Summary: A continuous improvement assessment follows four structured phases — plan, do, check, act — to help organizations systematically identify non-conformances, reduce cost of poor quality (COPQ), and strengthen their quality management systems. For Quality Managers, Plant Managers, and Process Improvement Leads working under ISO 9001 Clause 10 and IATF 16949, this PDCA-based framework maximizes […]
Quality Management
Keeping Quality High: The Benefits of a Layered Process Audit
Summary: Layered process audits (LPAs) use frequent, multi-level assessments of manufacturing processes to identify root causes of defects before they reach finished products, helping organizations meet acceptance quality limits under ISO 2859-1. For Quality Managers and Plant Managers operating under ISO 9001, IATF 16949, and VDA 6.3, implementing LPAs provides a structured approach to reducing […]
What Is An ISO 9001 Audit And How To Be Prepared
Summary: An ISO 9001 audit systematically evaluates your quality management system against international standards, verifying QMS alignment, identifying non-conformances, and developing corrective actions for continual improvement. Organizations that implement ISO 9001 report up to 18% increases in client satisfaction and 15% cost reductions — making audit preparation a high-impact activity for QA Managers, Quality Engineers, […]
What Are Quality Assurance Inspections And Why They Matter
Summary: Quality assurance inspections are structured evaluations that verify products and processes meet established standards, helping organizations identify defects, reduce non-conformance rates, and lower the cost of poor quality (COPQ). For Quality Managers and Plant Managers operating under ISO 9001, IATF 16949, or FDA cGMP, implementing consistent QA inspection programs is essential for maintaining audit […]
Kaizen for Continuous Improvement: How it Works
Summary: Kaizen, the Japanese continuous improvement methodology, provides a structured framework of incremental process refinements that directly align with ISO 9001 Clause 10.3 and IATF 16949 requirements for continual improvement. Built on the 5S principles of sort, straighten, shine, standardize, and sustain, Kaizen empowers QA Managers and Quality Engineers to systematically reduce non-conformance rates, improve […]
Improving Operational Quality: The Role of Qualitative Risk Assessment
Summary: Qualitative risk assessment complements quantitative data by capturing employees' perceptions of risk severity and likelihood, providing insights that production metrics alone cannot reveal. For QA Managers and Quality Engineers operating under ISO 9001 Clause 6.1 risk-based thinking requirements, combining qualitative and quantitative risk assessments strengthens operational quality, improves non-conformance detection, and drives more effective […]
What is 6S Lean — and How Can It Improve Your Operations?
Summary: The 6S system combines the five pillars of 5S — sort, straighten, shine, standardize, and sustain — with a sixth element: safety. For Quality Managers and Process Improvement Leads working under ISO 9001 and IATF 16949, implementing 6S creates a standardized, organized workplace that directly reduces process variation, improves first pass yield (FPY), lowers […]
What is a Corrective Action Plan? (CAP).
Summary: A corrective action plan is important because it turns a safety issue or compliance gap into a controlled process for finding root cause, assigning fixes, and preventing recurrence. Instead of relying on temporary workarounds, a corrective action plan creates accountability, documentation, and follow-up that stand up to OSHA inspections and ISO 45001 audits. For […]
The Gemba Walk: The First Step Toward Continuous Improvement
Summary: The Gemba walk is a foundational continuous improvement practice where managers observe work processes firsthand on the shop floor rather than relying solely on reports and data. For QA Managers and Quality Engineers, Gemba walks verify that actual practices align with documented QMS procedures required under ISO 9001, helping identify non-conformances, process variation, and […]
Certainty Software Simplifies Mobile Quality Assurance Inspections
Mobile quality inspections allow construction and infrastructure companies to collect audit data from remote job sites in real time. Strike Group, an industry leader in infrastructure construction and maintenance headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, adopted Certainty Software to streamline quality assurance audits across its 24 locations and five divisions. Strike has been recognized as a Best […]
Certainty at Rocky Brands for Quality Assurance and Control
Summary: Rocky Brands, an ISO 9001:2015 certified global footwear manufacturer, transformed its quality assurance program by replacing paper-based audits with Certainty's digital inspection platform. The transition eliminated manual data entry, enabled real-time non-conformance tracking across manufacturing facilities in Ohio, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic, and gave QA Managers the audit completion visibility and corrective […]
Cambridge Weight Plan Choose Certainty for Quality Control Inspections
Quality control inspections are critical in food and nutrition manufacturing, where teams need reliable processes, documented checks, and timely follow-up. Cambridge Weight Plan selected Certainty to help support production activities, maintenance tracking, and inspection workflows with a more consistent digital approach. Summary: Cambridge Weight Plan used Certainty to support production schedules, maintenance tracking, and inspection […]
What Type of Implementation Support Does Your Solution Offer?
We’ve been involved in the design, development, and implementation support of enterprise-level software for over 20 years, which is why our team of experts puts together this 10-part series on evaluating Enterprise-level software. We’ll cover topics ranging from security, data collection and reporting requirements, implementation resources, pricing/cost models, and more, to ensure your next enterprise […]
The Importance of Centralized Software Administration
Last week we looked at the importance of discovering whether the new enterprise software you’re considering meets your organization’s language requirements. Is the solution you’re evaluating a good fit? Let’s move on to the central, corporate-wide centralized software administration capabilities. Having been in the enterprise-level software industry for decades, we have been involved in hundreds […]
Does My Organization Need Multilingual Enterprise Software?
Summary: Multilingual Enterprise Inspection Software is essential when inspection and compliance workflows span teams that speak different languages. Giving workers and managers forms, instructions, and corrective actions in their preferred language improves adoption, reduces misunderstandings, and strengthens reporting quality across sites. We’ve been involved in the design, development, and implementation of enterprise-level software for over […]
