ISO 9001 Certification: Time to Dispel These Common Misconceptions (Demo)

Even the world’s most-adopted standard is not immune to criticism. Companies that have invested in ISO certification reported varying levels of success in securing contracts but could not say the same about sales. They also see the entire process as a waste of time and money due to having to wait for months or years before they get certified. Even ISO’s journal mentions that certification is designed to maintain an acceptable level of performance more than improve on it. For most companies, ISO 9001 certification is a time- and capital-intensive investment. Yet the effort and resources spent are certainly worth it. One may ask, however: what factors could affect the success of this undertaking? Lack of Understanding Basak Manders and Henk de Vries from Erasmus University in The Netherlands reviewed 42 case studies on the benefits of ISO certification. For starters, they pointed out that ISO 9001 was never meant to be a “quick fix” of sorts. The ISO 9001 mechanism aims to lower costs first before increasing income.

implementing the standard does indeed enhance financial performance – but organizations aiming at real internal quality improvements gain more than those using ISO 9001 as a “quick fix” in response to quality problems or customer pressure.

ISO 9001 won’t question how you manufacture your products or render your services. It’ll only require you to document those processes for everyone to understand and follow. Improving the processes is left to the business itself. If any change should befall the company, whether in relation to policy or workflow, ISO 9001 demands that these changes be recorded in writing. Increased Awareness This is where the Plan, Do, Check, and Act (PDCA) model comes in. A key component of ISO 9001, PDCA fosters a cycle of constant improvement via four steps: planning, testing, review, and execution. Since it’s a cycle, there’s no end to the process. Rather, these steps take place over and over as long as there is room for improvement. A certification body such as International Standards Authority can help you keep better track of your overall plans and processes. However, changes to those plans ultimately remain your responsibility as the business owner or manager. ISO, as an organization, lacks the authority to enforce certification as a requirement; but other companies that benefited from it have, especially when it comes to business-to-business dealings. In short, don’t stop enhancing upon your best practices the moment you get your ISO certificate. Keep going. (Source: “Does ISO 9001 pay? – Analysis of 42 studies,” ISO)