How To Keep ISO 9001 System?

How To Keep ISO 9001 System?

The dreaded “program-of-the-month” syndrome: Here today, with much sound and fury—and, after a slow, embarrassing fade-away—gone tomorrow.

Your ISO 9001 system won’t fade away as long as top management remains committed to it. Top management will remain committed to it as long as they see that it is returning some sort of benefit. That benefit may take one of two general forms:

1. Current business stays as a result of the ISO 9001 system.

2. New business comes as a result of the ISO 9001 system.

Net result: Organization achieves incremental cost savings as a result of the ISO 9001 system. Since most companies get into ISO 9001 due to customer pressure, the first benefit is the most operative one. The second benefit is speculative. The net result, surprisingly, is genuine—ISO 9001 registrants, with virtually no exception, realize proven cost savings—but, like mating elephants, it is accompanied by much roaring and screaming, and takes two years to see the results.

Top management will stay committed to the system if only to maintain existing business and, hopefully, obtain new business. This requires that the organization remain registered. For the organization to remain registered, it must undergo and pass surveillance assessments, usually every six months. This is probably the most potent of the four reinforcement mechanisms of ISO 9001—the attributes that keep the system from fading away as another program of the month.

The second reinforcement mechanism is the Management Review process required by the Standard. Management reviews require that senior management review the ISO 9001 system from top to bottom—its implementation, its suitability, its effectiveness, its results. Management must do this on a scheduled basis. Records must be kept to prove that it is done. The reviews have the effect of forcing management to pay attention to the system. The reviews are also an educational process for management. Over time, they see how useful the ISO 9001 system can be as a management and communications tool.

The third reinforcement mechanism is the internal audit process required by the Standard. Trained, independent employees audit the entire quality system on a scheduled basis and record the results. Corrective actions must be carried out and verified against deficiencies found during these audits. Internal auditing is not only an outstanding implementation tool. It also keeps the entire organization tuned in to the system and improving it on an ongoing basis.

The fourth reinforcement mechanism—and arguably the most important one—is the measurement and analysis processes required by the Standard. If you do a good job of establishing meaningful process and quality measures—and then gather, analyze, and react to the data on a disciplined basis—you will see how well the system is working for you. Word to the wise: Establish the measures early in the implementation, so you have a set of baseline measures to compare with subsequent results.

What Does ISO 9001 Offer?

What Does ISO 9001 Offer?

For one thing, it offers you continued business with customers who may be requiring you to register. That is a pretty strong benefit right there. These customers may never question your quality, but these customers depend heavily on their main suppliers. They know they can improve their quality and through-put, if you improve yours. ISO 9001 mandates a continuous improvement system. You can wriggle and fudge, but if you implement that system and work it conscientiously, you cannot help but improve. Continuous improvement is not just a buzz term. It is an imperative.

Has your industry changed? Has your organization changed? A well-implemented ISO 9001 helps your organization adapt to change. It brings independence of individuals and consistency of practices—two features that tend to resist declines in performance.

What else does ISO 9001 bring you? When well implemented, an ISO 9001 quality system improves organization performance. That is, after all, the whole point. In cases where it does not, the fault tends not to be in the ISO 9001 process (its inherent deficiencies notwithstanding). When an ISO 9001 system does not provide substantial benefits and improvement in performance, it is usually because management has consciously chosen to cut corners, blow smoke, stay uninvolved, and starve the system of all but the most essential resources. “We’ll do this stupid thing, but we’re sure not going to change the way we operate.”

ISO 9001 registration brings you one more thing that your organization may not have today: International credibility. ISO 9001 is deployed and practiced in nearly 100 countries around the world. In today’s ever-growing international economic climate, this is not a bad emblem to have, however narrow the scope of your market today.

Role of Governments in ISO 14001 Standards

Role of Governments in ISO 14001 Standards

Although ISO 14001 is a set of voluntary standards that individual companies may or may not choose to adopt, governments can clearly have a role in providing information, establishing the necessary framework and infrastructure, and, in some cases, helping companies to develop the
basic capabilities to adopt ISO 14001. There are wo particular areas in which government action would be useful:
(a) providing information on he sectors and markets where ISO 14001 certification s a significant issue and assisting sector rganizations to develop appropriate responses, and
(b) helping to establish a certification framework, ased on strengthening national standards organizations and encouraging competitive private sector provision of auditing and certification
services. At present, the World Bank is having discussions with a number of countries about how assistance could be provided with these issues.

Governments should see EMS approaches as part of a broad environmental strategy that includes regulatory systems, appropriate financial incentives, and encouragement of improved industrial performance. Such encouragement can really only be effective where there is cooperation at the government level between the relevant departments, including industry and trade, as well as environment. There is a growing interest in integrating environmental management issues into productivity or competitiveness centers designed to promote SME performance, but little information exists on experience to date.