ASHRAE Journal - November 2023 - 72

REFRIGERATION APPLICATIONS
COLUMN
Andy Pearson
Risk and Reward
BY ANDY PEARSON, PH.D., C.ENG., FELLOW ASHRAE
The International Standard on Quality Management Systems was revised in 2015 in
what seemed at first sight to be a baffling and illogical change of direction. It took
me quite a long time to come to terms with the new emphasis in ISO9000:2015, but I
think I am getting the hang of it now.
The root of my confusion was the emphasis placed on " risk "
in the revision of the quality standard, particularly the way in
which risk was defined. It didn't seem appropriate to rely on
chance or good fortune when it comes to product or service
quality and I expected the management system
to be a bit more prescriptive than it seemed
to be. The definition of risk in clause 3.7.9 is
" effect of uncertainty, " with rather unhelpful
notes that point out that " an effect is a deviation
from the expected, " which can be positive or
negative, and uncertainty is " the state, even
partial, of deficiency of information related
to understanding or knowledge of an event,
its consequence or likelihood. " Applying these
notes turns the definition of risk into " deviation
(positive or negative) from the expected result
as a consequence of a lack of information about an event, its
consequence or likelihood. "
I would have said that there are many effects of uncertainty,
including personal stress, nervousness, over-design and
insecurity. I would also have defined risk as the product of the
likelihood of an event occurring and the severity of that event,
with no opportunity for a positive version of events. I found it
easier to accept the definition of " quality " in ISO9000 clause
3.6.2, " degree to which a set of inherent characteristics of an
object fulfills requirements, " but this didn't relate easily to
clause 3.7.9. I was getting stressed, nervous and insecure.
The standard lays down seven principles for quality
management that helped to resolve this dilemma for me.
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Boba liked the reward but
wasn't so keen on the risk.
The principles are: customer focus; leadership; engagement;
process approach; improvement; evidence-based decision
making; and relationship management. They are explained
(in Clause 2.3) in the following ways. The primary focus
of quality management is to meet customer
requirements and to strive to exceed
expectations. Leaders at all levels establish unity
of purpose and direction and create conditions
in which people are engaged in achieving the
organization's quality objectives. Competent,
empowered and engaged people at all levels
throughout the organization are essential to
enhance the organization's capability to create
and deliver value. Consistent and predictable
results are achieved more effectively and
efficiently when activities are understood
and managed as interrelated processes that function as a
coherent system. Successful organizations have an ongoing
focus on improvement. Decisions based on the analysis
and evaluation of data and information are more likely
to produce desired results and for sustained success,
organizations manage their relationships with relevant
interested parties, such as providers.
We live in very uncertain times, particularly when it comes
to refrigeration options. Applying these principles can help to
ensure the delivery of high-quality results in the best interests
of all concerned.
Andy Pearson, Ph.D., C.Eng., is group managing director at Star Refrigeration in
Glasgow, UK.
STAR WARS/NICOLE LOVE, CC BY 2.0, VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
http://www.ashrae.org
ASHRAE Journal - November 2023

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