just a little more effort. If leaders know how to conduct better meetings, those meetings can actually become time well-spent — time that increases employee productivity, participation, and innovation.

By Paul Scicchitano

An estimated 10,000 AS9100 certificate holders may begin upgrading their certifications to the latest edition of the space, defense and aviation quality requirements starting on April 30, 2010.

Revision “C” of the standard was published in 2009 as AS9100 in the Americas, JISQ9100 in Asia-Pacific and EN9100 in Europe. A companion checklist intended for third-party auditors still had not been released as of early October, which resulted in a delay in the start of certification.

The absence of the checklist had effectively put thousands of certificate holders — many of whom are contractually bound to achieve and maintain certification to the standard by major aerospace and defense customers — in a kind of certification holding pattern, which has now been effectively lifted.

By Suzanne Long

As if the poor economy wasn’t enough to contend with, retailers also face growing consumer concerns about climate issues and how best to protect the environment this holiday season.

While most retailers want to exhibit a green agenda and many have taken steps to embrace environmentally sensitive policies, some managers still lack a rigorous strategy to achieve and maintain such goals. Even companies that pride themselves on constant improvement, execution, and careful measurement suddenly grow soft when it comes to environmental issues. As a result, efforts made by retailers to lessen their carbon footprints tend to be based on whatever green “fad” is popular at the time, resulting in questionable positive impact.

By Paul Scicchitano

While the total number of third-party ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certificates has declined in some countries, the overall global totals continue to increase, according to new data made public by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

At least 982,832 certificates to ISO 9001:2000 and 2008 had been issued in 176 countries and economies as of the end of 2008, according to The ISO Survey —  2008. The 2008 total represents an increase of 31,346, or just 3 percent over the 2007 total of 951,486 in 175 countries and economies.

The Survey reported a total of 188,815 third-party certificates to ISO 14001:2004 in 155
countries and economies. The 2008 total represents an increase of 34,243 certificates —  or 22 percent over the 2007 figure of 154,572 certificates in 148 countries and economies.

By Paul Scicchitano

The future ISO 50001 is expected to form the basis of a new third-party certification program that may rival or exceed demand for widely used certification programs like OHSAS 18001 on occupational health and safety, ISO 14001 on environmental management and even the ISO 9001 standard for quality management which boasts close to one million certified organizations around the world — more than any other such standard.

By Paul Scicchitano 

By Dr. Michael J. Dreikorn

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has released the first substantial regulatory changes to design and production approvals for the US civil aviation industry since 1964.

Though the most significant changes affect 14 CFR part 21, the final rule also amends parts 1, 43 and 45. Details, along with well developed briefing materials, can be found at the FAA’s website (faa.gov). Related advisory materials and internal orders have also been updated and posted.

FAA has done a great job in providing a comprehensive communication package for industry.

Two Phases of Compliance

Mandatory implementation will take place in two phases. The initial phase is considered “relieving in nature” with compliance required within 180 days of the final rule. That translates into an April 15, 2010 deadline.

By Clyde Brewer

Editor’s Note: This is the first of a series of articles by Clyde Brewer, who reflects back on his more than 50-year career in quality.
 
Having spent decades assisting organizations of all shapes and sizes in becoming better and more efficient, I begin my first column with a painful truth: The quality profession that has given us so many great tools over the years was a child of government bureaucracy.

Government created the role of inspectors and mandated that contractors obtain independent approval of the work of others. While this was the start of a great discipline, it also led to some very unfortunate lessons over the years: Most importantly, when we forget common sense, even the most well-intentioned quality initiative can have negative consequences.

By Joelle Jay

In the current economic climate, where businesses are merging, downsizing, and outsourcing at mind-boggling rates, it’s hard to maintain your leadership equilibrium. To keep from getting knocked off your feet, you need to have something stable to hold onto — something that will keep you on steady ground when all around you is shaking and/or crumbling.

Unfortunately, most people don’t deal with change in a positive way. They become overwhelmed; and instead of taking care of themselves so they can withstand the daily onslaught of change, they try to prove their worth by working longer and harder so they’re not the next one escorted out the door. As a result, they’re not only stressed from the current situation, but they’re also tired, disengaged, and dissatisfied with both their professional and personal lives.

Leaders need to realize that doing extra work, staying late and taking of more responsibilities will not keep you strong. It’s time to upgrade that way of thinking. You don’t just need to work hard. It serves no one for you to stay at work at all hours, eeking out shoddy deliverables through squinty eyes, powered by fast food and triple lattes.