Your Opinion: What are the Benefits of ISO implementation?

[noboxwine]

What a shame

However, I have seen plenty of companies that need the certificate to motivate the work force they have, to get people to do the things that make good business sense.

Too bad those company "Manager's" can't constructively illustrate the need for everyday compliance as part of good business; And it's only stimulated by a certificate and strangers visiting every six months.

 

[Sidney Vianna]

Back to the original question

I know of two studies that might be of interest to you, Steve.

http://www.scc.ca - Link was: /publicat/storysofar_e.pdf

http://www.worldpreferred.com/pub/IMS04-2002a31-40-LD.pdf

Hope this helps.

 

[RoxaneB]

With Sidney's insistence on us returning to the original question , I was reminded about how I had to "sell Sales" on the benefits of ISO.

Quick recap for those who don't know my little horror story, but with three companies merging into one, there no longer exists one Sales force per facility. Instead, all Canadian Sales are based out of one location and all US Sales are based out of another.

In our quest for ISO 9001:2000, it was recognized (last minute, of course) that Sales affected our processes and needed to fall under our Management System umbrella...soooo....hi ho, hi ho, it's off to train I go.

Unfortunately, a presentation on our system and the requirements of ISo wasn't going to cut it. I had to show objective evidence of how ISO can benefit a company.

Originally, I went to the BSI site as they have a lovely presentation for companies who have benefited from ISO (I'd like to point out that a company I was a summer student for and in charge of implementing their first QMS at two plants is on that list...self-pat on the back!).

Then I realized that Sales will want to know how it benefited MY facility. Going back over years of data (pre-ISO and ISO eras), there was my proof! It was so obvious! Looking at our measurables (we call them Key Indicators), before we would track for the sake of tracking. Now we track for the sake of improvement. In many areas, I was able to show definitive proof in areas that are key to our industry.

And then came the fun stuff. Since the merger, since Sales left our Management System, I was able to show numbers that no one wanted to see. Service rating dropping. Employee turnaround at an unacceptable number. And while Product Quality and Service-Mill complaints were dropping, complaints in Invoicing and Service-Sales were drastically on the rise.

The CEO sat in on this presentation and stared at my graphs detailing "The Benefits of ISO 9001:2000." I do believe the trends - positive for my facility and negative for Sales - shocked him a bit. I don't believe anyone had told him the state of Customer Complaints for the entire company...and my numbers were just for my location alone.

I guess I'm one of those people who does believe in ISO 9001...if implemented properly and not for the simple sake of a piece of a paper.

 

[Aaron Lupo]

Too bad those company "Manager's" can't constructively illustrate the need for everyday compliance as part of good business; And it's only stimulated by a certificate and strangers visiting every six months.

Never said it was right just that it happens. The problem is there are many companies that have the wrong people in charge! It happens and will continue to happen. :truce:

 

[noboxwine]

Never said it was right just that it happens. The problem is there are many companies that have the wrong people in charge! It happens and will continue to happen. :truce:

Unfortunately, you're right !

 

[Randy]

Never said it was right just that it happens. The problem is there are many companies that have the wrong people in charge! It happens and will continue to happen. :truce:

I think I have stated this in other threads. Why does management insist that the only people to manage the QMS be the Quality folks (or Environmental ones in an EMS)? Management, and most everyone else, continues to view their Management Systems as an overhead expense and not as a capital/strategic program that must be managed as such. To properly establish, implement & maintain requires the same program/project management skills as a new building, overpass or business expansion one does.

To get value out, you must put value in. To put value in, you must plan, provide resources, communicate, and most of all have a defined goal that all can see to get their committment.