Subject: Re: Q: Small business/complicated procedures/Scalies/Naish
Date: Fri, 28 May 1999 10:18:24 -0600
From: ISO Standards Discussion

From: PNaish
Subject: Re: Q: Small business/complicated procedures/Scalies/Naish

Charlie,

I'd like to answer your question regarding documenting the small business in several ways with a couple of examples.

Our company has 3 people with about 47 internally generated and controlled documents. And before you react with that being over kill and some kind of waste of effort let me explain why and what we did. We are NOT registered nor have we been required by a single client to become registered. Most don't even ask if we have procedures (that is until we train them they should be asking). We did it to make sure we have better consistancy and clear methods for providing the client what they expect.

In addition, I am often brought into discussion with clients who want to know why they have to do something that their registrar doesn't (like the one who didn't show up on time a few months back). When I first started ISO consulting I ask myself that question before my clients have a chance. Over the years we have increased our services and have refined our procedures to continuously improve our process.

In the beginning we had only a few services but have added software products to our offering. The addition of the software took on a life of its own with the processes of services being different than that of products.

As to the detail in each: some are very detailed for specific reasons. One of my staff does the fedex. I only do it when no one else is around. We have a fairly detailed instruction for my benefit so that in the event the other two are gone at the same time (about once every six months) I can send documents or product to a cleint.

I do almost all of the quotes and have a program that I developed that takes into consideration complexity of the client system and size of the group along with some technology factors. I developed it after a couple of years based on the history of our services. I have a fairly detailed instruction which is part of the program so that if I am gone and a client wants a quote they don't have to wait for me. From experience I am 99% sure that we will come in almost right on the quoted target even if they quote and we don't pad the hours to make them come out nor do we skimp and change it later since our quote is a not to exceed and if we come in less they get the difference.

We have a 30 minute maximum initial response time even if all three of us are out of the office. And we support both east coast and west coast time zones through planning which is part of the process we went through developing our procedures.

We continuously monitor our sucesses and our services through easy to use and easy to remember procedures.

We have several small business clients who have also implemented ISO for business reasons and not because they needed to for customers. One had 4 employees when we started. Another had 7 employees. One had 10 and is now up to 15. One had 13 and went down as they saw increased productivity and reduced waste in returned goods and ineffective use of their time. One that I work with every month for several hours per month as their QA Manager had 12. They were amazed at how easy it could be. I replaced a full time person that had left for other reasons. And by helping them stream line their system using the ISO model they only need a part time person to maintain their system and their quality has improved.

If you want more on what it can benefit even a small company I will be more than happy to give you some names you can call and you can ask them why they are still ISO when their clients don't require it.

Subject: Re: Q: Sm. bus./complicated procedures /.../Oliveira/Scalies/Kozenko
Date: Fri, 28 May 1999 10:23:08 -0600
From: ISO Standards Discussion

From: Write9000
Subject: RE: Q: Sm. bus./complicated procedures /.../Oliveira/Scalies/Kozenko

>> (I would be very interested in hearing responses from the ultra small
>> firms.) [ regarding implementing an ISO9001 QMS ]

Charley:

I'm a one man shop with two handfuls of subs, and I figured "why re-invent the wheel..."

Although I'd probably wait until the ISO9000 revolt of 2025 where a firm self trained as a Registrar can "ethically" self certify... I must say this: It took minimal time to determine the process, list process controls and parameters, plug together document control, "internal" audit (I've trained my fiance) etc. and write a Quality Manual and a Table of Contents for the Quality Procedures.

Presently, all of the Quality Procedures are fancy cover sheets, followed by several pages of blank white space with my own non-decodable procedures... I started with the bare bones requirements from 9001, and added just a few concerning different methods of selecting (or deciding to stay with) clients. There's also a whole appendix on pricing, also with fancy cover sheets and in code.

Just like my fiance sometimes experiences bad hair days... so too, do businessmen experience "bad business days." I've found that having the documentation done (notwithstanding the worthlessness I felt while actually doing it, even to the level that it's been completed) has saved me on more than one "bad business day."

Either I avoided a delay in settling a dispute, or agreeing to or refusing a service package, or voting yes or no on new software and the laptop to run it on -- it has helped me a great deal to organize to this minimal level. I'll never have it audited by a third party, but I will allow it to remain a viable subsystem in my own business, and it was extremely helpful that I didn't have to reinvent the wheel (so to speak) in order to come up with a framework that would work. Proper adaptation is all it took.

Subject: Re: Q: Sm. bus./complicated procedures /.../Oliveira/Scalies/Ruzicka
Date: Fri, 28 May 1999 11:28:58 -0600
From: ISO Standards Discussion

From: Johruzicka
Subject: RE: Q: Sm. bus./complicated procedures /.../Oliveira/Scalies/Ruzicka

<< So to any 2 person firm that wishes to implement an ISO9000 system, I
ask "What do you expect it will do for you that you don't/can't do without
it?">>

Dear Charley:

Your question is indeed very interesting. Here is my answer, and I know that this will shock many of the list members:

Our decision to implement an ISO9000 system clearly is a business decision. Yes, that's right, it mainly is the piece of paper that we are after! Don't get me wrong, I see all the "real" benefits of a quality system that are discussed on this mailing list every day, and we will make sure to get as much out of the implementation as possible, but if improved performance was our sole motivation, a more economic sized quality system covering only issues that are of real importance for us would do the job. No, it is rather the fact that we are subcontractors of prime contractors, and they simply require that we deal with ISO9000 if we want to keep getting their jobs.

How do other people feel about that? Are any other small businesses finding themselves in a similar situation?

I'm not saying it 'makes sense' for a 5 person shop to register, but if that's a condition of business....

Stay away from the 'do all' software, its more difficult to make it fit than it is to just do it yourself.
Start with document control, make the decisions and roll with them. Then start the quality manual. Flow out the work areas and functions. Contract review and design if it applies....Purchasing next. Then CA/PA, and then the processes including inspection stuff. For small companies like yours, I usually make the manual the meaty document and the procedures flow charts with a small bit of verbage to cover multiple responsibilities and authority...then the records. Don't tie yourself in knots trying to meet a requirement that does not apply...just say it does not apply......there really is no mystery to it all if you keep a clear head. One small loose leaf notebook should be enough,,,,don't over do it