News — Continual Improvement

The turning of the calendar to a New Year is traditionally the time when we stop and reflect on the coming year and changes that we may want to make. This is always a good time to take a look at your laboratory's management system and to assess whether improvements are in order.  Laboratories making the change to ISO/IEC 17025:2017 For laboratories that have not yet made the change to the 2017 version of ISO/IEC 17025:2017, now is the time to start planning for the changes. Don't wait until your assessment is looming and then rush to make the required...

A New Year's resolution is a common tradition. A person resolves to change an undesired trait or behaviour, or resolves to accomplish a personal goal or make an improvement. The start of the New Year is a good time to make some resolutions for your quality system as well. Here are some suggestions for resolutions that may help you improve your quality system, reduce the stress of last minute work, and/or lighten your workload. In 2018, I will .... Get started on updating my quality system to meet the requirements of the new standard. I want it done soon so...

A Quality Minute is a concise talk about a specific quality system topic that is relevant to the work being done in your laboratory. It is usually included in a team meeting. The talks can be done in various ways, but are typically a short one to five minute discussions on a quality-related topic. For example: What details should be included in a Corrective Action Report (CAR)? How to store samples in the refrigerator Impact of failing to isolate/tag defective equipment What is the purpose of the equipment maintenance log? Quality Minutes serve as reminders about the quality system. They...