ISO
9001 is the quality management system (QMS) standard and it produces numerous
benefits for any company willing to go that route. So, why should your
organization obtain ISO 9001 certification?
Meet Customer
Requirements
Many companies want ISO 9001 certification
just to satisfy one customer requirement. The customer states that it
will only do business with vendors that are certified as ISO 9001 compliant, so
to get (or keep) the business they need that certification. The problem with
these companies is that they’re looking for a short-term payoff. They see
nothing but that one benefit — we need money — and ignore the long-term
benefits, like “if we keep the customer well satisfied, they will want to come
back again and againâ€.
They do not embrace the concept of quality
through continual improvement. They do not understand that continued customer
satisfaction is the ultimate goal of a QMS. In other words, these companies
haven’t “bought into the programâ€. See, you may obtain a piece of paper (that
ISO certificate) that claims ISO 9001 certification without seeing much actual
quality or improvement. Focusing only on that one benefit
Get
More Revenue and Business from New Customers
Once
you earn your ISO 9001 certification, you can advertise your quality
certification and respond to requests for quotes (RFQ) from companies that make
ISO 9001 certification a “must-haveâ€. ISO 9001 certification can open up new
markets you were virtually unable to do business with before your
certification.
Increase Customer
Satisfaction with your Products
Quality
means whatever you produce will work as your customers expect. You will meet
not only their stated requirements you
will meet more of their implied requirements, too. Quality also means far fewer
complaints and doing a better job of resolving those you do. If your quality
management system is working correctly, you should know what your customers
expect and you should be providing it, resulting in increased customer
satisfaction.
Describe, Understand, and Communicate Your
Company Processes
The
ISO 9001 QMS standard requires that you identify and describe your processes
using business metrics, the purpose of which is to better manage and control
your business processes. Quality objectives form the center of your system.
Metrics are used to understand and communicate your system’s performance
relative to your quality objectives. If you make an honest attempt to conform
to the requirements of getting ISO 9001 certification, you will learn more about
your business.
Develop a
Professional Culture and Better Employee Morale
Implementing
an ISO 9001 Quality Management System can empower employees. Your QMS will provide
them with clear expectations (quality objectives and job descriptions), the
tools to do their job (procedures and work instructions), and prompt,
actionable feedback on their performance (process metrics). The result? An
improved company culture and a more professional staff.
Improve
the Consistency of Your Operations
What
is consistency? Well, one way to think
of it is “decreased variationâ€. Reducing the variation in your processes is the
definition of consistency. Is your customer better served by you supplying them
with a consistent product — same dimensions, same weight, same tolerances, same
output every time — or by your products being unpredictable and “all over the
place� (I hope you’re not thinking too hard on this.)
Of
course, they won’t accept variation, and neither should you! And how do you
decrease variation? Increase control of your processes! Control comes from
having a clear target to shoot for (objective), collecting data on the process
(metrics), and understanding how to adjust the process (procedures and work
instructions) to maintain the target output.
Focus Management and Employees
User questions & answers