2 Ways to Refine Your Quality Management System

Accreditors have always needed to adapt to dynamic changes. You must ensure that you are assessing institutions based on the latest standards of their respective industries. Also, just like the institutions you audit, you must continuously refine your quality management system.

The Challenges that School Accreditors Are Facing

As an accrediting body, you need to be particular in assessing whether a company or institution is operating according to specific standards. School accreditors need to check if the institutions are providing quality education. Like any line of business, accreditation can present various challenges to the organizations that undertake it.

Scrutiny by the Government

The most tangible measures to check the quality of an educational institution are the number of graduates they produce proportional to their student body, as well as the rate at which those alumni are getting apt employment. When the school doesn’t have a lot graduates or when those they produce find it difficult to find employment because of their education, then questions about quality will arise.

These issues are continuously being scrutinized by the government, who are counting on accrediting bodies to assure quality education. If an accrediting body misses the school’s noncompliance with standards, then they are risking the welfare of students and their families (the ultimate victims of predatory or incompetent schools).

Dynamic Changes in Any Industry

Of course, there’s also the reality that standards in the education sector will constantly evolve. Knowing this, accreditors need to be sensitive to the changes and adapt accordingly. The academics you certify must always adapt, too.

Since these challenges are natural parts of the tasks of education accreditors, you have to continually refine your strategies as an organization and use purpose-built technologies available—such as customized audit software—to keep your certification management effective and sound.

Managing Change in an Accreditation Project

It’s never easy to make changes, especially in the middle of an ongoing accreditation project. Nevertheless, some changes are necessary, and very often they need to be implemented fast. Wrong or ill-defined scope, an auditor with skills and experience not ideal for the job, audits that need to be rescheduled—all of these reasons can necessitate certain changes to an assignment. 

Defining Usability in Software Selection

Usability may be a term that’s pretty self-explanatory. After all, when it comes to software, it’s either easy to use, or it’s not, right? There is more to usability than that, however, and it will be highly advantageous for you as a software purchaser to know about what goes into this particular aspect of accreditation management software.

Helpful Tips for Auditing Business Operations

Assessing a business, organization, or enterprise can be tough if you are the auditor. Some businesses and their employees feel as though the auditors are not on their side, and are not willing to report anything that does not conform to industry standards. Such prejudice works against you, and you will need to approach the auditing process carefully in order to dispel negative assumptions and assure enterprises that you are there to help them attain and retain accreditation.

Improving Your Accreditation Firm: Audit Software

As an accreditation firm, you should find ways to improve each area of your operations. This includes auditing processes. After all, you are responsible for making sure the businesses that you have accredited are always in compliance with set quality standards.

With the help of audit software, you can significantly improve your firm’s ability to accurately and efficiently perform audits. This is accomplished through the following ways: