By Rick Townsley, Ph.D.
Editor’s note: In this four-part series, contributor Rick Townsley offers a lively, if imaginative, look at an ISO 9001:2015 implementation at a single small business. In part one, we were introduced to The Pizza Shack restaurant and some various problems they were having with quality, customer service, and training, among other issues. In part two, Mario and Luigi begin to apply the principles of ISO 9001:2015 to improve. In part three, they discussed their organizational mission and launched a new product. In this, the fourth and final part of the series, the owners tie up some loose ends and anticipate a bright future. Any similarity to actual businesses are purely coincidental.
“Some time back,” says Luigi, “We determined what we needed to be successful: a clean, accessible shop with happy employees and reasonably priced food” (8.2.2, Determining the requirements for products and services; 8.5.1, Control of production and service provision; 7.1.3, Infrastructure; and 7.1.4, Environment for the operation of processes).
“We have all that stuff, son,” Mario quickly replies. “We have a policy to clean as you go and second shift wipes everything down and mops the floor at the end of their shift (7.1.3, Infrastructure). I also noticed that more people seem to be riding here on their bicycles, that’s why I added a bike stand and we also restriped the lines on our parking area and designated one spot for handicap parking (4.2, Understanding the needs and expectations of interested parties). I know our pizza prices are reasonable, more than reasonable if you compare us to The House of Pizza around the corner (8.2.3, Review of the requirements for products and services; 4.1, Understanding the organization and its context).
“So, on a related topic,” Luigi asks inquisitively, “How do we identify our pizzas to ensure freshness?”
“That’s easy. We make no pizza before its time.”
“So, we only make to order?” clarifies Luigi.
“That’s correct. If you see it on the counter for pick-up, its good (8.5.2, Identification and traceability). We may put it under the heat lamp, but for no more than an hour (8.5.4, Preservation). And yes, I have a date code on all our ingredients and have identified which ones need to be refrigerated (8.5.4, Preservation). We don’t want a bad FDA inspection (4.2, Understanding the needs and expectations of interested parties) or anyone getting sick from contaminated or expired ingredients” (8.5.5, Post-delivery activities).
“OK, sounds good,” replies Luigi, putting a check in the box (7.5, Documented information). “I noticed that old soda fountain on the corner of the counter. Are we still leasing that machine from Ralph’s Appliances?”
“Yes, why?” asks Mario. “It’s identified with their name and serial number, but we maintain and clean it like our own stuff (8.5.3, Property belonging to customers or external providers).
“OK, just wondering. It sure looks like we’re compliant. One last question, Pop,” Luigi asks with enthusiasm.
“Bring in on, Son,” Mario responds with gusto, “I’m on a roll!”
“How do we ensure that we get the customer’s order correct? In other words, how do we make sure we don’t mix orders?”
“That’s a good question son and is one I have worked out over the years,” replies a confident Mario (7.1.6, Organizational knowledge; 10, Improvement). “We have instructions for customer pick-up. Every employee working the check-out counter knows that they are to read the order back to the customer as they are putting the pizza in the box. They need to wait for a confirmation response before taking the customer’s money (8.6, Release of products and services; 8.2.1, Customer communication; and 8.2.3, Review of the requirements for products and services).
“Well Pop, looking back at where we were, what we’ve done and where we’re going (0.3.2, Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle) I think we have come a long way. Can’t wait for the next management review. This is just the beginning!”
“Me too, Son, me too…”.
About the author
Rick Townsley, Ph.D., is a Principal QA Engineer at Raytheon in Largo, FL. He holds a Ph.D. in business administration from Kennedy-Western University in Cheyenne, WY. A senior ASQ member, Townsley is an ASQ certified quality auditor, engineer, and manager of quality/organizational excellence. He is also an Exemplar Global QMS auditor.
©, Rick Townsley. All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or posting on the internet or an intranet, without prior written permission from the author: resourceinternational@msn.com.