Month: August 2021

What is ISO 9001?

Posted: 8/27/2021

A stack of thick binders to represent the ISO 9001 and materials referenced to create the ISO 9001 manual.

Quality management systems (QMS) lay the groundwork for all quality control related tasks. They bring multiple internal processes together and provide a structured approach for executing projects. Overall, a QMS enables organizations to improve business performance through the metrics analyzed in the system.

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) quality management system standards (ISO 9001) are seen as the best-known and most widely-used in many countries. Because maintenance and asset management play a role in quality management, maintenance teams must be aware of ISO standards. Below, we will discuss the ISO standards related to quality management systems and its impact on maintenance management.

What is a Quality Management System (QMS)?

Before defining ISO 9001, it’s essential to know what a quality management system (QMS) is. A quality management system (QMS) is a formal system used to document procedures, processes, and tasks needed to achieve quality objectives. These systems help to direct and organize actions that will ensure the organization meets regulatory requirements, as well as improve efficiency and effectiveness. A QMS allows you to document policy information to increase customer satisfaction and improve product or service quality. ISO 9001 is designed to help you create and maintain a QMS standard which best suits your organization.

What is the ISO?

According to the ISO website, they are “an independent, non-governmental international organization with a membership of 165 national standards bodies.” It has members that bring experts together to share their knowledge and make consensus-based decisions that are relevant to the current market.

In addition to the ISO 9001 standard for QMS, they also have other standards including:

  • ISO/IEC 27001:2013 – Information Technology
  • ISO 14001:2015 – Environmental Management Systems
  • ISO 45000 Family – Occupational Health and Safety
  • ISO 4217 – Currency Codes
  • ISO 9000 Family (which includes ISO 9001) – Quality Management

There are too many standards to list them all here, but those stated above are just a few commonly used and recognized standards. If you would like to learn about more ISO standards, you can do so on this page of the ISO website.

What is the ISO 9001 Standard?

The ISO 9001 standard provides QMS requirements to be implemented for a company that wants to create the policies, processes, and procedures necessary to provide products and services that meet customer and regulatory needs while improving customer satisfaction.

The ISO 9001 standard sets out criteria which will guide the process under which your company creates and delivers products and services. It doesn’t tell anyone how to run their business. Rather, it is a standard that allows flexibility for organizations to define their own objectives and policies.

The ISO 9001 standard for creating a quality process was first published in 1987, revised in 2000, and most recently in 2015. It is based on seven quality management principles that make up standard requirements about what goes into creating products and services:

  • Context of the organization
  • Leadership
  • Planning
  • Support
  • Operation
  • Performance evaluation
  • Improvement

ISO 9001 emphasizes the need for top management to be involved in the QMS and demonstrate commitment to quality assurance in the leadership section. This commitment ensures customer focus, communicates the quality policy, and helps management to assign roles throughout the organization.

The planning section covers the need for everyone to plan for the ongoing function of the QMS, assessing the risks and opportunities. The support section involves managing resources, including employees, buildings, and infrastructure.

The operation section of the ISO 9001 includes product requirements review and design, as well as controlling external providers and nonconforming process outputs. Finally, the improvement section focuses on how to make the QMS better over time.

ISO 9001 Certification Process

What is ISO certification? Certification by an authorized, external auditing organization is critical because it ensures that your organization’s quality processes fully meet the ISO 9001 standard.  Formal certification demonstrates a commitment to product quality to customers and vendors that enhances the ability to market and sell the organization’s products and services.

The certification process is constructed of a series of formalized steps. Certification involves implementing a QMS, then hiring an authorized organization to audit and approve certification. If a QMS is already in place, then the first step is the audit of the current QMS process. After the implementation and/or audit, management reviews the information obtained to determine needed modifications before certification can be approved.

Next, the company takes any corrective action that is needed. Then the documentation is reviewed and a final audit is done. The company’s QMS is measured against the ISO 9001 standards. Upon successful completion the organization will receive an official certificate with a logo that can be used to demonstrate IS0 9001 status.

While organizations of any size can obtain this certification, the manpower and cost required to obtain and maintain ISO 9001 certification can be prohibitive for small and even mid-sized organizations. Applying for ISO 9001 certification legitimizes the procedures and practices stated in a company’s QMS.

Mandatory ISO 9001 Requirements

Among many mandatory ISO 9001 requirements are:

  • The monitoring and measuring of equipment calibration records
  • Records of training, skills, experience, and qualifications
  • Product or service requirements review records
  • Design and development input and output review records
  • Design and development changes and controls
  • Characteristics of products and/or services
  • Customer property records
  • Production provision change control records
  • Records of conformity of products with acceptance criteria
  • Records of nonconforming outputs
  • Proof of monitoring measurement results
  • Internal audit program
  • Result of management review
  • Result of corrective actions

Benefits of ISO 9001 Certification

While the long list of requirements might make ISO 9001 certification seem time consuming and costly, organizations have been shown to benefit greatly from gaining certification. Going through the ISO 9001 certification process causes the organization to look at the market’s current needs and trends. Incorporating this knowledge into the document improves customer satisfaction over time because a higher quality product is produced at a lower cost. Documenting the QMS creates streamlined policies and procedures throughout multiple departments.

It also improves the company image and reputation. This process reflects a culture of continuous improvement. Because ISO 9001 is often a requirement to be an accredited supplier, having the certification is an opportunity for new partnerships.

How ISO 9001 Relates to Maintenance Management

ISO 9001 relates to maintenance management in a few ways. Generally, Section 7.1.5: Monitoring and Measuring Resources, is evoked in maintenance management. It ensures conformity for all products and services, including making sure that all equipment is valid, up-to-date, calibrated, and working properly.

Computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) software can be used to help in the creation and maintenance of an ISO 9001 quality manual. Some policies and procedures are maintenance related and included in the manual; then they are enforced through the CMMS. This manual tells maintenance where to go and what to do in situations with safety or quality issues.

ISO 9001 guides maintenance management in developing maintenance policies and procedures that ensure product quality. The CMMS can help both with setting and maintaining an ISO 9001 standard for quality and can improve the maintenance management process. A CMMS can help with both product quality and asset uptime. A CMMS system is a tool that can be used to provide access to the documentation and enforce the quality policies to prove that they have been followed.

Employ FTMaintenance to Ease the Burden of ISO 9001 Certification on Your Organization

FTMaintenance CMMS software can help you comply with the ISO 9001 standards. For instance, the attachments feature allows you to attach a complete asset maintenance manual so that it is easily accessible in the CMMS. Having a full featured computerized maintenance management system like FTMaintenance and ensuring employees use it effectively will show auditors how the organization keeps precise asset maintenance records. FTMaintenance keeps data in a centralized location, ensuring information is up to date and operating procedures are regularly updated.

Equipment having a direct impact on the quality of the product can be tagged in FTMaintenance as ISO-critical. Employees trained to enforce and execute ISO 9001 compliant processes can be tracked with FTMaintenance. Procedures can also be identified as ISO 9001 compliant (or not). FTMaintenance can track and set due dates for preventive maintenance tasks and generate work orders. Tasks can be assigned to technicians with the most applicable skills for the job and the workload can be distributed more evenly.

Schedule a demo to learn more about how FTMaintenance can help you obtain and maintain ISO 9001 standard certification.

FTMaintenance Select v.1.2.3.0 Release Notes

Posted: 8/16/2021

FasTrak SoftWorks, Inc. is pleased to announce the release FTMaintenance Select v1.2.3.0, which incorporates the following:

Solutions

  • Work orders can now be created for a date/time before the current date/time from the Global Schedule.
  • The Work Order Form report now displays values for Location.
  • Asset Status and Asset Reason now display on the Equipment grid on the Equipment Under Maintenance
  • The Past Due Work Order List report can now be queried by Work Order Description.
  • The On Time Maintenance Report can now be queried by Work Order Number.
  • Corrected issues related to one-time Parts on Work Orders:
    • The Description field now displays the description entered by the user when creating or viewing the work order.
    • The Unit Price now displays the correct value when creating or viewing the work order.
    • The Quantity Allocated now displays the correct value when creating or viewing the work order.
    • The Quantity Used now displays the correct value when viewing the work order.
  • Corrected issues related to one-time Tools on Work Orders:
    • The Description field now displays the description entered by the user when creating or viewing the work order.
    • The Unit Price now displays the correct value when creating or viewing the work order.
    • The Quantity Allocated now displays the correct value when creating or viewing the work order.
    • The Quantity Used now displays the correct value when viewing the work order.
  • A unique name is no longer required to create a one-time Part, Tool, or Task.

FTMaintenance Select v.1.2.2.0 Release Notes

Posted: 8/6/2021

FasTrak SoftWorks, Inc. is pleased to announce the release FTMaintenance Select v1.2.2.0, which incorporates the following:

Features

  • Interface
    • Set and display the current time zone of the logged in user.
  • Work Order Management
    • Print work orders with attachments.
  • Reporting
    • Generate a report that displays work order completion metrics.
    • Generate a report that displays work orders by assigned labor resource.
    • Generate a report that displays downtime by asset.

Solutions

  • Corrected an issue that prevented Inventory Groups from being displayed when attempting to edit.
  • Corrected an issue that prevented the Priority drop-down list items from appearing on the Work Order creation page.
  • Vendor information can now be edited from an Asset record.
  • Indoor locations can now be created, added, or updated from an Inventory Item record without error.
  • Improved usability of the Service Request Form and Work Order Form reports.
  • Removed the requirement for a user to enter a Geofence Radius value.
  • Improved date range filters for service requests and work orders.
  • Corrected an issue that prevented phone numbers from being saved on Customer records.
  • Service Request configuration changes can now be saved without error.
  • New Inventory Item records now retain their Quantity on Hand values.
  • Corrected an issue that caused an error when selecting a Stockroom Location from the Location grid.
  • Individual occurrences of an appointment series can be deleted from the Global Schedule.
  • Improved Work Order Labor Log creation process.
  • Corrected an issue that prevented a Work Order Location’s Location Type from being saved.
  • Runtime Units can now be created or edited via an Asset record.
  • Reduced the requirements for generating the Active Work Orders List report.
  • The Asset Cost History Report now works as expected.
  • Updated report headers to include the name of the organization.
  • Corrected an issue that prevented the Work Order Description field data from being displayed in the work orders grid on the All Work Orders page.
  • Values for a Vendor’s Phone and Email fields now properly display in the Vendor Details window when accessed on the Vendors page.
  • Values for a Task’s Assigned To, Estimated Hours, Actual Hours, and Completed By fields now properly display on a Work Order Task.
  • Improved search functionality when using keyboard commands.
  • Values for a Labor Log’s Name and Hours Estimated fields now properly display on the Edit Labor Log window.
  • Improved navigation of Transactions pages.
  • Improved the process of creating a Work Order using the quick creation method.
  • Improved search functionality in Transactions History.
  • Improved the process of attaching a file to a work order.
  • Improved the ability for users to search list items in report queries.
  • A Location’s Description field now accepts multiple lines of text.
  • Improved query capability when filtering reports.
  • Corrected an issue that prevented reports from downloading.
  • An Asset’s Notes now reflect the correct date and time on which they were created.

How CMMS Software Makes an Executive’s Day Easier

Posted: 8/3/2021

Executive in hard hat with clipboard standing near machinery.

While executives don’t often use computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) software themselves, their goals and responsibilities can be impacted by how a CMMS is used. If the maintenance department uses CMMS software to its full potential, it can better the organization, giving upper management peace of mind. In order for executives to invest in CMMS software, they need to know how their team and organization can benefit from it. In this blog post, we will discuss what an executive is looking for in CMMS software and how executives benefit from the organization using the CMMS system.

The Role of Executives in Maintenance Management

There may be one or more executives that oversee the maintenance manager, such as the Plant Operations Manager, CFO, and CEO. Their role in maintenance management is to ensure the maintenance team has the resources, such as CMMS software, they need to do their jobs successfully and that they are performing to the requirements of the organization’s business plan. They also make sure maintenance stays within the budget for their department. Executives set standards and continually analyze information about asset performance and department costs. They are always envisioning the big picture and looking towards the future.

What Executives Need from CMMS Software

What do executives look for in CMMS software? Since they are often in charge of allocating funds for purchasing a CMMS system, they want to make sure that the software meets the needs of the maintenance teams that report to them. At the same time, maintenance teams will be providing them with a compilation of maintenance data that will allow them to make good strategic decisions.

Hit the Numbers

Like with many things in business, executives need to “hit the numbers” with CMMS software. That includes measuring and lowering operating costs over time using customized reports that compare key performance indicators (KPIs). These reports give them a guide map to finding ways to reduce costs and improve efficiency. Executives want to know the department-wide data averages, trends, and totals that can be readily compared against business plan metrics. They want to know average maintenance time/cost per machine to compare against the target cost and historical levels. They are very interested in trend data on technician labor costs, overall maintenance inventory levels, part order lead times, and asset down times.

Monitor Multiple Locations

Analyzing data from plant activities will help them figure out which processes work and which ones do not. Executives that run organizations with more than one location want to know which location is performing best and why. They also want to know which production line or machines are performing best. Then they can adapt what that location is doing for others so the organization can improve performance overall. Executives know being able to accommodate future growth or additional locations is also important when choosing CMMS software.

Read More: Scaling Your CMMS Software

Ensure Features Improve the Big Picture

An executive wants CMMS software to lower the risk of asset failure, lead to cost reduction, and increase productivity. They also look at the ROI from using the CMMS. Executives need features that allow them to analyze the big picture, which include reports encompassing high level data regarding:

  • Maintenance task performance – efficiency, effectiveness, and cost
  • Asset availability and lifecycles
  • Maintenance inventory – availability and cost
  • Labor resources – performance and cost

How Executives Benefit from CMMS

 

Man in dress shirt sitting at computer with ROI on the screen and coffee on desk.

Even though executives rarely use the software themselves, there are benefits they experience from the maintenance department staff using CMMS software properly. Here’s how executives benefit from CMMS.

Helps Them Stay in the Loop

Having access to their CMMS system keeps executives in the loop about performance of maintenance operations. This includes key achievements and challenges. This information helps executives to make informed decisions. The software provides high level reporting capabilities to accomplish this.

Extended Asset Life and Increased Asset Availability

Another important benefit of CMMS for executives (and the maintenance department as well) is that it helps to extend asset life. When preventive maintenance is planned in advance and carried out systematically using CMMS software, major breakdowns occur less often. Assets that are better maintained last longer and perform better. Using CMMS software for asset management  also increases the availability of all assets. When machines break down less often, production flows more smoothly and there is less downtime, which means products get made more efficiently.

Identifies Trends and Patterns

CMMS software helps executives identify trends and patterns. A CMMS will provide an executive with an overview of a department’s performance on all critical metrics.

Reinforces Standards and Procedures

Another benefit of CMMS software for executives is that it assures them that compliance with standards and procedures is reinforced and automated.

FTMaintenance is a Great CMMS Solution for Executives

As a busy executive, FTMaintenance is CMMS software that will meet your data and reporting standardization needs. Built-in maintenance reports, cost center tracking, and expense calculation features help you track maintenance costs to help “hit the numbers”. FTMaintenance also scales with your business so you can accommodate additional facilities or a growing staff. The work order management feature improves employee productivity and creates a digital history of maintenance work. To find out more about how FTMaintenance is a great solution for executives like you, schedule a demo with us today.