D ecember 2019
Welcome to your December 2019 Newsletter
This month's newsletter offers insights and free resources to keep you up to date on a range of compliance and risk management issues.
Included in this edition:
Christmas holiday | Management systems and the PDCA cycle
New ISO 27001 InfoSec Toolkit
Ask the experts (about Objective planning) | Audit template to download
Qudos 3 IMS software update | Qudos Club news
Christmas and new year wishes
We would like to take this opportunity to wish all of our clients and readers a merry Christmas and a safe, healthy and prosperous new year.

It has been a tremendous year for us, and we will be taking a short break from 20 December until 2 January . There will be monitoring of telephone messages during this time and normal provision of software tech support. As always, please use our tech support web form or support email for any Qudos 3 or Qudos Club tech support requests.
ISO 27001 InfoSec Toolkit
In light of the ever-increasing interest in information security, Qudos is proud to announce the latest weapon in the information security armoury we provide to our clients. Our new  ISO 27001 InfoSec Toolkit  includes:

  • A complete set of policies based on the requirements of ISO 27001
  • Additional policies for topics such as privacy and social media
  • Guidance material on the ISO standard and related subjects
  • Tools for Gap analysis / planning / Implementation.

This is a significant update and expansion of the previous policy toolkit. It will be released to  Qudos 3  and  Qudos Club  subscribers in the coming weeks. While we continue to enhance our tools for Quality, OHS and environmental management, there are more infoSec developments in the pipeline. Look out for more announcements soon!

Contact us  for further details.
Management Systems & the PDCA Cycle
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PDCA Cycle Training Video
The PDCA cycle is the key principle behind all ISO management system standards. The initials PDCA stand for Plan-Do-Check-Act. It is also often referred to as the PDSA (Plan-Do-Study-Act) cycle. We believe that it's of great benefit for those involved in developing and implementing systems to have a broad understanding of the concept.

So, Qudos has put together a brief training video. It explains the 4 steps in the cycle, how it can be applied, how it relates to ISO standard clauses, and then provides some examples for each stage of the cycle.


ISO 27001 certification and the PDCA cycle
Organisations are increasingly looking to implement an ISMS (information security management system) to preserve the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of their information. There are several models that may be used as a basis for an ISMS, but the ISO 27001 standard is fast becoming the model specified in tender invitations etc.

Our sister organisation  Qudos Certification Limited  has published a great article that provides an introduction to this important standard, with a brief, plain-English summary of its requirements, and a clear illustration of how it fits into the PDCA cycle. If you are considering developing an ISMS and possibly seeking ISO 27001 certification for the first time, then  this article is for you .

Ask the experts - Q&A
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The latest in our series of FAQs on compliance and risk management.

Q: We are having difficulty in thinking of measurable objectives for our new management system. Any suggestions?

A: The principle of SMART objectives is a very useful guide to follow (although the principle is not explicitly specified by the standards). SMART is an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timed. There are some possible variations on this theme. For example, the 'R' can be used to denote 'Realistic'. Of course, someone should be given overall responsibility for each objective. The following are some examples:

  1. Train (x) new first aiders by (date).
  2. Train (x) new internal auditors by (date).
  3. Have a (relevant ISO standard) Gap Analysis conducted by (date).
  4. Conduct at least (x) Quality / OHS / Environment / InfoSec awareness sessions over the calendar year.
  5. Improve the LTIFR (Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate) by (x%) over the financial year.
  6. Implement a clear screen, clear desk policy by (date).
  7. Make customer care calls / visits to (number e.g. top 50) clients on a (frequency e.g. quarterly) basis over the (time period)
  8. Introduce new management system software by (date).
  9. Review and streamline the (name) process by (date).
  10. Introduce IMS Objective progress reporting at (specify type) management meetings.

For more information and examples, this article includes 50 sample objectives for various types of management system.
Further updates for Qudos 3 IMS software
Qudos IMS software interface v337
It's been another massive year of development for Qudos 3. With our growing client base and rapid development program, we are making good progress to achieve our mission of Qudos 3 becoming the world's leading, truly-integrated IMS software application.

As we come to the end of development for this calendar year, we just wanted to let you know about some new features coming your way in January 2020. They include:

  • New IMS Gap Analysis Tool - for a fully integrated assessment against ISO 9001 Quality / ISO 14001 Environment and ISO 45001 OHS
  • Action Notification Email with quick shortcut link to open the relevant Action
  • Confidential column added as option in the Meeting Schedule
  • Reset item number option in Meeting Agenda
  • New Information Security Toolkit & Safety Toolkit
  • Document Review Status and Date fields added as options in the Master Document List

Our self-hosted clients will also be provided with a number of other enhancements recently provided to our cloud-hosted clients.

This is just the begiining, as 2020 will bring many more enhancements in key areas throughout the software - including new / improved document, risk and asset management facilities. We are grateful to your input. If you have any requested features, please let us know using the 'client requested feature' form in Qudos 3 Help / Resource Centre.Documents.


Contact us  for further details
Internal audit template - Managing PPE
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We usually try to include a free audit template in each of our newsletters. This is no exception. Here is an template checklist for verifying the effective implementation of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) as a means of OHS risk control.
 

As always, this is an exaple to get you started and should be customised to suit specific requirements.
Qudos Club News
Qudos Club is the comprehensive online library for compliance and risk management.

Over the next month, Qudos Club subscribers will receive access to our updated Safety Toolkit and the new ISO 27001 InfoSec Toolkit .
Quality Business campaign begins
AOQ Quality Business Cover
We are excited to announce the launch of our advertising campaign with the AOQ (The Australian Organisation for Quality)   Quality Business magazine. The campaign began with 2019 issue 3.

We also look forward to the opportunity of contributing content to the magazine over the coming year. Contact AOQ for membership / magazine subscription details.