Are you the manager of a small or medium-sized business? Are you wondering how to boost growth and increase efficiency?

You may have set some tough targets in the past that you failed to hit. Have you considered examining your internal processes? How about working to meet an internationally-recognized quality standard?

You may have heard of ISO 9000 certification but think it’s just a piece of paper. The research company IDC found that inefficiency can cost you 20-30% of annual revenue. A good quality management system (QMS) can substantially lower this cost.

To reduce wasted resources and increase profits, you should consider ISO 9000 certification. What is the long-term cost associated with paying for poor quality?

We’re going to explain what a QMS is. We’ll also let you know why your organization needs to prove its high standards on the world stage. Read on!

Quality Management Systems

Quality management systems (QMS) are business processes. These processes aim to meet and exceed customer requirements and satisfaction. ISO 9000 certification sets an official external standard to meet this end goal.

For a business to stay competitive and profitable, refining a QMS is an on-going process. This is a never-ending series of improvements that involves everyone in the company. The enemy of a QMS is backward-thinking, such as “We’ve always done things this way.”

When a business strives to supply a quality product or service, it puts the customer first. The business should always want to better meet customer needs. This shift to a “customer first” management approach can lead to better overall service.

In addition to a customer focus, good quality management principles establish visionary leadership. Challenging goals should be set and organizational values established. Good leadership should inspire trust while empowering employees and recognizing their contributions.

Employees should engage in a process-oriented approach. They should seek to ever-improve and make evidence-based decisions.

Relationship management is a core principle within a QMS system. This is particularly important in regards to establishing and nurturing suppliers/partners.

What Is ISO 9000 Certification?

ISO 9000 are the internationally-set standards of quality management. They aren’t just for big businesses anymore.

These standards set forth specifications and definitions of what quality should look like. It’s up to businesses to put these standards into practice as they see fit. This flexibility allows ISO 9000 to be implemented in any organization, of any size, and from any sector.

More than a million companies/organizations are certified to ISO 9001 in over 170 countries. The overall goal is to help a company put a QMS in place, then improve and maintain it over time. 

ISO 9001:2015 is the most recent version of the ISO 9000 standards, created in 2015. It’s the most globally recognized and implemented QMS standard.

ISO 9000 is concerned with the fundamentals of QMS. ISO 9001 consists of the requirements that organizations must fulfill to reach these standards. These standards have enormous implications for the management and operation of a company.

Processes are often improved after they have been closely examined. ISO 9000 certification requires full managerial involvement and dedicated time and effort. This will need to be balanced with day-to-day operations.

Though internal resources may be required to implement process changes, the overall goal is to add value. This is through a range of operational improvements that will save money.

Do I Need an ISO 9000 Certification?

Why would a smaller or medium-sized business want ISO 9000 certification? Some of its clients might eventually require it. Once a company has streamlined its own QMS with ISO standards, they are going to want to insist on the same quality from their suppliers too.

Meeting international quality standards is important for acquiring new business. This is especially true with bigger clients and for long-term multi-national growth.

While striving for ISO standards, employees and customers will recognize the increased value. The process of critical self-analysis within the organization will result in a clearer direction.

Some businesses may pursue ISO 9000 certification purely to improve their quality standards. Increased profits usually flow from efficient QMS.

The ability to display the ISO quality standards badge to customers and clients is an asset. This can be used to differentiate an organization from its competition. The problem-solving nature of focusing on the process frees up management resources over time.

Identifying the common goals that unite departments improves productivity and performance.

How to Get ISO 9000 Certification

The best first step towards certification is to produce an in-house quality standards manual. These aspirational standards of quality can serve to document processes and dictate training. They can also highlight inefficiencies in the current system that’s in place.

Once operational flaws are detected and addressed, significant savings may follow.

An ISO 9000 certification form is needed to compile and compute the data on organizational quality management systems. Reach out to an ISO standards consultancy that has experience in your industry. They can help train you to meet certification requirements.

The certification body will perform an audit on your organization to identify processes that do not conform to ISO standards. If your organization doesn’t have a quality manager familiar with ISO, an outside consultant is likely necessary. They will use their experience to help mentor you through the process.

Once the right people are on board with the project and are fully committed to ISO standards, the certification process can start. It’s difficult to gauge how long the process will take, but 9-12 months is common.

ISO 9000 Certification

We’ve shown the benefits of an internationally-recognized quality management system. It might be key for your future growth. Don’t let a certificate stand in the way of your ability to compete in the global supply chain.

If you’re a small or medium-sized business looking to get ISO 9000 certification, we can help you. We are an ISO standards consultancy firm with 20 years of experience. We offer certification and training with experts in Mexico, South America, Europe, and Asia.

Contact us today to start the process.

“What’s the best way of doing this?” Doing what? You may ask. How about anything? Most people strive to do things in the best way possible. For small businesses, this is even more important.

It’s the main reason why ISO certification came into existence. It sought to answer this question, specifically for small and medium businesses (SMBs). Businesses with the highest quality standards have a competitive advantage.

ISO certification started off with specific elements. It developed into a family of standards over the last 50 years. ISO 9000 is one of the families of standards that focuses on quality management systems.

Standards with a Global Benchmark 

ISO certification was started by the International Organization for Standardization. It is an independent, international, non-governmental organization with 165 members. Together they share knowledge and develop international standards. The standards are consensus-based and relevant to the market.

The standards created provide solutions to global challenges and support innovation. These standards give consumers confidence. They know they can buy high-quality products that are reliable, safe, and efficient. Governments also use these standards to develop regulations.

ISO certification sets a high standard for companies. Having your company ISO certified will differentiate you from your competition. It increases your authority and credibility as a business. It improves the efficiency of your company. It also provides many other benefits to your business.

What is ISO 9000?

ISO 9000 is a family of standards that includes ISO 9001. It defines the terminology of each category within the quality management series.

It documents the processes needed to improve standards. It also helps businesses understand the fundamentals and vocabulary associated with improving processes. This is important to execute the improvement plans outlined in the ISO 9000 documents.

ISO 9000 also assists businesses to document the elements needed to maintain their quality system. It is applicable to any industry and organizations of all sizes.

ISO 9000 is suitable for companies that want to:

• Enjoy the advantages of implementing a quality management system.
• Meet their suppliers’ requirements
• Ensure they have a proper understanding of quality management terminology
• Ensure their organization’s quality management system conforms to internal and external assessments or audits
• Ensure they have the appropriate training for their quality management system

It is essential that your company has a good understanding of ISO 9000 terminology to become ISO 9001 certified. It helps you to meet regulatory requirements, satisfy your customers, and facilitate continuous improvement.

What is ISO 9001?

Your company should have a good understanding of ISO 9000 terminology to become ISO 9001 certified. It helps you to meet regulatory requirements, please your customers, and facilitate continuous improvement.

It sets out guidelines that improve processes within the organization. One of the first steps before implementation is the alignment of your organization’s objectives to the quality management system.

Implementation takes place across the organization. It focuses on several elements, including leadership, planning, support, operations, performance evaluation, and improvement.

Some of the mandatory requirements for ISO 9001 include:

• Keeping records on the monitoring and measurement of equipment calibration
• Training, skills, experience, and qualification records
• Keeping records on product/service requirements reviews
• Keeping records on the design and development of output reviews, inputs and outputs, controls, and changes
• Characteristics of services provided and products produced
• Customer property records
• Change control records on production/service provisions.
• Records of conforming products and/or services and non-conforming outputs
• Monitoring of measurement results
• Internal audit program
• Results of internal audits, management reviews, and corrective actions

It includes a special quality manual that managers can use. It outlines daily, weekly and monthly tasks. This helps them better manage employees and ensure that business operations run smoothly.

The initial stage of implementation requires a gap analysis. This assesses your company’s current system and compares it to the new one. 

The audits are used after implementation. It helps you test the effectiveness of the new quality management system. It assesses the organization’s readiness for certification. The aim is to help your business to achieve higher quality standards/procedures.

ISO 9000 Vs. ISO 9001

What’s the difference between ISO 9000 and ISO 9001? Here are the main differences:

ISO 9000: 

• Encompasses a series of standards
• Its main purpose is to define the quality management system. 
• It outlines the definition for the series of standards, including ISO 9000

ISO 9001:

• Is an individual standard within the ISO 9000 series of standards
• Its main purpose is to outline actions.
• It details the requirements or actions a company needs to take to become certified.
• It requires both a gap analysis and internal audits.

But, they both:

• Are in the quality management systems category of ISO certification
• Need to be constantly maintained
• Need to be reviewed periodically to ensure their relevance and usefulness
• Use the same terminology.

ISO 9000 and ISO 90001 work together. ISO 9000 provides the knowledge needed for certification. While ISO 9001 facilitates the execution of quality standards.

Benefits of ISO Certification

Many organizations, especially small businesses, can benefit from ISO certification.

• Certification lays out the guidelines your company needs to improve processes
• It lets your customers know that your company meets and maintains certain quality standards
• It results in greater revenue and cash flow
• High standards result in better quality products and services
• Customers enjoy better quality products and services
• A workplace that maintains high standards promotes employee loyalty and longevity
• The workplace is more organized and encourages a culture that embraces high standards
• There is an increase in employee productivity and better performance results
• Operations are easier to manage as tasks and processes are clearly defined
• Employees know what to expect when their performance is appraised
• Rewards and incentives are clearly outlined
• It ensures the discipline of employees follows an ethical procedure
• Customers and employees feel comfortable providing feedback as it is encouraged and well-received

Are you ready to have your company certified? Here’s how to start.

Are You Sold on Certification?

The importance of ISO 9001 certification and ISO 9000 have been clearly defined. They provide a great opportunity for organizations. It allows small businesses to improve their standards. It will allow them to reap the rewards and benefits of certification.

But, companies should ensure they consult with an organization the specializes in certification. We can help you to navigate the process of certification. We can also provide your company with the training needed. Contact us to learn more.