The compound effect
We’re at the midpoint in the year and most construction materials laboratories are in full swing! Non-essential activities typically take the back seat and, unfortunately, the details of the quality management system will typically take a hit. Wouldn’t it be nice to wrap up all those activities and have some sort of a system or process that could enable us to get the non-essential activities done in a timely manner? Well YES! No matter the size of your QMS, it’s essential to have a plan in place.
Recently I read a book titled “The Compound Effect” by Darren Hardy – a must read. Life is filled with a series of decisions and, no matter how small, each one will take you down a different path, creating a compound effect sometime in the future. An example in the book is a classic: if you fly from LA to New York, and the plane is only off by one degree on its heading, when you get to Phoenix you won’t be off course by much, but by the time you arrive on the east coast you will be somewhere near Boston, not even close to New York! Just one small and seemingly insignificant error can have a huge impact on your future and keep you from your desired destination.
Establishing a Quality Management System (QMS) is similar to staying on course. If you don’t maintain your procedures and processes between on-site inspections every 18-24 months, you will find yourself ill-prepared and it can be costly in terms of time, money, stress and even put your accreditation at risk. It’s not the existence of a QMS that ensures your lab’s success, but the implementation of it.
Version 2.0 continued
Not only is the main navigation across the top, but we have added the equipment inventory as opposed to having it embedded into the managed lab tab. Features added to the inventory include:
• The “view” option on the right-hand column. Click and you will see all equipment details and have the option to edit equipment information and to edit or perform procedures.
• Also, on the top left portion, see the total number pieces of equipment, both in service and out of service.
• And now you can export your entire inventory by clicking the “export as CSV” on the upper right portion.
• The search feature has been enhanced to search by category or search all.
• Display number of equipment on the listing (dropdown option).
Resources
Training and informational videos that include version updates, R18LabQMS demos, and more.
R18LabQMS has a knowledge base
Accessible from the dashboard within the application, top right “help”.
Training Opportunities
Once you work through the setup process, the following links can be found in the lower right-hand corner of the application;
• Support
• R18 Blog
• WebEx – Additional training, please let us know and we can set this up.
• Onsite Training – Fee-based, please inquire.
Committee on Materials and Pavements (COMP)
Sunday, August 5 – Friday, August 10, 2018
SEAUPG 2018 Annual Meeting & Exhibits
Southeastern Asphalt User / Producer Group
November 12-15, 2018
For all questions regarding your quality management system, whether your lab is accredited or not, please contact us and learn how R18LabQMS can add value to your company.
– Gary Irvine
R18LabQMS Program Manager