Hidden in a pile of information
by Bernard McGrath, Inspection Validation Centre

I would like to rant: to highlight the errors and omissions in statements and actions; to rail against bonuses for failure and against one-sided trial by television. But I can't. Well not yet. Not until I have composed a coherent argument. So I need to write about something else. I intend to write about the IAQP. What is it? Is it worth it?

Now if I were 'Twittering', I would have another 77 words to put over a point of view. I could always finish off in subsequent twitters, as the idea is that you 'follow' someone's twittering. But, as with blogging, once you start, the pressure is on to keep going, to make what you say current and of the moment. And there isn't always enough useful information to sustain such a frequent update. So, as the name suggests, what results is 'Twitter', lots of noise which hides possible good information.

I collect information and the internet is wonderful for being able to access lots of information which would otherwise be inaccessible. But it is only the speed of access and the filtering, using search engines, which makes it possible to trawl through the rubbish to get to what you want. Even then you can waste a lot of time. So, my main source of information, even information on websites and the latest twittering trends, is still the written word on paper. Books, newspapers and pages torn from newspapers, magazines, notebooks and scraps of paper with scribbled jottings collect in piles around the house. The piles move, coalesce and then divide as I try to prevent them from being put in the bin. That's another benefit of the internet: my virtual piles go unnoticed!

Every so often I have to sit down and sort and reduce my piles of information. This time I have not restricted the sorting to just the piles but have included many years of memorabilia and detritus. Whilst I was in this 'pre-spring spring clean' frame of mind I renewed my subscription to BINDT and the questions of "Do I need this?" and "What is the benefit of keeping it?" sprang to mind regarding the IAQP membership. There must be benefits because people are still joining, without any targeted promotion by BINDT, and I have been a Fellow for a good many years.

The predecessor to this paper, Newslink, was the newsletter for IAQP members and if you look on the front you will see that NDT News is still the newspaper for Quality Practitioners. A couple of years ago, one of the few e-mails I have received as a result of this column was from a Quality Practitioner highlighting the absence of and requesting to see articles on Quality. Since then the editor has discussed the need to address this gap with myself and others but action still needs to be taken. NDT News is sent free to IAQP members but is also sent free to BINDT members and every third issue to PCN certificate holders. Unfortunately, no added benefit here then.

I went on the web to check the criteria for membership. If I could say what the qualification is to be a Fellow of the IAQP then I could take some kudos from having achieved this level of competence. But the most prominent mention of IAQP membership on the BINDT site is on the fees page! As an IAQP member you have the right to have your details put up on the BINDT web pages in the International Directory of Quality Practitioners. But who knows that this directory exists? Is there any external marketing of the directory to companies who may be looking for such practitioners? Has anyone got work from the directory? Has anyone looked at the directory other than at their own details?

Next stop was the BINDT Yearbook. Under a heading 'Publications' there are four paragraphs on the International Association of Quality Practitioners. Evidently, the IAQP evolved from QC International which was established to provide an information service to practitioners in the fields of quality assurance, quality control, inspection, measurement and testing. It serves practitioners in broad range of industry and business areas, it is managed by BINDT and NDT News is its main communication medium. There is no mention of membership grades or what makes it international.

I don't think you realise the consequences of this. It means I have been paying an annual fee, not for CPD or proof of a level of competence, but just to have the letters FIAQP after my name. This in turn means I have to apologise for laughing at people who pay for personalised number plates!

Anyway, having paid the fee for 2009, we (the IAQP members) have 10 months to regenerate the IAQP and produce some real benefits of membership. Based on the name, do we concentrate on Quality? If so, how? Is it appropriate to cover all of quality assurance, quality control, inspection, measurement and testing? Should we narrow it down? Should membership reflect professional competence? If so, what should it cover? Should we have a dedicated day/session/hospitality lounge at the BINDT conference?

Please let the editor or myself know what your views are – preferably not by twittering!

Please note that the views expressed in this column are the author's own personal ramblings for the purpose of encouraging discussion within the NDT Newspaper. They do not represent the views of the IVC, Serco Assurance or the HSE who funded the PANI projects.

Letters can be mailed to The Editor, NDT News, Newton Building, St George's Avenue, Northampton NN2 6JB. Fax: 01604 89 3861; E-mail: ndtnews@bindt.org or e-mail Bernard McGrath direct at Bernard.McGrath@sercoassurance.com