Making a database for ISO monitoring (1 Viewer)

[CryLittleSister]

Does anybody use Microsoft Access to monitor ISO standards? Considering it for the 2015 QMS and EMS and wondered if anybody had any experience with doing so?

 

[Minty]

We use Access to record training and are just about to transfer the document register and our internal ISO document numbering to an automated database system.

We are also about to do the same to our supplier approval and review process.

These are all being integrated with our existing business database systems so they are pretty bespoke to our needs, but there is no reason why a standalone system couldn't be or probably has been built.

 

[Tieval]

Interesting question this, we do almost entirely use Access for our ISO system but there is a huge but.

ISO cannot do anything, databases cannot do anything.

We built a system around what we do and the addition of an ISO system allowed us to define our practices more accurately, this lead to our transposing a lot more of our practices to Access. We now have most of our processes running through Access and have put in all necessary monitoring of our ISO system into the Access system.

Effectively we have a business running in a controlled fashion that meets ISO requirements, the business is fully controlled using Access and Access can demonstrate it's ISO compatibility, however I would not want to write a database to monitor ISO.

 

[CryLittleSister]

The new (to me) 2015 QMS has a lot to do with monitoring which should be fairly simple to do with the database I'm currently building to replace a very old one.
I'm still exploring what I can do with Access, my main objective for getting into it being how little effort I can put into the mundane aspects of my job. Now that I've had the ISO stuff thrown on my desk, I was hoping I could incorporate that and wondered whether it would likely be beneficial to have a dedicated database especially

 

[Tieval]

Personally I hate the concept of things dedicated specifically to ISO, ignoring Access completely, I hate the concept of ISO systems.

In my business we function correctly and because of this we are ISO compliant. In a perfect world there would be no ISO guides and the like, an auditor would just come and see how you operate and if satisfied award the standard.

We work in our ways and if an ISO consultant decides we are doing things wrong we argue with them. If he wins the argument we change our ways but we will not do anything for the sake of it.

So, my comment really is carry on building a database that will make your business function efficiently, then look to add monitoring into it. The process must come first, ISO last.

 

[CryLittleSister]

That's good advice, thanks.
The ISO is horrible for us, we run well but struggle to translate a lot.
For example, we have the EMS ISO 14001 which is environmental but we have almost no environmental impact to monitor. Our targets are based on mileage and paper but we print almost nothing and visit places that cannot be accessed with public transport. The only way we could reduce these things would be to stinge on business needs.

I have until September/October to figure out how to implement the updates from ISO 2004 so will concentrate on building the database we need first. Thanks

 

[Minty]

You have to remember with most of these standards (the exception is 27001 security) they are mainly concerned with you documenting your process, and process improvement. By definition in order to improve process you have to measure it to show any improvement.

How you measure it, and what you deem as a acceptable level of achievement in that measure, are entirely up to you however.

As long as you have some metric to go by you can show that you are achieving or exceeding that metric.

So taking your transport impact, you can easily show your current business travel and as a percentage how much could be done using alternative means. Set an achievable target lets say 75%. If you are already achieving that then you've monitored, and achieved your goal. Simples.

 

[Tieval]

Continuous improvement is a nightmare for those of us who are perfect

 

[Minty]

Continuous improvement is a nightmare for those of us who are perfect

Touché

Obviously present company excepted.

 

[mfranciscosfranco]

Does anybody use Microsoft Access to monitor ISO standards? Considering it for the 2015 QMS and EMS and wondered if anybody had any experience with doing so?

Já criou a base de dados? Existe na internet algum template que me possa guiar na criação da minha base de dados para a ISO 9001?
Obrigado.