Quality management systems
DIN EN ISO 9001ISO 9000 ff.
Setting up, revising and slimming down your QMS – only as much documentation as is genuinely needed.
Linking Quality to Culture®
Quality management – only as much as you need.
I help companies get from their first vision to safe series production: with quality management systems that fit how they work, audits that move things forward, and people – not paperwork – at the centre.
Services
Compliant where it is essential. Lean wherever possible. And always in a way your people can actually work with.
Automotive standards
IATF 16949VDA 6.xCQI-9
Understanding and meeting the requirements of OEMs and Tier 1 customers – where they are essential.
Audits
1st & 2nd partyVDA 6.3 / 6.4
System, process and supplier audits by an experienced auditor – with findings you can act on.
Project management
APQPClaim management
From product development to series-ready mass production: budget, schedule, quality and interfaces under control.
Sustainability in the IMS
ISO 14001ISO 50001DNK
GAP analysis, materiality analysis and integrating environment, energy and sustainability into your management system.
External QM support
InterimPeak workloads
A neutral outside view, fresh questions in root-cause analysis and relief when day-to-day business gets tight.
Keep it simple
Between primitive and complex lies simple. A good management system meets the standard and the law, and contains only what the process really needs.
Together. Planned. Simply implemented.
StandardsLawsTransparencyLEAN=Strong organisation
Effective. Economical. Compliant.
DIN ISO 9001 requirements and LEAN management in one integrated leadership and management system that delivers results instead of bureaucracy.
ISO 9001
Framework & requirements
- Customer requirements
- Structure & documentation
- Opportunity & risk management
- Audits & evidence
LEAN Management
Culture & methods
- Value stream mapping
- Kaizen – CIP
- Standard work
- Poka-Yoke
- Shopfloor management
Result
- Customer satisfaction
- Quality
- Shorter lead times
- Transparency & knowledge
- Higher efficiency
From compliance to impact
- ISO as a management framework, not an end in itself
- LEAN as the leadership standard
- Impact happens in the process, not in the report
Lead, don't inspect
- Managers take ownership of processes
- Regular gemba presence where value is created
- Decide where the value is created
Processes deliver results
- End-to-end view instead of silo thinking
- Clear process owners: experts, not necessarily managers
- Stability before speed, no full utilisation
Fewer figures. More impact.
- Real-time KPIs instead of monthly reviews
- Make deviations visible and act
- Audits as prompts for improvement
Better every day – CIP
- Improvement as daily business
- Management prioritises and tracks actions
- Measure impact, not activity
Digital follows process
- Stable process first, then the tool
- Digital boards instead of PowerPoint reports
- Real-time transparency for leadership
Separate the task of the person from the task of the product or service.
Auditing backwards
5S, standardisation, shopfloor: get the product under control. A pilot team starts at one machine.
- How do we do it today?The team documents the process itself.
- Capture the differencesCheck target versus actual promptly.
- Find the conditions for successWhat has to be right for it to work?
- Record the standardIn the machine folder, using the shopfloor template.
Close communication gaps
PeopleMaterialMachineInformationMethod
Zero-defect requirement
Recognise what isn't working.
“A good living”: projects delivered on budget and on time, and a product that succeeds from the customer's point of view.
Leave out everything unnecessary. Everything that causes hassle creates effort.
Method: the PDCA cycle
Ways of thinking that lead to more quality – from your vision to safe mass production. Working with people and applying methods.
When the PDCA cycle helps
- Starting a new improvement project
- Developing a new or improved design of a process, product or service
- Defining a repetitive work process
- Planning data collection and analysis to verify and prioritise causes
- Implementing changes
- Working towards continuous improvement
Plan
Identify and define the target state
- Vision → strategy → quality policy → quality objectives
- Stakeholder analysis: internal and external parties
- Assess risks & opportunities, benchmarking
Do
Capture the current state and implement
- Plan resources & competences, build awareness, establish communication
- Turn ideas into controllable series processes – securing the product lifecycle
- Customer and supplier management
Check
Compare target and actual
- Monitoring, measurement, analysis, evaluation
- Audits
- Management review and KPIs
Act
Set standards
- CIP – continuous improvement process
- Kaizen
- Complaint management
About me
I'm Carmen Piernot. For more than 30 years I worked in the automotive supply industry – on projects with OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers, as project lead in the mass production of stamped and deep-drawn parts, and as an auditor.
With qm lingua I bring that experience to companies that take quality seriously but don't want mountains of paper. And because quality is always about culture too, I work in German, English and French.
30+years in automotive
5–10 mstamped parts & tool sourcing
3working languages: DE, EN, FR
4key markets: FR, SE, CN, US
Quality management
Requirements, application & implementation
Quality management
Requirements, application & implementation- DIN EN ISO 9000 ff. series
- IATF 16949 – 1st/2nd party auditor, VDA qualified
- Representative for VDA 6.3 & 6.4, ISO 14001 environment, ISO 50001 energy
- Sustainability manager (DGQ)
- CQI-9 process auditor: heat treatment system assessment
Automotive industry
30+ years in the supply industry
Automotive industry
30+ years in the supply industry- Projects with OEMs & Tier 1 suppliers
- Project lead in mass production of stamped and deep-drawn parts
- 5–10 million stamped parts & tool sourcing
Project management
From enquiry to series production
Project management
From enquiry to series production- Responsibility for budget, schedule and quality
- Technical contract negotiation and review
- Feasibility assessment
- Product development to series-ready mass production
- Interface and claim management
Process management
Making running series better
Process management
Making running series better- Continuous improvement of series processes for stamped and deep-drawn parts
- Increasing the share of value added
- Developing core business areas
- Innovation management
International communication
Fluent negotiation in three languages
International communication
Fluent negotiation in three languages- English & French at negotiation level
- Global tool purchasing
- Supplier management and customer care worldwide – focus on France, Sweden, China and the USA
References
Companies that have worked with qm lingua.
Blog
Thoughts on quality, communication and sustainability.
ISO 9001:2026 is here – what changes and what to do now
The new edition was published on 16 September 2026. A targeted evolution with a clear focus on quality culture – and a good reason to slim your system down.
Read article
ISO 9001 and LEAN: effective, economical, compliant
The standard as framework, LEAN as the leadership standard: this is how a management system delivers results instead of bureaucracy.
Read article
Auditing backwards: finding standards where they are made
Don't start with the manual, start at the machine: how a pilot team arrives at a standard people actually use, in four steps.
Read articleFrequently asked questions
Short answers to the questions asked most often.
What does qm lingua do?
Carmen Piernot advises companies on quality and project management: setting up and slimming down ISO 9001 quality management systems, automotive standards such as IATF 16949 and VDA, system, process and supplier audits, and integrating sustainability into the management system.
Which companies is this for?
For companies that want to set up, streamline or audit a management system. The focus is on industry and automotive suppliers; Carmen Piernot worked in the automotive supply industry for more than 30 years.
Which standards do you work with?
DIN EN ISO 9001 and the ISO 9000 series, IATF 16949, VDA 6.3 and 6.4, ISO 14001, ISO 50001, CQI-9 and the German Sustainability Code (DNK).
How do ISO 9001 and LEAN fit together?
ISO 9001 provides the framework and requirements; LEAN management provides culture and methods such as value stream mapping, kaizen, standard work and poka-yoke. Together they form one integrated leadership and management system that delivers results instead of bureaucracy.
Which languages do you work in?
German, English and French, all at negotiation level.
Where is qm lingua based?
In Oberkirch in the Ortenau district, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Carmen Piernot has looked after customers and suppliers worldwide, with a focus on France, Sweden, China and the USA.
How do we get started?
With a short conversation: email mail@qmlingua.de or call +49 159 0174 5550. After that it is usually clear where your management system stands and what the next sensible step is.
Let's talk about your quality.
A short conversation is usually enough to see where your management system stands and what the next sensible step is.
Send an email
Carmen Piernotqm lingua
- Address
- Carmen Piernot
qm lingua
Steinstraße 2
77704 Oberkirch - mail@qmlingua.de
- Phone
- +49 159 0174 5550