Strategy to Action, Action to Success

Author: PaulS

  • We need to talk about quality!

    We need to talk about quality!

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    PaulS
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    A little while ago I created an article on LinkedIn about the use of the term ‘Management Review’, which references an article in CQI’s Quality World magazine going back to 2011. Fast forward to 2024; are we any further forward? Has the world of quality moved on in the last 8 or 13 years? Taking…

  • The Great Post Office Scandal

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    PaulS
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    Over the weekend media outlets were focused on the pay taken by senior Fujitsu executives over the period covered by the Horizon scandal. I am ashamed to say that ‘The Great Post Office Scandal: The story of the fight to expose a multimillion pound IT disaster which put innocent people in jail’ by Nick Wallis…

  • Boeing 737 Max 9

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    PaulS
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    Footage from the Alaskan Airlines flight landing at Portland, Oregon over the weekend was dramatic. Images showed a refrigerator-sized hole in the side of the craft, with terminal building lights visible through the gap as the plane landed. The cause of the emergency was a cabin door exit plug had blown out and the aircraft…

  • Is a missed government target a quality issue?

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    PaulS
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    In this recent BBC Article, the RAC stated that a government objective for every motorway service station in England to have at least six rapid or ultra-rapid chargers had been missed by the end of 2023. Politics aside, this made me think of the interconnectedness of our lives. Consumers are buying electric vehicles at an…

  • Post Office Horizon IT Scandal

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    PaulS
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    The TV series Mr Bates vs the Post Office portrays the shameful treatment of Sub Postmasters and Postmistresses by Post Office Ltd. The systemic failings of governance and assurance led to the persecution of innocent individuals, impacting hundreds of lives. The Horizon software’s quality was questioned, highlighting the miscarriage of justice. This drama sheds light…

  • ISO 9001:2015 – risk and opportunities

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    Below is an article I added to CQI’s blog in November 2015. In the third instalment of our guest blog series in collaboration with PMI, Paul Simpson asserts that, just as there are risks and opportunities that we respond to in daily organisational life, quality professionals should focus on the opportunities for improvement presented in ISO 9001:2015.…

  • ISO 9001:2015 Context is King

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    PaulS
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    In the article added to CQI’s blog in October 2015, the focus is on the significance of ‘context’ in ISO 9001:2015. Using a local corner shop as an example, the article emphasizes the need for organizations to understand and adapt to their operating environment. It highlights the responsibilities and implications of the standard’s requirements.

  • Lessons learned

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    PaulS
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    Business leaders and politicians frequently vow to “learn the lessons” from disasters such as election upsets, corporate failures, and tragedies like the Grenfell tower fire. Despite these promises, there is little evidence of meaningful change. The cycle of rhetoric and repetition continues, raising questions about when tangible action will follow.

  • 50% time elapsed – does that equal 50% complete?

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    PaulS
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    15 March 2017 has been and gone, it marked the halfway point for transition to certification to the latest edition of ISO 9001. If the project plan to have all certified organisations transition to the 2015 edition by 15th September 2018 is half complete then where are we compared with the gantt chart or resource…

  • Change in the railway

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    PaulS
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    Complex systems have inherent risk Whichever one we think about – weather, eco-systems, financial markets or railways – each has hazards and risks that we are unable to control fully due to the number of factors involved and volume of activities that occur daily. Changes to complex, man-made systems are managed to prevent catastrophic failures…