Guerrilla Tactics was chosen as the name of this blog series to reflect a number of nontraditional, take-no-prisoners concepts, techniques and tactics that were born in the quality trenches and will guide any company to a successful audit result. In fact, I would be so bold as to say that if the entirety of these lessons is truly embraced and flawlessly executed, an expectation of zero audit findings can be not only achieved, but maintained! How do I know? Because I have done it. Many, many times. These 10 tactics go hand-in-hand with the 10 Williams’ Laws that are my “rules” for a successful QMS. Descriptions I would use to characterize the proven tactics presented in this blog series are words such as unconventional, focused, speed-based, tactical, dynamic, and high integrity.
What I will not present are quick & dirty ways to circumvent requirements, methods to “fool” an auditor, how to “buy” your ISO registration, top ten bribes most likely to be accepted by an auditor, or shortcuts for not actually having to do the day-to-day work. What I will present are legitimate, aboveboard 
techniques that pass the integrity smell test. I happen to personally believe that in life, character and integrity are everything. This belief was somewhat validated during a recent conversation with one of the few politicians worth their salt, JC Watts. Before he became a member of Congress, JC was quite the quarterback for the University of Oklahoma, and later professionally in the Canadian Football League. Over a cold beer one night, JC said “Steve, I’ve always felt that character means doing the right thing when nobody’s looking. There are too many people who think that the only thing that’s right is to get by, and the only thing that’s wrong is to get caught.” Words to live by…
Williams’ Law 1
Never fear an unexpected customer visit. If every employee lives and breathes the quality system every day there will never be a need for an audit-prep panic.
Guerrilla Tactic 1: Walk-the-Talk
I preach to all of my clients that a QMS (quality management system) is actually a BMS (business management system) as it covers every business process from quoting through post-shipping service. There shouldn’t be anything in a QMS that doesn’t make solid business sense and must be incorporated into the everyday process of providing your product or service. If your QMS is a way of life, you should always be prepared.
Contact TRAC
Contact me to start our Guerrilla Training before your next audit.
Steve: 920-841-3478
Steve@tracQMS.com
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