Wednesday, January 30, 2008

If you want to be enthusiastic, act enthusiastic


Many of us find conflict when we want to make a change in our lives. The quote above was said by Dale Carnegie, and the lesson to be learned is simply this: if you want a certain result, act out what it is you want.

School has started for me again and so far so good. The only frustration I have is not spending my time wisely. I go to work, I go to school and the rest of the day is spent wasting my precious time. Paper work is piling up among other goals. However, I am optimistic that this will change because I am not depressed by it. I am not disappointed in myself. I am happy with who I am and it is as simple as that.

I subscribe to some blogs, one of which is from i will change your life . com. Here is an interesting post that will get the brain and soul pumped.

“The successful person has the habit of doing the things failures don’t like to do. They don’t like doing them either necessarily. But their disliking is subordinated to the strength of their purpose.” — E.M. Gray

I write this having just returned from an early morning run. The local neighborhood looked beautiful covered in a thin layer of snow, but as you would expect I had the streets to myself at 5.30am.

Waking early has come to symbolize my personal development journey. I have gone from a person who would continually hit the snooze button to one who happily wakes at 5am most days (find out how by reading How I Won the Battle of the Bed). Some mornings are harder than others but, yes, I honestly do enjoy waking at 5am (although it took some adjusting to). Why? Because the morning is my time. It is the time I get to work on myself, write for this blog and visualize the path I want my life to take.

As I ran the lonely streets this morning, I had an inner feeling that I am doing things right. Part of the reason why relates to the fact that I am following a path most people choose not to take - the “road less traveled” as it is often called. I want to squeeze as much out of each and every day as possible.

I know waking early isn’t for everyone, but there are endless ways in which you can be different from the majority of people, and in doing so break away from the pack. Some ideas include:

* Watch little to no television
* Exercise regularly and eat incredibly well
* Be devoted to excellence in everything you do
* Have a strong bias towards taking action
* Create something unique
* Be a positive and passionate person
* Chase your dreams
* Take the time to build and nurture relationships
* Be masterful at managing your time
* Continually focus on adding value to the lives of other people

So then, my question for today is: what are you doing that’s different from the majority of people that has you on the path to success?

Here is another way to look at making a change by looking at some of our bad habits. This is from the Positivity Blog

“Be miserable. Or motivate yourself. Whatever has to be done, it’s always your choice”Wayne Dyer

I think that becoming a happier person is not so much about changing external circumstances as it is about changing your thinking.

You can pile up tons of positive external stuff in your life but if your internals are messed up then your life won’t become that much better.

And the thing is that if you get your thoughts into the right place then your outer world will start to align to those thoughts.

Now, there are quite a few ways to make yourself miserable. Here are 9 of them that I believe are some of the most popular. I have used them time and time again. I still do from time to time.

I’d recommend decreasing these thought habits as much as possible. Ditching them all together might be hard. But over time you can cut down on them significantly.

To remind yourself of them you may want to print out this article or write down a few of these ways that you feel especially apply to you.

You can use those notes as external reminders for the fridge or your bathroom mirror.

1. Compare everything you do to the lives and accomplishments of other people.

The problem with comparing yourself to others is that there will always be someone with more than you. So you get a car that is nicer than the ones your closest neighbours drive. And that feels awesome for a while. But then one day you see the young kid on the next block driving around in his new, cool and expensive sports car. And once again, you don’t feel so good anymore.

A more useful way of thinking is to compare yourself to yourself. Appreciate the progress you have made. Take a closer look at the areas where you aren’t improving as much as you’d like and try to figure out why. Then make a plan for how you can improve on those areas of your life.

2. Go along with what everyone else tells you. And try to please everyone.

Recognize that everyone will have opinions on what you can do. That doesn’t mean that you have to do what they say. You cannot live your life through the eyes of everyone else. Well, you can but then you’ll most likely feel a lot of pressure from every direction and not feel that well at all.

And even if you do try to please everyone you may find that some people aren’t pleased anyway. That’s because what they are saying doesn’t have much to do with you at all. What they are saying is just an outer reflection of their life and how they feel. If they didn’t say something negative to you then they would complain about cabbies, dog owners or whoever popped up in their mind or in front of their nose.

Now I could tell you that you should always think for yourself instead and make your decisions on what you know. The problem I have found with that point of view is that you and I are bit like everyone else. We also like to feel like we are right and are sitting on the best advice. So what you are thinking is right may not always be the best solution.

So try to do some research. Ask people who have actually been where you want to go what they have learned. Try to base you decisions on something substantial. Then just take action. In the end you have to experiment, fail over and over again and discover what actually works for you.

3. Live in a sea of negative voices.

What you allow into your mind will affect you. So be selective. If you’re hanging out with negative people all the time then that can really drag you down. It’s not easy to stay optimistic when pessimism is the default mode in your world.

Another part of this is getting hooked on the news and prophecies of the sky falling. The sky is probably not falling.

Consider spending less time with negative voices. Cut back on – or cut out –seeing negative people. Cut back on watching the news or even more spectacularly negative TV-shows. You’ll find yourself with a chunk of new, free and fresh time to do something more fun.

4. Never mix things up or try something new.

This one is sneaky. It can fool you into feeling that things are pretty OK. You have your pleasant, safe routine. But underneath there are fuzzy negative feelings of dissatisfaction that sometimes move up to the surface.

Remind yourself of the other times when you have tried something and how you most often don’t regret it at all. In fact, you probably had a pretty good time. Don’t fool yourself into complacency.

I’m not saying that need to go sky diving. But simply that it’s a good choice to mix things up, to get some diversity at least once in a while. The next time someone suggests trying something give a try. Or make a suggestion to your friends.

5. Spend too much of your time in the past and/or the future.

How much time do you spend thinking about something that has happened? Or on something that you think will happen?

How much time do you actually spend thinking about and observing what is actually in front of your nose right now?

It may seem like a pretty good idea to think about a great memory. Or dream about what you will do for the weekend or your vacation. And it is.

The thing is just that if you spend much time in the past or present then thoughts tend to spiral a bit out of control. You start to over think. You imagine future scenarios in an almost compulsive way. You replay and reinterpret old memories. You trap yourself in a negative downward spirals and moods.

Getting lost in these trains of thoughts is very easy. But you can also train yourself to keep a closer eye on your thoughts. If you start to question your own thoughts throughout the day with questions like: “is this useful?” then you can improve your understanding of what you are spending your time thinking about.

If you find what you are thinking isn’t really that useful just drop it and start thinking about something else. If you can’t just drop it – it isn’t easy sometimes – here are three suggestions:

* Focus most of your thinking on finding a solution. Not on wallowing in your negative thoughts. There is often something you can do about a situation. Focus your mind on finding that or those solutions. Then take action. This can bring you out of a negative mood and make you see light at the end of the tunnel.

* Focus on your breathing. Take a couple of dozen belly breaths and just focus your mind on your inhaling and exhaling. This will calm you down, release anxiety and align you with the present moment once again.

* Focus on what is in front of you right now. Instead of thinking over and over again about what your boss told you yesterday or what you want for dinner just focus on what’s right in front of you. When you are driving actually observe what is happening in front of you. When you ride the bus observe the people, trees and buildings.

Like so much else, being present is a muscle you have to build. You learn to stay longer in the now and it becomes easier to snap back into it after some training.

6. Focus on what you don’t want.

If you focus on what you don’t want then that is what your focus system in your mind, your reticular activating system (RAS), will find. If you focus on how everything is going down the toilet then your RAS will let you notice examples of that in your surroundings.

You can only bring into focus what you are focusing on. The rest will blur into the background. So if you want to earn more money don’t focus on your lack of money. Focus on how you can make more money. Opportunities will jump out at you in conversations, while you are reading the paper or watching TV or while you are just walking down the street. It can be a bit freaky sometimes. Suddenly, after having changed your focus, something that has obviously been there for quite some time in the background jumps out at you.

Just focusing on what you want won’t solve your problems though. You still need to take action over and over to take advantage of your newfound opportunities.

7. Spend your time looking for magic pills.

Reading a book on personal development won’t solve your problems. It’s kinda devious though because reading the book can make you feel like you are making progress. But without action there is little progress.

But this pleasant feeling of making progress can become addictive. It gives you an emotional high. So you read another book. And another. And you become a personal development junkie.
Always looking for that one thing that will change your life. But there are no real magic pills.
Some books are certainly more helpful than others. Especially if they wind up in your hand at the right time. When you are ready for them. And exposing your mind constantly to positive and helpful information is better than listening to negative voices. Over time it can help you change how you think and how you view your world.

But it is no substitute for taking action. Someone might try to sell you something that they promise will bring big rewards with basically no action your part. That’s probably just a sales pitch. The product itself may be good, great or useless. You never really know. You just have to try it out by taking action and see for yourself.

My recommendation is to stop looking for magic pills. Instead just buy a classic personal development book from authors like Tony Robbins, Brian Tracy or Eckhart Tolle. Then actually follow a tips or two of their tips for 30 days. Just focus on that. Then move on to another couple of pieces of advice. This will give you better results than running around in circles looking for magic pills. You can find some recommended books right here.

8. Always be looking for and relying on external validation.

This can be a huge one. External validation is basically that someone other than you validates you. They might tell you that you are smart, pretty, cool, successful etc. They tell you something that tells you that you are a person of value.

Now, this may sound all well and good. Getting compliments is wonderful. The problem is just that if you need validation from others then you let the outside world, other people, control how you feel. And that can be a real rollercoaster. Because if you need the positive validation from people then it’s hard to avoid listening to their negative input. Or you may feel bad when there is a pause in the validation.

So what do you do? You let go of the need for that input. But there will still be a need for validation. So you need to fill that up to not go back to really, really wanting validation from others.

You do that by validating yourself instead.
You think about how awesome you are. You appreciate how far you have come and the positive things you have done. You appreciate your own value in the world. You set goals and you achieve those goals. This builds confidence in yourself and in your abilities. These things will help you to build a habit of inner validation.

Don’t sell yourself short. Validate yourself and your accomplishments. Get off the rollercoaster that is over-reliance on external validation.

9. Take things too seriously.

Things are seldom really that serious. It’s most often your ego trying to fool you into thinking so. Because if your problems are serious, huge and important then that means that you must be important. It’s a way to try to raise your value for yourself and in the eyes of others.

It’s not a great way of thinking though. You’ll spend far too much time thinking the past and the future. You’ll create irritability and instability within yourself that is reflected into the outside world. You’ll probably spend quite a bit of time being hard on yourself.

Being hard on yourself might sound a like a good idea to “teach yourself a lesson”. I believe it’s better to drop such behaviour and learn what you can from mistakes and then move on. Being hard on yourself just seems to create a lot of negativity and problems within yourself. All in all, by taking things too seriously you can really go down, down, down into a negative spiral.

Lightening up and not taking things too seriously is more pleasurable and useful thing to do. I have done this by for example using a note on my fridge to remind myself to “Lighten up!” and by not identifying so much with my ego, emotions and thoughts. You can read all about it in

Lighten Up!
http://jolielaidediary.wordpress.com/2008/01/30/if-you-want-to-be-enthusiastic-act-enthusiastic/

Quality Management Principles

The following text is an integral reproduction of the content of the document "Quality Management Principles".

Introduction

This document introduces the eight quality management principles on which the quality management system standards of the revised ISO 9000:2000 series are based. These principles can be used by senior management as a framework to guide their organizations towards improved performance. The principles are derived from the collective experience and knowledge of the international experts who participate in ISO Technical Committee ISO/TC 176, Quality management and quality assurance, which is responsible for developing and maintaining the ISO 9000 standards.

The eight quality management principles are defined in ISO 9000:2000, Quality management systems Fundamentals and vocabulary, and in ISO 9004:2000, Quality management systems Guidelines for performance improvements.

This document gives the standardized descriptions of the principles as they appear in ISO 9000:2000 and ISO 9004:2000. In addition, it provides examples of the benefits derived from their use and of actions that managers typically take in applying the principles to improve their organizations' performance.

Principle 1: Customer focus
Principle 2: Leadership
Principle 3: Involvement of people
Principle 4: Process approach
Principle 5: System approach to management
Principle 6: Continual improvement
Principle 7: Factual approach to decision making
Principle 8: Mutually beneficial supplier relationships
The next step

http://www.iso.org/iso/iso9000-14000/iso9000/qmp.html

Sunday, January 27, 2008

ISO Process Approach and Element of Quality Management System

What is the ISO Process Approach?

The ISO standards are structured around the Process Approach concept. Two of the eight quality management principles are key to understanding this principle:
  • Process Approach - Understand and organize company resources and activities to optimize how the organization operates.
  • System Approach to Management - Determine sequence and interaction of processes and manage them as a system. Processes must meet customer requirements.

Therefore, when company resources and activities are optimally organized, and managed as a system, the desired result is achieved more efficiently.

In order to effectively manage and improve your processes, use the Plan-Do-Check-Act or PDCA cycle as a guide. First, you Plan by defining your key processes and establishing quality standards for those processes. Next, you Do by implementing the plan. Thirdly, you Check by using measurements to assess compliance with your plan, and finally, you Act by continuously improving your product performance.

What are the Elements of a Quality Management System?

ISO standards are documented rules and guidelines for implementing a quality system into your company. Specific technical specifications and/or other specific criteria may also be included depending on the standard you select.

The ISO 9001 standard is a model of a quality system, describing the processes and resources required for registration of a company's quality system. This ISO System diagram shows the management system and processes that are part of the ISO quality management standard. A brief summary of the key requirements is detailed below.

  • QMS - Document processes necessary to ensure product or service is of high quality and conforms to customer requirements.
  • Management Responsibility - Provide a vision. Show commitment. Focus on the customer. Define policy. Keep everyone informed.
  • Resource Management - Assign the right person to the job. Create and maintain positive workspace.
  • Product Realization - Clearly understand customer, product, legal and design requirements. Ensure specifications are followed. Check your suppliers.
  • Measurement, Analysis & Improvement - Identify current and potential problems. Monitor and measure customer satisfaction. Perform internal audits. Fix problems.

to be continued...

http://www.wahanaconsultants.com/quality_&_iso_explained.htm

Saturday, January 26, 2008

Ngengat dan Kehidupan

NGENGAT DAN KEHIDUPAN Diambil dari: Anonim

Saat kita mengamati sebuah kepompong, akan nampak keluar dari sana seekor ngengat, yang sering dipandang jauh lebih jelek dibanding kupu2. Padahal ngengat jauh lebih kuat & lebih cepat daripada kupu-kupu. Pada waktu akan keluar, ada lubang kecil dari kepompong, yang nantinya membesar dan menjadi jalan keluarnya ngengat ke alam bebas.

Kita bisa membantu ngengat keluar lebih cepat dengan memperbesar lubangnya. Tapi karena tidak sesuai dengan waktu alam, maka kemungkinan besar ngengat akan mati.

Ketika kita berdoa meminta sesuatu dari Tuhan, sadarkah kita bahwa Dia tidak akan mengabulkan permintaan kita bila saatnya belum tepat ? Maka kita akan terus bertanya kenapa Tuhan tidak mengabulkan doa saya ? Mungkin bila Tuhan langsung mengabulkannya, kita akan `mati' karena belum cukup dewasa untuk mempertanggungjawabkan apa yang Tuhan berikan.

Jadi, tetaplah bersabar sambil terus berkarya dengan apa yang sudah dimiliki. Mungkin apa yg telah kita punya sekarang dapat menghasilkan `sutera' yg berguna bagi orang banyak.

What is ISO (continue)

The ISO 9000 Quality Manual
The standard requires companies to write an ISO 9000 quality manual that defines how each requirement of the rather broad ISO 9001:2000 standard is applied at the company. In a sense, the ISO 9000 quality manual is a company specific version of the standard.

While writing the quality manual represents a big hurdle for most companies, the ISO 9001:2000 standard requires further details in form of ISO 9000 quality procedures, a quality policy and quality objectives. Most companies make the mistake of creating various different documents to meet these requirements; however, this usually is the beginning of a cumbersome and bureaucratic ISO 9000 quality system.

Tip: Combine the different documentation requirements (i.e., quality manual, procedures, corporate policy and objectives) as much as possible into one comprehensive manual. This reduces repetition and bureaucracy, and it saves time implementing the quality system. See our Product Collection section for your consideration.

Templates for Quality Manuals and Forms
Using templates for ISO 9001 quality manuals, procedures and forms can have huge benefits for an organization. Templates are usually in the form of existing and proven manuals, procedures and forms. Follow the link for more information on the use of.

Tip: The ISO 9000 quality manual and the ISO 9000 quality procedures are a vital part of any ISO 9001 quality system. You can get a huge head start by purchasing a good template quality manual (a sample quality manual that you can use as a good example and that you can modify to make it your own quality manual). See our Product Collection section for suggestions and reviews.

What is ISO 9001 Certification?
ISO 9001 certification is also known as ISO 9001 registration, ISO 9000 certification (if one is less precise), ISO 9000 registration, ISO 9001:2000 certification (if one specifically refers to the latest version of the ISO 9001 standard), or ISO 9001:2000 registration. All of these refer to an independent certification body attesting that your company’s ISO 9001 quality management system meets all requirements of the ISO 9001 2000 standard. Typically, the certification company sends one or more auditors to perform an initial audit of the quality management system. If no significant gaps to the ISO 9000 requirements are discovered, a certificate is issued. The certificate is typically valid for three years provided that period audits (usually every 6 - 12 months) continue to show compliance.

Tip: Evaluate your registrar carefully with the goal of finding a registrar whose auditors are flexible (because there are countless ways of fulfilling the ISO 9000 requirements and some may fit better for an individual business) and whose auditors don't mind sharing their experiences (auditors are not allowed to consult but they are allowed to share what they have seen to work for other companies).

to be continue...
http://www.wahanaconsultants.com/quality_&_iso_explained.htm

Thursday, January 24, 2008

ISO 9001:2000
which gives the requirements for quality management systems, is now firmly established as the globally implemented standard for providing assurance about the ability to satisfy quality requirements and to enhance customer satisfaction in supplier-customer relationships.
Read more

ISO 9000 essentials

This section concisely describes the essential features of the ISO 9000 family.

The ISO 9000 family of standards represents an international consensus on good quality management practices. It consists of standards and guidelines relating to quality management systems and related supporting standards.


ISO 9001:2000 is the standard that provides a set of standardized requirements for a quality management system, regardless of what the user organization does, its size, or whether it is in the private, or public sector. It is the only standard in the family against which organizations can be certified – although certification is not a compulsory requirement of the standard.


The other standards in the family cover specific aspects such as fundamentals and vocabulary, performance improvements, documentation, training, and financial and economic aspects.

Why an organization should implement ISO 9001:2000


Without satisfied customers, an organization is in peril! To keep customers satisfied, the organization needs to meet their requirements. The ISO 9001:2000 standard provides a tried and tested framework for taking a systematic approach to managing the organization's processes so that they consistently turn out product that satisfies customers' expectations.

How the ISO 9001:2000 model works


The requirements for a quality system have been standardized - but many organizations like to think of themselves as unique. So how does ISO 9001:2000 allow for the diversity of say, on the one hand, a "Mr. and Mrs." enterprise, and on the other, to a multinational manufacturing company with service components, or a public utility, or a government administration?

The answer is that ISO 9001:2000 lays down what requirements your quality system must meet, but does not dictate how they should be met in any particular organization. This leaves great scope and flexibility for implementation in different business sectors and business cultures, as well as in different national cultures.


Checking that it works

  1. The standard requires the organization itself to audit its ISO 9001:2000-based quality system to verify that it is managing its processes effectively - or, to put it another way, to check that it is fully in control of its activities.
  2. In addition, the organization may invite its clients to audit the quality system in order to give them confidence that the organization is capable of delivering products or services that will meet their requirements.
  3. Lastly, the organization may engage the services of an independent quality system certification body to obtain an ISO 9001:2000 certificate of conformity. This last option has proved extremely popular in the market-place because of the perceived credibility of an independent assessment.
The organization may thus avoid multiple audits by its clients, or reduce the frequency or duration of client audits. The certificate can also serve as a business reference between the organization and potential clients, especially when supplier and client are new to each other, or far removed geographically, as in an export context.

Source: http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_catalogue/management_standards/iso_9000_iso_14000/iso_9000_essentials.htm

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Waht is ISO?

ISO or the International Organization for Standardization is a non-governmental organization that was established in 1947. ISO includes a network of 157 national standards bodies (as of 9/12/06) from the world’s leading industrial nations. One of the main goals of ISO is to develop worldwide standardization by promoting adoption of international quality standards. By doing so, barriers of trade are eliminated.


ISO has created 15,000 standards as of 8/16/05 in a variety of industries. Examples of standards ISO has created include the standardized codes for country names, currencies and languages, standardized format of worldwide telephone and banking cards, as well as sizes and colors of road signs, and automobile bumper heights.


ISO includes 3,000 technical working bodies (as of 9/12/06), in which some 50,000 experts from industry, labor, government, and standardization bodies in all parts of the world develop and revise standards. ISO has created standards for the automotive, manufacturing, mechanics, packaging, and health care fields amongst many others.


Standards can be broadly sub-divided into three categories, namely product, process, and management standards. The first refers to characteristics related to quality and safety for example. Process standards refer to the conditions under which products and services are to be produced, packaged or refined. Management system standards assist organization to manage their operations. They are often used to help create a framework that then allows the organization to consistently achieve the requirements that are set out in product and process standards.



What is ISO 9000?
What is the difference between ISO 9000, ISO 9001, and ISO 9001:2000? And what are ISO 9002 and ISO 9003?

The quick answer is “none”. These terms are all used to describe the ISO 9001 standard. Prior to December 2000, there used to be an ISO 9001, an ISO 9002 and an ISO 9003 standard; without focusing on the technical differences between them, people would just simply refer to each as ISO 9000. In December 2000, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) merged ISO 9001, ISO 9002, and ISO 9003 into a revised ISO 9001 standard. In order to distinguish between the previous ISO 9001 version, the current standard is often referred to as ISO 9001:2000 or ISO 9000:2000.

► Tip: More detailed information can be found on http://www.iso.ch/.



Summary of the ISO 9001 Standard
The ISO 9000 standard contains requirements affecting virtually all aspects of any company. Because ISO 9000 is designed for any company of any size and in any industry, the requirements are rather broad and hard to read. The ISO 9001:2000 requirements fall into the following sections:



Section 1: Quality Management System
This section of the ISO 9001:2000 standard outlines the necessary steps to implement the ISO 9001 quality management system:

  1. Identify the process (or activities) needed for the quality management system,
  2. Determine the sequence and interaction of these processes,
  3. Determine how these processes are effectively operated and controlled,
  4. Ensure that all information is available to support the operation and monitoring of these processes,
  5. Measure, monitor and analyze these processes, and implement action necessary to correct the processes and achieve continual improvement.

The ISO 9000 quality management system requires documentation that includes a quality manual, certain procedures, as well as work instructions. All documentation (including quality records) must be controlled according to a document control procedure. Also in this section, ISO 9001 emphasizes the need for continuous improvement.

► Tip: Most companies find the documentation requirements daunting. The use of templates can be of tremendous benefits. See our Product Collection section for your consideration.

Section 2: Management Responsibility
ISO 9001:2000 places great emphasis on top management’s commitment to quality. This section requires a quality policy and quality objectives, and it reinforces the involvement of top management with customer requirements.

This ISO 9001 section also requires top management to establish responsibilities and authorities within the company, including the establishment of an ISO 9000 management representative.

► Tip: Use a good standard format for all job descriptions – this will save much time when creating new job descriptions, when advertising positions, when performing employee evaluations, etc.

Section 3: Resource Management
This section of ISO 9001:2000 clarifies the requirement for a company to determine and provide, in a timely manner, resources (for example, equipment, facilities, etc) needed to implement and improve the processes of the ISO 9001 quality management system and to address customer satisfaction. This section also includes requirements for employee training, as well as for the physical facilities and the work environment.

► Tip: Integrate your company’s HR function well into your ISO 9001 quality system, and make them take on a leading role during the ISO 9001 implementation.

Section 4: Product Realization
The ISO 9001:2000 standard defines Product Realization as “that sequence of processes and sub processes required to achieve the product.” This is how your product is designed, produced, tested, handled, shipped, etc. This section also applies to service providers. Emphasis is placed on how the company understands, communicates and actually meets customer requirements. This section also contains various requirements for the design of products and for the planning of processes, projects and services.

► Tip: Most companies write work instructions and flowcharts to define and standardize their work processes. You will save yourself much time if you follow the ISO 9001 requirements for document control from the outset when writing these documents.

Section 5: Measurement, Analysis and Improvement
The last section of the ISO 9001:2000 standard closes the loop by providing requirements for measurement and monitoring activities, so that the company can immediately identify when not on track. Measurement and monitoring activities also include internal audits and the monitoring of customer perception as to whether the company has fulfilled customer requirements. All of these activities must be defined, planned and implemented. Measuring and monitoring allows the company to manage by fact, not by guess.

► Tip: This is a very important section of the ISO 9001 standard. Depending on how it is implemented, it can add tremendous value or create bureaucracy and waste. We highly recommend placing emphasis on this crucial ISO 9001 section.

To be continued...

http://www.wahanaconsultants.com/

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

DALAM KATA-KATA MEREKA SENDIRI_01

Saya adalah seorang mahasiswa pasca-sarjana dalam bidang matematika di Universitas of California, Berkeley. Datang terlambat di kelas seperti biasanya, saya dengan cepat menyalin dua soal matematika dari papan tulis, beranggapan bahwa kedua soal itu adalah pekerjaan rumah. Ketika saya duduk mengerjakannya pada malam hari, saya mendapatinya sebagai soal paling sulit yang pernah diberikan oleh profesor saya. Beberapa malam saya berusaha mengerjakannya, pertama-tama berusaha untuk menyelesaikan soal yang satu dan kemudian yang lainnya tanpa keberhasilan. Namun saya terus mengerjakannya.

"beberapa hari kemudian, saya melakukan terobosan dan menyelesaikan kedua soal tersebut. Saya mengumpulkan pekerjaan rumah tersebut. Profesor meminta saya untuk menaruhnya di atas mejanya. Di mejanya ada tumpukan kertas yang begitu tinggi sehingga saya khawatir bahwa pekerjaan rumah saya akan terhilang di tengah-tengah tumpukan. Dengan enggan, saya menaruhnya dan melangkah pergi."

"Enam minggu kemudian, pada hari Minggu pagi, saya dibangunkan oleh sebuah ketukan di pintu. Saya kaget melihat bahwa yang datang adalah profesor saya. 'George! George!' ia berteriak, 'Anda menemukan jawabannya!'

"'Ya, tentu, 'kata saya. 'Apakah seharusnya saya tidak bisa mengerjakannya?' Profesor tersebut menjelaskan bahwa kedua soal di papan itu bukanlah pekerjaan rumah; keduanya adalah dua soal terkenal yang sejauh ini tidak bisa dipecahkan oleh para ahli matematika terkenal. Ia hampir tidak bisa mempercayai bahwa hanya dalam beberapa hari saya telah menyelesaikan keduanya."

"jika seseorang telah mengatakan kepada saya bahwa keduanya adalah soal-soal terkenal yang tidak terjawab, mungkin saya tidak akan pernah mencoba menyelesaikannya. Hal ini menunjukkan kekuatan berpikir positif."

George B. Dantzig adalah seorang profesor Riset Operasi dan Ilmu Komputer di Stanford University.

Saturday, January 12, 2008

QUALITY AND ISO EXPLAINED

What is Quality?

Quality is the customer’s perception of how a good or service is fit for their purpose and how it satisfies stated and implicit specifications.
Quality in an organization is best achieved by Management creating a Quality Management System (QMS). A QMS is a formalized system that documents the company structure, management and employee responsibilities, and the procedures required to deliver a quality product or service. Four quality tools should be utilized when creating a QMS: Quality Manual, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), work instructions and supporting documentation as flowcharts and quality records. All four tools must be consistent, coherent and work together to increase the perceived value of the good or service.

How do I manage Quality?

Quality Management is effectively managing your company QMS to achieve maximum customer satisfaction at the lowest overall cost. Quality Management (QM) is a continuous process that requires inputs of time, effort and commitment from all company resources.

Eight QM principles form the foundation for effective quality management:

Customer Focus - Understand your customer’s needs. Measure customer satisfaction. Strive to exceed their expectations.

Leadership - Management establishes the strategy and leads the company toward achieving its objectives. Management creates an environment that encourages staff to continuously improve and work towards satisfying the customer.

People Involvement - Train your staff effectively. Teamwork and full employee involvement makes quality a reality.

Continuous Improvement - Continue to make things better.

Process Approach - Understand and organize company resources and activities to optimize how the organization operates.

Factual Approach to Decision Making - Make decisions based on the facts. Data must be gathered, analyzed and assessed against the objectives.

System Approach to Management - Determine sequence and interaction of processes and manage them as a system. Processes must meet customer requirements.

Mutually Beneficial Supplier Relationships - Work with your suppliers to produce a win-win outcome.

... to be continued

http://www.wahanaconsultants.com/

Friday, January 11, 2008

MENGATASI PENYAKIT MALAS

MENGATASI PENYAKIT MALAS Diambil dari: Rasa Malas dan Cara Mengatasinya oleh Edy Zaqeus

Malas adalah penyakit mental. Siapa dihinggapi rasa malas, sukses pasti jauh dari gapaian. Rasa malas diartikan sebagai keengganan seseorang untuk melakukan sesuatu yang seharusnya atau sebaiknya dia lakukan. Masuk dalam keluarga besar rasa malas adalah menolak tugas, tidak disiplin, tidak tekun, rasa sungkan, suka menunda sesuatu, mengalihkan diri dari kewajiban,dll. Jika keluarga besar dari rasa malas ini mudah sekali muncul dalam aktivitas sehari-hari kita, maka dijamin kinerja kita akan jauh menurun. Bahkan bisa jadi kita tidak pernah bisa mencapai sesuatu yang lebih baik sebagaimana yang kita inginkan.

Rasa malas sejatinya merupakan sejenis penyakit mental. Siapa pun yang dihinggapi rasa malas akan kacau kinerjanya dan ini jelas-jelas sangat merugikan. Sukses dalam karir, bisnis, dan kehidupan umumnya tidak pernah datang pada orang yang malas. Rasa malas juga menggambarkan hilangnya motivasi seseorang untuk melakukan pekerjaan atau apa yang sesungguhnya dia inginkan. Nah, bagaimana cara mengatasinya ? Berikut kiat-kiatnya :

1. MEMBUAT TUJUAN
Orang yang malas biasanya TIDAK MEMILIKI MOTIVASI untuk berkembang ke arah kehidupan yang lebih baik. Sementara orang yang tidak memiliki motivasi biasanya TIDAK MEMILIKI TUJUAN HIDUP yang pantas dan layak untuk diraih. Dan orang yang tidak memiliki tujuan-tujuan hidup, biasanya sangat jarang bahkan mungkin tidak pernah menuliskan resolusi atau komitmen pencapaian hidup.

Tanpa tujuan, resolusi, atau komitmen-komitmen pencapaian hidup, maka seseorang hanya bergerak secara naluriah dan sangat rentan diombang-ambingkan situasi di sekelilingnya. Posisi seperti ini membuatnya menjadi pasif, menunggu, TERGANTUNG PADA SITUASI, dan cenderung menyerah pada nasib. Tidak adanya sumber-sumber motivasi hidup menyebabkan kemalasan. Supaya motivasi muncul, seseorang harus berani memutuskan tujuan hidupnya.

2. MENGASAH KEMAMPUAN
Orang yang memiliki tujuan-tujuan hidup yang pasti, membuat resolusi dan komitmen-komitmen pencapaian biasanya memiliki motivasi tinggi. Akan lebih baik lagi jika tujuan dilengkapi dengan AKTIVITAS PEMBELAJARAN, seperti mencari cara yang efisien dan efektif untuk mencapai tujuan tersebut. Kita juga perlu mengasah kemampuan secara berkala supaya langkah yang diambil itu akan membawa kita pada pencapaian tujuan.

Contoh : jika pada tahun yang sudah ditargetkan kita ingin menjadi konsultan, maka sejak sekarang aktivitas kita sudah harus difokuskan ke arah tujuan tersebut. Kita harus terus mengasah kemampuan mendiagnosa masalah, menemukan penyebab, menganalisis, mengkomunikasikan gagasan, menawarkan solusi, dan memperbaiki kemampuan presentasi.

Jika aktivitas-aktivitas pembelajaran itu dilakukan secara konsisten dan dengan komitmen sepenuhnya, maka kita telah berada di JALUR YANG BENAR. Kemampuan kita dalam menghadapi dan menyelesaikan masalah juga akan meningkat. Dengan sendirinya ini akan semakin memperkuat rasa percaya diri kita, menebalkan komitmen pencapaian tujuan, dan tentu saja menumbuhkan semangat.

Sebaliknya, jika kita sama sekali menolak aktivitas-aktivitas pembelajaran, komitmen akan semakin melemah, semangat turun, dan kemalasan akan datang dengan cepat. Pada titik ini, tujuan-tujuan, resolusi atau komitmen yang sudah kita buat sudah tidak memiliki arti lagi. Sayang sekali.

3. PERGAULAN DINAMIS
Para pemenang berkumpul dengan sesama pemenang, sementara para pecundang cenderung berkumpul dengan sesama pecundang. Ungkapan tersebut mengandung kebenaran. Sulit sekali bagi seorang pemalas untuk hidup di lingkungan para pemenang. Sulit bagi orang malas untuk berada secara nyaman di tengah-tengah orang yang sangat optimis, sibuk, giat bekerja, dan bersemangat mengejar prestasi. Demikian sebaliknya. Sulit sekali bagi para high achiever untuk betah berlama-lama dengan para orang malas dan pesimistik.

Situasi atau lingkungan di mana kita berada sungguh ada pengaruhnya. Orang yang mulai dihinggapi rasa malas sangat dianjurkan agar menjauhi mereka yang juga mulai diserang kebosanan, putus asa, rasa enggan, apalagi negative thinking. Sepintas, berkeluh kesah dengan mereka dengan orang-orang seperti itu dapat melegakan hati. Ada semacam rasa pelepasan dari belenggu psikologis. Walau demikian, dalam situasi malas sedang menyerang, mendekati orang-orang yang sedang down sama sekali tidak menolong satu sama lain.

Jika rasa malas mulai menyerbu kita, jangan berlama-lama duduk berdiam diri. Cara paling ampuh menghilangkan kemalasan adalah bangkit berdiri dan menghampiri orang-orang yang sedang tekun dan bersemangat melakukan sesuatu. Manusia-manusia optimis, self-motivated, punya ambisi, positive thinking, dan memiliki tujuan hidup pasti, umumnya MEMANCARKAN AURA POSITIF kepada apa pun dan siapa pun di ekelilingnya. Pancaran optimisme dan semangat itulah yang bisa menginspirasi orang lain, bahkan menularkan semangat yang sama sehingga orang lain jadi ikut tergerak.

4. DISIPLIN DIRI
Jika kita mau bersikap keras dan disiplin pada diri sendiri, maka banyak hal akan bisa kita kerjakan dengan baik. Bayangkan, bagaimana seorang atlet bisa menjadi juara jika dia tidak disiplin berlatih dengan tekun ? Bagaimana mungkin ada pekerja profesional yang bagus karirnya jika dia sering mangkir atau bolos kerja ?

Sebaliknya, jika kita terlalu lunak atau memanjakan diri sendiri, memelihara kemalasan, mentolerir kinerja buruk, tidak merasa bersalah jika lalai atau gagal dalam tugas, maka dunia luar akan sangat tidak bersahabat. Olahragawan yang manja pasti tidak akan pernah jadi juara. Seorang sales yang malas tidak akan pernah besar penjualannya. Jika Anda lunak pada diri sendiri, maka dunia akan keras pada Anda.

Rasa malas jelas merugikan. Obat mujarabnya adalah menumbuhkan KEBIASAAN MENDISIPLINKAN DIRI dan menjaga kebiasaan positif tersebut. Sekalipun seseorang memiliki cita-cita atau impian yang besar, jika kemalasannya mudah muncul, maka cita-cita atau impian besar itu akan tetap tinggal di alam impian. Jadi, kalau Anda ingin sukses, jangan mempermudah munculnya rasa malas.