Re: Suggestion for implementing ISO9001 in a start-up company
Yes compliance is mandatory by our customer. They are a quality driven customer and they are using us because of the quality of our product versus price.
Expanding to other customers is a possibility and is the logical path.
Before you spend any money on software, you owe it to yourself and your boss to buy electronic copies of the Standard and one or two other ISO documents that will come in handy. Some of our Covers and other members will give links to where the documents can be purchased for reasonable fees.
Let me suggest it is the goal of ISO Quality Management Standards to help an organization develop a good management system
for the entire organization of which quality of product and processes is an integral part, NOT something separate and apart from the business side of the organization.
The more focused you are on your plan for the organization future, the better you will be able to create an outline of processes and plateau benchmarks on the way to achieving that goal.
The whole ISO thing may seem an impenetrable tangle right now, but it does get a lot easier to understand with a combination of reading and discussion with experienced folks.
One thing I want to be sure to point out up front: Getting an ISO registration is not something you can realistically expect to do in 40 days, despite what you might see to the contrary in advertising by some irresponsible firms. Because you are a small firm, it should go relatively easy, but the price tag on trying to fast track registration is not worth the value - any customer requirement may be deferred while you are legitimately pursuing ISO Registration - that means Standards in hand and an estimated time table for which you will keep customer apprised of progress at regular intervals (probably as you achieve each plateau.)
