How can Small Companies afford and meet the needs of ISO 9001 accreditation?

[Ettore]

Welllll....................
It is basically a worthless document that costs the company several thousand dollars with no benefit.

If you are REQUIRED to register, develop the best system you can and get the cheapest registrar that you can find. Save your money for something that yeilds a return on your investment.

Just my opinion that is likely to stir some comment.

Carl-

Yesterday I was speaking with a friend (Jungian Analyst) about a process of analysis.
He said that it is like a circle that drive a person to understand itself always better. But it is necessary to work very and for many years, and this coast truly a lot but less than the certification or advisings on ISO 9000

The process of continuous improvement of a company demands the partecipation of many more persons. I believe that for a company it is dangerous to think that it is not necessary to receive help from any certification agency or others. BY Cavanna
http://www.cgjungpage.org/content/view/140/28/

 

[NatashaD]

We are a small company (8 in office, and about 50 field employees) and are registered to ISO 9001 and TL 9000 as a customer requirement. I agree with the previous poster that stated a small company would have less complex QMS. I just completed an internal audit, and realized that many of our nonconformances were due to processes being made more complex than they should be, so I am simplifying many of them now. The original QMS was written by myself, then update by others while I was away from the company for a few years. I returned a year ago and took it over again, and find that the more I learn about the standard (from here and elsewhere), the less complex our system really needs to be. As for a full time quality person, you probably wouldn't need it. My title is Human Resources/Quality Manager since neither position is really enough to be full time on it's own, one person (me) fills both roles.

 

[joanne24783 - 2005]

I think that a person who sees ISO as a piece of paper are merely tool pushers whom implement a quality tool because a) they feel they have to, or b) see it as one over on there competitors. This is not the purpose of ISO and unfortunately i have read so many cases with similar negative issues on ISO.
Some companies may not benefit because they already have excellent processes in place but for some its content can be a serious wake up call depending on how commited to making necessary changes and implemeting ISO Top management can be.
I am working rather well at the moment on my placement and am finding that by asking process users to take a step back and ask whether they have an efficienly run department here at the brewery we are making the right changes that saves our time and offers quick deliverables to the customer. So please dont assume ISO is just an expensive piece of paper just because it hasnt worked for you.

 

[Carl Keller]

The paper and registration process are completely worthless unless they are required by the customer, at which point they have value only because they are a necessary evil. In fact, I have never met anyone that could prove an ROI on registration.

On the other hand, the QMS and process of following the ISO standard will likely be as useful as the effort you put into them. Use of the ISO standard as the basis for your QMS can be a great benefit.

Just one "tool pushers" opinion based on several successful registrations and one decleration of compliance.

Carl-

 

[joanne24783 - 2005]

Thanks for your message Mark, Just received it.
I agree with you on the auditor thing. I just hope it works as best possible for us. I am probably over keen to impress and see results here at the brewery and shall not stop till i get them!!!!

 

[Carl Keller]

Joanne,

You can definitely benefit from an ISO based QMS.

Keep going by all means.

Carl-

 

[Mike S.]

I believe that for a company it is dangerous to think that it is not necessary to receive help from any certification agency or others. BY Cavanna

Cavanna,

Mind if I ask why you feel this way?

Carl,

I think you're right on, FWIW. The only value I see in an outside registrar giving you the piece of paper (unless a customer demands it) is if your organization has no discipline and requires a very costly policeman to "force" it to do in practice what it says it will do on paper.

 

[Sidney Vianna]

The registration is not worth the paper it is printed on anyway. It is basically a worthless document that costs the company several thousand dollars with no benefit.

If you are REQUIRED to register, develop the best system you can and get the cheapest registrar that you can find. Save your money for something that yeilds a return on your investment.
Carl-

From http://www.iso.org/iso/en/iso9000-14000/basics/general/basics_7.html

Criteria to consider include:
- evaluate several certification bodies,
- bear in mind that the cheapest might prove to be the most costly if its auditing is below standard, or if its certificate is not recognized by your customers
- establish whether the certification body has auditors with experience in your business sector
- following the publication of the ISO 9000:2000 series, establish whether the certification body has integrated the evolution in the focus of the standards from conformity to performance.


Concerning ROI on ISO 9001 registrations, go here. Not opinions. Facts.

 

[Carl Keller]

Ahhhhhhhhh........Very nice....and I think there is some merit to the data.


BUT

I think everyone is in agreement that having a good QMS is definitely beneficial and will show an ROI.

Now show me the study that shows the difference between companies that became registered and those that declared compliance.

The registration did NOT improve their performance or hold market share, the QMS is where they got the ROI.

I would also like to see their list of ISO registered firms and their "Control group"


Just a suggestion, you might not want to get "facts" from the ISO website, they might be, how should I say this?..................BIASED?

Carl-

 

[Sidney Vianna]

Just a suggestion, you might not want to get "facts" from the ISO website, they might be, how should I say this?..................BIASED?
Carl-

The same study is available in many websites, but it was conducted by professors in UCLA and in Spain.

Sure, ISO has a vested interest in promoting the Study, but they did NOT conduct the research.