I am looking for some guidance, I have to write a document to management which is not too complexed but shows the added value of applying the processes associated with this standard.

Do you have an example of a simple but effective business case which can be used to influence a management committee and to gain agreement and buy-in?

I am looking for some guidance, I have to write a document to management which is not too complexed but shows the added value of applying the processes associated with this standard.

Do you have an example of a simple but effective business case which can be used to influence a management committee and to gain agreement and buy-in?

Ok, let's start from the beginning:

Why are you going for 9001? Is it because of customer requirements, management directives, current problems and/or perhaps a general will to improve? In short: What are your incentives and aims?

What is your current situation (How are you running and controlling your business today?)

/Claes

Hi - currenlty we have an obligation by the Audit Commissioner to manage data and data quality better. This lends very nice to some of the management principles within ISO9001.

In addtion to this - next year we want to go for ISO14001 - we see 9001 as the precurser to 14001 - I have to develop a simple process map or structure which can be used in 9001,14001 and 18001.

Yes I know in the appendix it shows where they link - but I need to develop a process flow system linked to common elements. This will be very high level and simple - which ones are directly linked and do not need to be further developed - which ones need to be changed and which ones are specific to the the ISO.


Sorry - back to my origianl question:-
From an organisation perspective - we need to be smarter on what we do and how we do it, we need to demonstarate and prove that we are continually evolving to delivery excellent services which the customer wants. Their is a distincitive difference between customer needs, customer wants and our perceptions. This realignment and closing of gaps needs to be Smart and needs to be realistic - it also needs to be corp owned. ISO9001 is our first steps towards meeting our customer needs.

I am employed as the QA officer - but work within a change management role.

So in essence its for our customers - now the sell!

Hi - currently we have an obligation by the Audit Commissioner ...

Gordon?!?! :D

j/k

Here is an excellent case study (with graphs) that show how Quality Systems can improve business performance posted by Jennifer Kirley (http://elsmar.com/Forums/member.php?u=7632): "Inspection Culture " to "Quality Assurance Culture" (http://elsmar.com/Forums/showpost.php?p=217473&postcount=2) (it's the story that she likes).

Well, it's true that I do love that story about Texas Nameplate Company, though it's really more about TQM than ISO.

But success stories do abound, not surprisingly they are easiest to find when used as sales pitches by consultancies. Here is an example (http://www.qmi.com/customer/Default.asp?language=english). I have no affiliation with SAI Global.

The thing is, registering for ISO is a big effort. It will require buy-in and cooperation among many people at different organizational levels. Before taking this on I heartily suggest you read Kotter's book The Heart of Change (http://www.theheartofchange.com/). I'm not affiliated with Kotter & Cohen either. This is one of the texts from a class I am taking right now, and I find it the best business book I have ever read.

You are right to look ahead to ISO 14001 and consider ISO 9001 as a model. There is a lot in the two systems that have similar needs: document control, training, etc. You can adapt the FMEA to address environmental aspects, as I have done to manage workplace safety risks and actions. That could take a lot of the mystery out of the systems design phase.

thanks - read lots of things and lots to TQM books - even did some of it on my masters.

BBC is key

Budget - Buy-in- Cooperation

Just was wondering if any other person had wrote something similar to what I wanted (on both points) - selling the idea and a highlevel link

PS - good link with the joke

In order to get the buy in , you need to know top management's weaknesses and concerns, and based on that you could start the ballgame....

let me elaborate .... i usually go on several presentations with our marketing manager to conduct presentations to customers, and most of the time they start off leaning backwards, very confident, and whenever i mention anything in the standard they start going like yeah we do that , yeah we do that, but then depending on the type of organization, there are usual and common glitches which occur everywhere which you could use, like for instance:

1. Governmental organizations:Elongated and cumbersome procedures, unproductive employees, lack of factual approach, poor competence....etc.

2. MNC: Lack of Employee Loyalty, subjective employee performance evaluation, ineffective corrective actions, .....etc.

3. Small companies: (everything you can think of.... it's a generalization i know... but i hope you get the point)

You could get the buy in by tackling any of the points which trouble them, like the data part, however, ISO9001 by itself doesn't provide you with the process itself, just the finish line, so have impressive processes and case studies in place.

Good Luck!

[The thing is, registering for ISO is a big effort. It will require buy-in and cooperation among many people at different organizational levels.
This is a really strong point that Jennifer makes, and one to take seriously. And most importantly, it needs serious interest and buy-in from the top. If that isn't there, it's doomed or damned difficult or both.

Your ideas are sound, and yes, 14001 shares common elements with ISO 9001 (both for example need a management structure to be in place, management review, and other stuff like control of documents & records, corrective action etc. etc. But the buy in must come first. Sounds like the book Jennifer recommends is worth reading.


But success stories do abound, not surprisingly they are easiest to find when used as sales pitches by consultancies. You forgot certifiers/registrars ;)

1. Governmental organizations:Elongated and cumbersome procedures, unproductive employees, lack of factual approach, poor competence....etc.

Good Luck!

This is exactly where I am now - I have to "prove" the busienss case, I thought I would process flow all the departments and sections, try to identify the high level inputs and outputs, then try to think of something which could be improved - not impossible but not easy.

I might just write the core elements of the ISO9001 (e.g. record management) as other sections want to implement ISO14001,ISO18001 and ISO27001 and are waiting for me to write these moduels.:nopity:

Here you go, straight from the ISO itself.........

ISO 9000 and ISO 14000

This section provides a concise overview of ISO's best known management system standards and their impact on the world.

In brief The ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 families are among ISO's best known standards ever.

ISO 9001:2000 and ISO 14001: 2004 are implemented by over a million organizations in 175 countries.

ISO 9000 family

The ISO 9000 family addresses "Quality management".

This means what the organization does to fulfill:


the customer's quality requirements, and
applicable regulatory requirements, while aiming to
enhance customer satisfaction, and
achieve continual improvement of its performance in pursuit of these objectives.


ISO 14000 family

The ISO 14000 family addresses "Environmental management".
This means what the organization does to:


minimize harmful effects on the environment caused by its activities, and to
achieve continual improvement of its environmental performance.


In the global economy

ISO 9001:2000 and ISO 14001:2004 have become thoroughly integrated with the world economy.

ISO 9001:2000 (the transition to ISO 9001:2008 is now taking place) is now firmly established as the globally accepted standard for providing assurance about the quality of goods and services in supplier-customer relations.

ISO 14001:2004 confirms its global relevance for organizations wishing to operate in an environmentally sustainable manner.

The positive roles played in globalization by ISO’s standards for quality and environmental management systems include the following:


a unifying base for global businesses and supply chains – such as the automotive and oil and gas sectors
a technical support for regulation – as, for example, in the medical devices sector)
a tool for major new economic players to increase their participation in global supply chains, in export trade and in business process outsourcing;
a tool for regional integration – as shown by their adoption by new or potential members of the European Union
in the rise of services in the global economy – nearly 32 % of ISO 9001:2000 certificates and 29 % of ISO 14001:2004 certificates in 2007 went to organizations in the service sectors, and
in the transfer of good practice to developing countries and transition economies


ISO 9000 essentials

This section concisely describes the essential features of the ISO 9000 family.

The ISO 9000 family of standards represents an international consensus on good quality management practices. It consists of standards and guidelines relating to quality management systems and related supporting standards.
ISO 9001:2008 is the standard that provides a set of standardized requirements for a quality management system, regardless of what the user organization does, its size, or whether it is in the private, or public sector. It is the only standard in the family against which organizations can be certified – although certification is not a compulsory requirement of the standard.

The other standards in the family cover specific aspects such as fundamentals and vocabulary, performance improvements, documentation, training, and financial and economic aspects.

Why an organization should implement ISO 9001:2008

Without satisfied customers, an organization is in peril! To keep customers satisfied, the organization needs to meet their requirements. The ISO 9001:2008 standard provides a tried and tested framework for taking a systematic approach to managing the organization's processes so that they consistently turn out product that satisfies customers' expectations.

How the ISO 9001:2008 model works

The requirements for a quality system have been standardized - but many organizations like to think of themselves as unique. So how does ISO 9001:2008 allow for the diversity of say, on the one hand, a "Mr. and Mrs." enterprise, and on the other, to a multinational manufacturing company with service components, or a public utility, or a government administration?

The answer is that ISO 9001:2008 lays down what requirements your quality system must meet, but does not dictate how they should be met in any particular organization. This leaves great scope and flexibility for implementation in different business sectors and business cultures, as well as in different national cultures.

Checking that it works

1. The standard requires the organization itself to audit its ISO 9001:2008-based quality system to verify that it is managing its processes effectively - or, to put it another way, to check that it is fully in control of its activities.
2. In addition, the organization may invite its clients to audit the quality system in order to give them confidence that the organization is capable of delivering products or services that will meet their requirements.
3. Lastly, the organization may engage the services of an independent quality system certification body to obtain an ISO 9001:2008 certificate of conformity. This last option has proved extremely popular in the market-place because of the perceived credibility of an independent assessment.

The organization may thus avoid multiple audits by its clients, or reduce the frequency or duration of client audits. The certificate can also serve as a business reference between the organization and potential clients, especially when supplier and client are new to each other, or far removed geographically, as in an export context.

ISO 14000 essentials

This section concisely describes the essential features of the ISO 14000 family.

The ISO 14000 family addresses various aspects of environmental management. The very first two standards, ISO 14001:2004 and ISO 14004:2004 deal with environmental management systems (EMS). ISO 14001:2004 provides the requirements for an EMS and ISO 14004:2004 gives general EMS guidelines.

The other standards and guidelines in the family address specific environmental aspects, including: labeling, performance evaluation, life cycle analysis, communication and auditing.

An ISO 14001:2004-based EMS

An EMS meeting the requirements of ISO 14001:2004 is a management tool enabling an organization of any size or type to:


identify and control the environmental impact of its activities, products or services, and to
improve its environmental performance continually, and to
implement a systematic approach to setting environmental objectives and targets, to achieving these and to demonstrating that they have been achieved.


How it works

ISO 14001:2004 does not specify levels of environmental performance. If it specified levels of environmental performance, they would have to be specific to each business activity and this would require a specific EMS standard for each business. That is not the intention.

ISO has many other standards dealing with specific environmental issues. The intention of ISO 14001:2004 is to provide a framework for a holistic, strategic approach to the organization's environmental policy, plans and actions.

ISO 14001:2004 gives the generic requirements for an environmental management system. The underlying philosophy is that whatever the organization's activity, the requirements of an effective EMS are the same.
This has the effect of establishing a common reference for communicating about environmental management issues between organizations and their customers, regulators, the public and other stakeholders.

Because ISO 14001:2004 does not lay down levels of environmental performance, the standard can to be implemented by a wide variety of organizations, whatever their current level of environmental maturity.

However, a commitment to compliance with applicable environmental legislation and regulations is required, along with a commitment to continual improvement – for which the EMS provides the framework.

The EMS standards

ISO 14004:2004 provides guidelines on the elements of an environmental management system and its implementation, and discusses principal issues involved.

ISO 14001:2004 specifies the requirements for such an environmental management system. Fulfilling these requirements demands objective evidence which can be audited to demonstrate that the environmental management system is operating effectively in conformity to the standard.

What can be achieved

ISO 14001:2004 is a tool that can be used to meet internal objectives:


provide assurance to management that it is in control of the organizational processes and activities having an impact on the environment
assure employees that they are working for an environmentally responsible organization.


ISO 14001:2004 can also be used to meet external objectives:


provide assurance on environmental issues to external stakeholders – such as customers, the community and regulatory agencies
comply with environmental regulations
support the organization's claims and communication about its own environmental policies, plans and actions
provides a framework for demonstrating conformity via suppliers' declarations of conformity, assessment of conformity by an external stakeholder - such as a business client - and for certification of conformity by an independent certification body.


Business benefits of ISO 14000

This section identifies typical benefits for organizations of implementing ISO 14000 standards.

Most managers will try to avoid pollution that could cost the company a fine for infringing environmental legislation. But better managers will agree that doing only just enough to keep the company out of trouble with government inspectors is a rather weak and reactive approach to business in today's environment-conscious world.

The ISO 14000 standards are practical tools for the manager who is not satisfied with mere compliance with legislation – which may be perceived as a cost of doing business. They are for the proactive manager with the vision to understand that implementing a strategic approach can bring return on investment in environment-related measures.

The systematic ISO 14001:2004 approach requires the organization to take a hard look at all areas where its activities have an environmental impact. And it can lead to benefits like the following:


reduced cost of waste management
savings in consumption of energy and materials
lower distribution costs
improved corporate image among regulators, customers and the public
framework for continual improvement of environmental performance.


The manager who is "too busy managing the business" to listen to good sense about environmental management could actually be costing the business, instead of achieving benefits like those above.