How Can You Get the Most from Your ISO 9001:2008 Certification?

ISO consultant - Amongst the most common misunderstandings of the ISO 9001 certification is that its mostly an implementation of compiling documents to show an auditor to be able to obtain a certification. Those individuals who have worked with ISO for a number of years remember earlier versions of the ISO standard which required excessive documentation with not much focus on real results. This was considered by lots of managers and business owners as part of the operating cost and as something which is not beneficial to any business.

ISO consultant - The good news is that the focus on the revised ISO standard is more on the improvement of business processes and not on putting together documents for an auditor. This new method has had a major impact on the outcome achieved by certified companies as seen by clients, shareholders, top management and employees. Efforts to improve both the business and customer requirements of a company have been made in this new "Process Approach".

Our consultants have helped many companies achieve ISO 9001 certification since 2000 and have implemented three basic rules to obtain great outcome from the investment. They are the following:

For companies that implement ISO for the first time, it is a mistake to make it too complicated. This results in procedures no one looks at, records no one needs, training that does not impact the job. The reason behind this is commonly because of the implementers of the system taking a "better to be safe than sorry" approach since they do not really understand what the auditors will look for during the audit. Other than not adding to the value of the company, this will also increase the present ISO certification cost.

Instead, a conscious effort must be made to keep documentation to a minimum and concentrate on implementing those specially needed by the business or required by the standard.

The next guideline to implement is to focus on driving genuine improvement in the company's processes in order to improve performance for the customers and the company. This means that everything which is implemented must be scrutinized to be sure it is aligned with your company's ways of operation and the requirements of your clients. Because of the general language in the ISO standard, businesses could specifically tailor their QMS to meet their unique needs while still complying with the intention of the certification.

Your company must benefit from the outcome of working with a particular requirement that is aligned with your management approach.

The third rule is based on an understanding that the worst reason to implement anything is only to show it to an auditor. If an ISO requirement is being discussed during your implementation and a remark is made like "I have no idea why we are implementing this but we have to do it to satisfy the auditor", then return to guidelines one and two above. Though you certainly need to develop a system which meets the ISO requirements, each requirement is flexible to be implemented in a way to suit your business - and to add measurable value to it. Be certain to review your ISO processes and documentation with an eye on keeping it simple and adding business value. The auditor will surely be pleased if you do so.