60 Understanding Rational Decision Making
REVISED DIRECTIVE WITH A SUPERVISOR’S COMMENTS
TT o : All California engineering supervisors and shop floor foremen
F r o m : Rob Morton, Manager, Quality Systems
D a t e : September 10, 2014
S u b j e c t : Preparing your employees for the upcoming ISO 9001 quality audit
______________________________________________________________________________
T h e p u r p o s e o f p r e p a r i n g f o r t h e q u a l i t y a u d i t
We are being audited for conformance with ISO 9001 quality standards, and all
employees must be able to pass it. In order to prepare, engineering supervisors and
shop floor foremen will be responsible for conducting a mock quality audit with each
employee who reports to them. [1. OK, this affects me.]If we do not pass this audit,
we will lose either a significant portion or all of our current government contracts.
This will result in a company-wide loss of jobs. [2. I guess it is worth the time to make
sure we pass.]
T h e d e a d l i n e s t h a t y o u m u s t m e e t
Each group’s mock audit will occur October 22 through 24. The first actual quality
audit will occur during the first and third weeks of November. In January, a re-
certification assessment will be conducted. [3. OK, we have the time to prepare.]
W h a t y o u m u s t d o
Supervisors and foremen will receive a packet of instructions on how to conduct the
mock audit within the next ten days. The packet will include a list of typical
questions that auditors may ask. [4. Good.]The answers to the auditor’s questions
should be contained in your group’s standard work procedures. [5. My work manual
isn’t up to date. I’ll have to file the revisions.]You should identify all employees who are
unable to give good answers and ensure that they receive corrective training. [6. This
will take some time. I hope it’s really that important.]
T h e c r i t e r i a f o r p a s s i n g t h e m o c k a u d i t
You must find a 95% compliance rate with ISO 9001 regulations. [7. So we don’t have
to be perfect. That helps.]
W h a t h a p p e n s i f y o u r e m p l o y e e s a r e n o t p r e p a r e d
You must send employees who fail the mock audit to quality policy training prior to
November 1. Employees who fail an actual audit will be subject to disciplinary
action which may include termination of employment. [8. Not a note on their
permanent record!]
W h a t t o d o i f y o u h a v e q u e s t i o n s
If you have any questions concerning the upcoming audits, please contact me
directly at the Quality Systems Department at x32769. [9. This is an excellent memo!
It answers all of my questions. I think I can get the employees to prepare properly for the
audit.]
Staffi ng Decisions: Responses to Applications
Audiences who are in the position to employ others, that is to say principals, make staffi ng decisions
in response to applications for employment and promotion. For example, employers make staff-
ing decisions when they decide whether to interview a job applicant for a newly opened position;
