There are more than enough ISO standards to confuse any organization that’s looking to get certified. Today, there are over 16,000 point of compliance being used by certifying bodies to assess, monitor and audit any organization seeking to improve its quality management system. Here is a short explanation on what these standards are and their specific usages:

ISO Standards
ISO9000 compliance contain the metrics or specifications required in order to achieve the guidelines or criteria specified under that series. These standards are referred to as the in order to group the compliance guidelines used for quality management and assurance.

An International Standards Organization is identified as the series and its version. For example – ISO9001:2005. This indicates that the standard in place is the 2005 version.

Here are some of the most popular compliance conformity documents applied for:

ISO 9000
This is a very popular standard, ranging from ISO9001 to ISO9999. ISO9000 is the quality management system used by companies that engage in production. The requirements in these series include:

ISO9126 – used as a model for software quality
ISO9362 – used to regulate BIC or Bank Identifier Code
ISO9564 – used to maintain quality in PIN (Personal Identification Number) security and management

ISO 14000
This series is the system used to implement requirements in environmental management, specifically in a production environment. A few standards in these series include:

ISO14001 – standard for general environmental management
ISO14064 – standard used for handling greenhouse gases
ISO14230 – implemented for diagnostic systems used for road vehicles
ISO14698-1 – used for bio-contamination control

ISO10000
This series is used to establish standards and guidelines for project management quality. The series includes:

ISO10012 – used to implement standards in the production of measuring equipment and for measurement processes
ISO/IEC10077 – sets the standards for the calculation of heat transmittance in products such as shutters, windows and doors
ISO10211 – establishes the necessary guidelines for making detailed calculations of surface temperature for the construction of buildings
ISO10628 – sets the standards for the creation of flow diagrams used in process plants

ISO20000
This series sets the standards for guidelines used in establishing an IT service management system. It covers standards for the following:

ISO20022 – covers standards used for companies offering financial services
Applied to establish guidelines used by certifying bodies that audit other companies’ management systems in food safety
ISO/IEC TR 20943 – used for setting standards for procedures used to achieve consistency in registry content of metadata

Which ISO standard is right for your company?
The choice of ISO standards your organization will apply for will depend on the type of company you have, the nature of its business, its production or manufacturing processes, the type of products and/or services involved and the quality management system you wish to achieve.

Now that the relevance of ISO standards in various industries has been established, what does this all mean for business?

In the tender writing process, adherence to ISO standards says a lot about your business. The inclusion of ISO standards assures the assessor or client that your business runs under internationally-accepted policies and procedures. By following ISO standards, your tender proposal will meet or even exceed the client’s expectations.

As an example, the new ISO 50001 provides management strategies to reduce environmental damage. The increasing concern of consumers over the environment is most probably one of the reasons why this standard was developed. Companies are beginning to take a stand on environmental issues as well, with the increasing demand for “green” products. Over the years, ISO has been developing protocols for companies to help them integrate eco-friendly standards into their processes. With ISO 50001, utilities, supply chain partnerships and energy service companies can improve energy consumption and reduce carbon emissions in their facilities.

Not all purchasers are quick to adapt this change, and this is where ISO standards and tender proposals complement each other. A company that strictly adheres to ISO 50001 can offer their services to other purchasers. An ISO certified company can help purchasers utilize energy-consuming assets better; have comprehensive documentation of energy intensive improvements; and facilitate transparency on the management of energy resources.

In general, ISO certifications can help your business compete with others by giving it leverage. Most companies are driven by these standards because they are responsible for building the economic, environmental and social protocols accepted by the industry as well as the community. Getting ISO certification may be expensive, but there are ways to lessen the cost, such as the Free Grant Funded ISO Certification scheme. This is specifically made for small business with no more than 250 employees. This is a great start to boost your company and improve its revenue.

The ISO 14001 aims to reduce the environmental footprints that many businesses leave behind today because of not taking the right steps to be environmental sustainable. This standard promotes the decrease in the waste of necessary business resources and also reduces the pollution that can sometimes be a by product of a business.

About ISO 14001

The most updated version of the ISO 14001 was released in the year 2004 by the International Organisation of Standardization (ISO), which was attended by members from all the committees from around the world. In order for a company to be awarded the ISO 14001 standard certificate, an external auditor has to audit the company by an audit body that has been accredited by an accreditation body. The certification auditors are required to be accredited by the International Registrar of Certification Auditor and the certification body has to be accredited by the Registrar Accreditation Board in the USA or by the National Accreditation Board in Ireland.

The structure of ISO 14001 is very much like the ISO 9000, which is management standard, so these two standards can be implemented side by side to achieve the best results. As a part of the ISO 14000 family, which deals with different aspects of environmental issues, ISO 14001:2004 and ISO 14002 deal with environmental management system (EMS). ISO 14001 gives the requirements for the EMS and ISO 14002 gives the basic guidelines for EMS.

Environmental Management System with ISO 14001:2004

The EMS, as per the requirements of the ISO 14001, enables the company, may it be of any size, location and income to:
o It helps the company improve its environmental strategy and this positively affects their environmental performance.
o It helps in identifying and controlling the environmental impact that the activities, services or products of the company might have.
o And it helps in carrying out a systematic approach to set environmental targets and objectives, to achieve these and also to demonstrate that they have been achieved.

How does it work?

ISO 14001 does not specify or chalk out a definite level that each business has to reach. If the performance was determined, then it would have to be done for every specific business. But that is not how it works and has a very different approach, like:

The ISO has various standards dealing with environmental issues. ISO 14001 deals with a framework provided for a strategic and holistic approach to the businesses environmental policy, actions and plans.

It gives the general requirements for the EMS.
This also states the reference to the communication requirements for the communication of the environmental management issues between the company, stakeholders, the public and the regulators.
As these standards are not company specific, any and every business can undertake them as long as they are dedicated to the continued and improved environmental performance and they have a commitment to comply with the set norms.

The International Organization for Standardization also known as the ISO is one of the most important organizations in the world today. The short name ISO has been derived from the Greek ISOS meaning equal, due to the fact that the acronym would vary greatly across languages.

Keeping consistent with its name, ISO is a bridge between private and public sectors; helping businesses increase their market research and consumers decrease there worry of quality, safety and reliability of their purchased products. ISO does this by creating standards where the government has not intervened. Standards that ensure things like quality, environmental friendliness, safety, reliability, efficiency and interchangeability. It was founded February 23, 1947 with its headquarters in Switzerland and has since become the world’s largest developer and publisher of International Standards.

Although ISO Standards is playing and has played an important role in everyone’s lives, it often does so without detection. We are frequently unaware of the role of standards when our expectations of products and services are met, but when products are unreliable, of poor quality, incompatible with equipment we already have or do not fit, the role of standards becomes very apparent.

One example of undetected benefits of standards is the ISO metric screw thread which consists of ISO 68-1, ISO 261, ISO 262, & ISO 965. These metric screw thread standards help keep chairs, children’s bicycles and even aircrafts together while simultaneously simplifying the repair and maintenance processes which were once an even greater headache for manufacturers and product users.

ISO standards vary greatly in specificity, many being very specific, as in the case of ISO metric screw threads, while others are more general standards such as ISO 9001 & ISO 14001. ISO 9001 is a standard for quality management systems, while ISO 14001 is a standard for environmental management systems.

Basically these standards refer to the system a given company uses for managing production and its operations and whether or not this system enables the company to maintain a high level of quality or to be deemed environmentally friendly.

“For everyone, International standards contribute to the quality of life in general by ensuring that the transport, machinery and tools we use are safe.”

Now that the relevance of ISO standards in various industries has been established, what does this all mean for business?

In the tender writing process, adherence to ISO standards says a lot about your business. The inclusion of ISO standards assures the assessor or client that your business runs under internationally-accepted policies and procedures. By following ISO standards, your tender proposal will meet or even exceed the client’s expectations.

As an example, the new ISO 50001 provides management strategies to reduce environmental damage. The increasing concern of consumers over the environment is most probably one of the reasons why this standard was developed. Companies are beginning to take a stand on environmental issues as well, with the increasing demand for “green” products. Over the years, ISO has been developing protocols for companies to help them integrate eco-friendly standards into their processes. With ISO 50001, utilities, supply chain partnerships and energy service companies can improve energy consumption and reduce carbon emissions in their facilities.

Not all purchasers are quick to adapt this change, and this is where ISO standards and tender proposals complement each other. A company that strictly adheres to ISO 50001 can offer their services to other purchasers. An ISO certified company can help purchasers utilize energy-consuming assets better; have comprehensive documentation of energy intensive improvements; and facilitate transparency on the management of energy resources.

In general, ISO certifications can help your business compete with others by giving it leverage. Most companies are driven by these standards because they are responsible for building the economic, environmental and social protocols accepted by the industry as well as the community. Getting ISO certification may be expensive, but there are ways to lessen the cost, such as the Free Grant Funded ISO Certification scheme. This is specifically made for small business with no more than 250 employees. This is a great start to boost your company and improve its revenue.

Remember that without standards, your tender proposals have a lesser chance of being approved. Increase your chances of securing that contract by looking into ISO standards for business.

ISO 9001 is part of the ISO 9000 family of quality management, and is designed to ensure that companies and other organizations always meet the requirements of their customers as well as their stakeholders. By getting ISO 9001 training, it is possible then to help a company to ensure it passes the ISO 9001 standards and this can then give other parties more confidence in using the organization while helping them to achieve the best end products and product certification.

ISO 9001 is a specific aspect of ISO 9000. While ISO 9000 deals with the basics of quality management (and the eight management principles), ISO 9001 deals with the requirements that that organization has to accomplish in order to match the standards.

Certification is granted by a third party organizations. Over one million companies in existence today meet these standards and that makes ISO 9001 one of the most popular management tools in the world.

By aiming to get training to meet these standards, a company can first of all ensure that they are able to provide the best quality products and services both for investors and customers/clients. This then means that they will be more likely to see repeat business and more likely to get used again in future. At the same time though it also means that they will be able to boast accreditation to potential investors, business partners, customers and clients and this will give those parties more confidence in the company they are dealing with thereby increasing their chances of investing, making a purchase or signing up for a service.

The ISO 9001 has thirty pages and requires extra reading. However once a company has passed the standards it will essentially mean that it meets the following criteria.

• The policy on quality is understood at all levels of the organizations.
• The business is able to alter their quality system based on collected data
• The quality system is regularly audited
• Records show where materials etc originated allowing any problems to be traced back to the source
• There is a clear outline of what the customers require
• The business has systems of communication with customers for feedback etc
• When developing products, the business will first plan stages of development and will emphasize testing at each stage.
• Performance is also regularly audited and meetings are used to discuss problems
• The company deals with past and present problems as quickly as effectively as possible and keeps records for future audits
• Fail safes are in place to deal with problems with supply, customers or staff
• The business aims to ensure that no one uses a bad product, and to achieve this outlines what is a good and what is a bad product.

If you meet these criteria then your company may be able to pass ISO 9001 in theory. Once you apply you will then be assessed through extensive samples of sites, functions and processes. Problems will be flagged at this point, and the company will then be required to provide an improvement plan from management to show how this can be dealt with.

The International Organization for Standardization (abbreviated to ISO) conducts standards for institutes which are organized in more than 159 countries across the globe. The ISO has its head office in Geneva, Switzerland. In simple terms ISO certification is given to an organization in order to indicate that the organization has good standards and it is working well with its employees and its customers. The International Organization for Standardization is not a Government organization. It acts as a bridge in between the private and the public sector and brings out good standards for many organizations across a variety of industries.

There are many standards that are released by the ISO. One of the standards is the ISO 9001 certification. The reason why an organization may require the ISO 9001 certification is to ensure that the company has a very good quality management system in place and can then confirm this to their customers. Also, if an organization has ISO 9001 certification it can ensure to its suppliers that it is following a good standard regarding it’s quality management system. The main two reasons for going for the ISO 9001 certification are to show how effective a company’s production is as well as helping to give good recognition for other new markets concerning their company standards.

The main aspects of ISO 9001 certification are maintaining good quality of products and also to maintain low cost and high efficiency for the production process. The primary thing that is checked with ISO 9001 certification is to confirm that the quality goals that are set out in the company’s quality management system are met. It is also important that once a company gets its ISO 9001 certification they should be seeking to improve all the time. There should be an increase in productivity as well. The goals of ISO 9001 certification are to increase the efficiency, increase the revenue, establish proper decision making, achieve good supplier relationships and prepare documentation work about the company plans, a regular improvement process should be in place and on the whole a complete customer satisfaction system should be implemented.

The ISO 9001:2008 certifications have a few revised benefits and let us see a few of them in detail. The goals of the ISO 9001 are the same for all year where as a few enhancements will be added for every year. Likewise the ISO 9001:2008 certification’s benefits include cost reduction in the production of goods, greater customer satisfaction, improved product efficiency and improved productivity, reduction in the scrap and waste products. The aim is to prepare a quality product which passes the goals of the quality management system. The ISO 9001 certification itself should result in the reduction of customer claims, a proper delivery to the customer on time, providing great reliability, safety and quality to the products. So on the whole the ISO 9001 certification has many good policies for the organization and they are also ensuring that the quality of the product should be good, efficient and cost effective, with an increase in the productivity.

Next you need to put these processes into action, including assigning particular individuals to be responsible for implementing and controlling your EMS (this means documenting the processes and results as well as establishing emergency measures). After this, performance has to be assessed on a regular basis in terms of whether the targets are being met. And following the results of the assessment there should be considerations of how to develop procedures for even better environmental outcomes.

What is great about this certification is that is designed to fit perfectly with other, more general management systems, like ISO 9001 which focuses on improving the overall quality and efficiency and streamlining procedures. Once you decide to adopt a management system such as ISO 14001, the manner in which it is implemented means it becomes as integral part of the structure of your company and you are constantly improving and finding new ways to be more environmental; the initial amount of effort to become certified soon pays off.

What makes this certification so important is not only its contribution to helping the environment but that it helps your company in a number of other ways (many of which can save you money). For example being ISO 14001 certified proves to clients and partners that you are committed to a cause and that you can set objectives, meet them and continue to build upon that progress. It also opens up new international markets and gives you an advantage over those competitors who are not certified. It can save costs as you come up with more efficient ways to deal with waste and more economical ways to use energy. You may also save expenses in terms of reducing your liability. It also means you are definitely complying with any legislation and regulations if not exceeding them. An ISO 14001 certification offers many advantages for your whole organisation, not just the environment
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The actual concept for ISO14001 came about back in the early 70s. Now of course the basic ideas of environmentally friendly manufacturing and materials production have been around long before then and began to take hold with the masses on a grander scale beginning in the early 1960s. However, there was one thing in particular that took place in the early 1970s that was a game changer.

That was that leaders of countries around the globe began to meet and forge agreements to reduce emissions, and work to protect the environment in general. Now this was good but there was just one thing lacking and that was an enforcement body and procedures. As important as these agreements were, they were all in effect simple handshake deals that really had “no teeth” in them at all.

So with all in agreement that the environment needed to be protected on an international scale, the problem was just who would enforce any agreements and what would be the penalties if there were to be any. Also if a system of enforcement were to be put in place, what would then over see it to insure that developed and developing countries were to be treated fairly?

Even to this day the international community continues to meet and make agreements as newer and more damning data continues to be gathered that points to the urgency of finding solutions. In the end though, it was and continues to be dynamics in the marketplace that are proving to be the impetus for real change. Not the diplomats and politicians. In short, it’s today’s savvier shopper who created the real demand for the ISO14001 certification system.

The fact is that this system and others like it have proven that in today’s marketplace it pays to be sensitive to the environment as one goes about their business. It’s a two sided coin you see, because on one hand there is a certain percentage of the general shopping public who will pay extra for properly certified goods.

At the same time though, there is also the consumers who will boycott without being told to do so any business they perceive to be harming the environment. Add both of these percentage numbers together and what you will come up with a sizable combined figure that only continues to increase.

One area that your firm can focus on as it begins to make basic preparations for ISO14001 certification, is recycling, and alternative energy usage as well as production. Now of course these are but one part of all that will be considered by the examining and auditing authority, but recycling and alternative energy technologies are readily available.

Chances are there are areas in your business where materials should be getting recycled that aren’t and also areas where materials made from recycled products can be brought in. At the same time, you may want to take into account that solar panels are now fully cost effective. In fact photovoltaic technologies are now so cost effective that the average solar system costs some 60% to 70% of the value of the power it will produce over its 25 year service lifetime.

ISO standards offer economic, societal, and technological benefits:

• In case of innovators creating new technologies, maintaining standards for such aspects like safety, compatibility, and terminology, increases the dissemination rate of innovations. It also speeds up their development in marketable and manufacturable products.

• For businesses, the general implementation of international standards enables suppliers to produce and offer goods and services that meet standards having widespread international approval in their fields.

• For consumers, the universal compatibility of expertise and technology that is achieved when goods are developed following international standards provides them with a wide range of options. They also gain from the existing competition among sellers.

• In case of trade officials, the standards build a kind of playing field that is equally leveled for all the competitors in that market. The implementation of different regional or national standards can result in technical barriers in trading. International standards provide a technical means for putting political trade contracts into practice.

• In case of developing countries, standards representing a universal consensus on state of the art become a vital source of industrial know-how. By establishing a set of characteristics that all goods and services need to meet in export markets, standards provide developing countries with the basis for making ideal decisions when planning to invest their limited resources and thus, help them to conserve them.

• For governments, these standards offer the scientific and technological basis for underpinning environmental, health, and safety legislation.

• For consumers, all products and services that conform to the international standards can be relied upon in terms of their safety and quality.

• For everyone, these ISO Standards improve the general quality of life by ensuring the safety of the tools, machinery, and transport that we use.

• For our entire planet, implementation of international standards on the quality of water, air, and soil and on the emissions of radiation and gases has contributed to the efforts made towards preservation of our environment.

ISO 14001 is a certificate to measure the extent of your business’s environmental responsibility. It is internationally recognised, so if you decide to expand overseas, you don’t need to become certified again by a separate standard. There are four main areas in which becoming ISO 14001 certified can benefit your business.

Customer respect
Being environmentally friendly is of primary importance in today’s changing climate. Being able to advertise to potential customers that you conform to international and even personal regulations in disposing of waste responsibly, recycle, and limit air pollution shows that you are a conscientious and trustworthy business, and will gain you respect and admiration, not to mention higher turnover. Some customers are obliged only to purchase from ISO 14001 certified business, so safeguard yourself against being ignored by a portion of potential customers.

Avoiding legal penalties
If you ever face legal problems to do with your environmental approach, being ISO 14001 certified is a form of evidence that you are conforming to environmental regulations. So get certified to avoid legal cases that could drain your time and money. Would you rather lose large sums of money on legal representation, or protect yourself for a fraction of the cost?

Cost effectiveness
Not only is wasting as little as possible, recycling and reducing pollution good for the environment, but it’s also great for your business bank account. The cost of disposing of waste and buying things made using brand new materials is high; imagine how much you could save if you wasted as little as possible, and used things that have been recycled. Whatever you do, you will dispose of waste, so saving in this area is always desirable.

Organisational efficiency
ISO 14001 certification ensures that your business is organised in the best possible way for wasting as little as possible. This means less of yours and your employee’s time is spent organising management systems, and in turn, even less money is spent on implementing new management systems when old ones fail. This also means that if your business grows, you do not have to spend time and money on re-organisation, as you will already have optimal management systems in place that are able to support a larger business.

Online ISO 14001 certification companies offer certification that is cost-effective, time-efficient, and with minimal bureaucracy. Costs vary, depending on your annual turnover- £799 if your turnover is less than £75,000, and £1,999 if it is £1 million to £2 million.

Does your organisation store personal information concerning your customers? Would you like to be able to assure your customers that you have all the necessary safeguards in place to protect this information from being taken advantage of? ISO 27001 is an internationally-recognised standard that evaluates the effectiveness of your Information Security Management System in handling the security of data within your business.

There is a multiplicity of threats to those who store the personal data of customers. Viruses are a constant threat to virtual data stores, and in order to prevent infection, you must keep sufficient data back-ups. Hackers are another hazard; some organisations, such as the NHS, are under legal obligation to protect the information of their users from outsiders, and so privacy policies must be tight and secure. You may be surprised to find out that employees are an even greater threat to information security than those on the outside, such as hackers and creators of viruses. To become certified, contact an online ISO 27001 company.

There are three stages in the process of ISO 27001 certification:

-The first stage involves the auditors, who carry out the process, becoming acquainted with the company by checking initial documentation, security policy and other management systems relating to the security of data.

-The next stage consists of checking that the ISMS meets the requirements of the standard. Auditors will seek evidence that a company implements a suitable management system, and that a body meets to oversee compliance with this system.

-The final stage is the re-assessment of the company’s compliance with the ISMS. These reviews should take place annually, or initially more frequently.

Maintaining certification is not a static evaluation, but a continuous process of auditing and reviewing. Policies should constantly be considered and altered to fit developments in risk levels. Becoming involved with this process benefits your organisation in three major ways:

-Firstly, it gains the trust of customers who are concerned about the safety of personal information

-Secondly, is cost-effective as it prevents security risks from spiralling out of control and becoming expensive to solve. It is an advantage to organisations planning future growth to gain certification early, as cost will be greater the larger the organisation.

-Lastly, the running of an organisation is made smoother by having an approved ISMS in place. Information is constantly monitored and reacted to, which has a positive effect on the running of the rest of the organisation.

When there is so much competition in today’s market, it is important that consumers know that they can trust the company that they choose to do business with. This is where the ISO 9001 Certification is invaluable: it tells current and potential customers that your business is efficient and effective, and reassures them that you are capable of satisfying their needs and requirements. I’m sure that the majority of people will agree that a company that can guarantee their efficiency through a certified accreditation from a recognized agency would be a more appealing choice to do business with than a similar company who could not prove their own ability; this therefore highlights one of the most significant advantages of implementing the ISO 9001, as it increases a company’s eligibility and appeal in the market.

Studies have shown that companies with the ISO 9001 are more efficient, meaning that implementing this certification has benefits for the company itself, as well as for its clients. By improving the management systems of your company, you can ensure that your employees know exactly what your requirements are, and how tasks should be completed. This will save time, as there will be no reason to question a task, and should also mean that you will have less problems within your company; if difficulties do arise, you will quickly be able to identify and solve them. By being able to see exactly what the problems are within your company, you will quickly be able to recognize the areas that need improving: this will save you money in the long run, as you can find an effective long-term solution for a particular problem, rather than repeatedly finding yourself in similar situations and relying on short-term fixes to get by.

Many purchasers now require that companies have the ISO certification before they will agree to work with them. This means therefore that, whilst having the ISO 9001 can benefit a company, not having it can in fact have a negative impact on their business, as they will lose their eligibility for certain jobs and clients. Implementing the ISO 9001 Certification means that you are likely to increase your company’s profits and productivity, and decrease waste; it also proves to potential clients that you are dedicated to ensuring that your company runs effectively. It is fair to say, therefore, that the advantages of this system for a business are significant, meaning that it is a worthwhile investment for most businesses.

These techniques range from simply using the appropriate tools, and applying the appropriate structure, to using the right personnel. As always, proper planning, clearly defining responsibilities, and controlling the process are imperative in its success. There are five areas that must be addressed in order to develop a quality system with the least headaches. These are process definition, structure, tools, format/grammar and flexibility.

Process Definition

Many pundits will tell you that each person at the company must write their own procedures in order for them to be effective and appropriate. They argue that no one knows the process better than the person who performs it every day and that if they are not the one’s to document it, they will have no ownership. While this argument has some merit, it only works well if everyone at your company is a capable writer with a proper word processor and has the time and inclination to write procedures.

The reality is probably that much of the staff, even those at management level, aren’t capable writers and don’t have access to or sufficient practice on word processors. Involving many people in the construction of a set of documentation will yield different styles, levels of detail, formats, etc. creating considerable problems for the person responsible for pulling it all together. This person has probably already invested considerable time and effort in the training and support of people who will likely never write another document for the organization. In addition, few people have the time to devote to procedure writing. Because of this, everyone’s involvement is a goal that is unachievable at most organizations.

Who then, should write the procedures? The company should designate a person who is responsible for the generation of procedures. That person should decide format and structure for the procedures and will do most, if not all of the writing. Designating a single person assures that the procedures are written in a timely manner without excuses and without people shirking their responsibilities. It also enables the company to assign a capable writer with the appropriate skills to determine the processes involved, identify the right level of detail, and document them in such a way as to avoid the “ownership” issue. Finally, having a single person write the procedures ensures that there is a consistent format and structure. This is one area where considerable benefit can be achieved with the use of an outside consultant. This frees up internal resources to focus on the key purposes of the business and ensures an expert job.

The remaining problem is how to write the procedures. The person writing the procedures must ensure that the process is accurately depicted. This is typically done by interviewing the staff in the area for which the procedure is being written. The interview is used to gather needed information about the process and to determine how compliant the process is. It also allows the staff to have input into the procedure, so they don’t feel “out of the loop” and can feel “ownership” of the documents once created. From the information gathered in the interviews, the writer writes the procedure, reviews and edits it with the staff.

Structure

Before writing the documentation, it is important to determine the structure. It is a very common mistake to get the structure wrong and usually occurs in two ways. The first is having too many, too few or improperly structured levels of documentation. The second is structuring the documentation around the standard as opposed to the business.

A proper ISO 9000 quality system is written in three levels. Level one consists of the Quality Policies. This usually takes the form of a Quality Manual. Level two consists of the standard operating procedures. Level three refers to the work instructions, checklists, forms, and other task specific documentation. This is the structure which has proven successful the world over and is alluded to in ISO 100013. Some consider that records are the fourth level, but this is not the case. Records are evidence of facts and history; they are not documents that are maintained up to date. Once a form is filled and filed away it is not pulled out a year later because the format of the form has changed. The format of the form is a level three document but once filled in, it becomes a record. Yes, records are part of the “documentation” of the system but it is a mistake to assign them a level and assigning them a level serves to confuse the important difference between and procedure and a record.

There is often some confusion about what a quality manual is. Often, the company will bundle its entire quality system including procedures and forms into one manual and call it the Quality Manual. Although this is one possible definition, it does not help an organized structure. A Quality Manual is a document that describes the policies for quality, defines the structure of the quality system and defines the structure of the organization and responsibilities for employees. It does not include detail of operations and should avoid the specifics of procedures.

A typical Quality Manual would include several sections. First, it would define the structure of the organization. It might do this by including and organizational chart and by defining the responsibilities of key personnel. It would also describe the structure of the documentation used in the quality system. Finally it would reiterate each requirement of the standards and state briefly how they will be addressed. In many cases, simple acknowledging the requirement and stating that they will be met is enough. Again, the Quality Manual is not the place to describe specific procedures.

This brings us to level two. Level two refers to the procedures. These describe how the company operates on a department by department basis. Procedures typically do not include detailed task specific, or order specific instructions but focus on the management level information. How is the department organized? What information is received? What happens with that information? What tasks are performed? What reviews take place? And where does information go or get filed?

When writing procedures, it is important to structure them around your business, not around the standard. Too many organizations take the easy route by generating one procedure for each element of the standard. If you don’t have a product identification and traceability department, then you shouldn’t have a product identification and traceability procedure. This requirement of the standard should be included in your other procedures where it applies. Consequently it is clear that when procedures have been structured around the standard, the system has been designed to gain compliance, not to add value to the way the company is organized and managed.

Level three refers to the detail oriented, lower level documentation. This might include checklists, blank forms, task instructions, blueprints, drawings or order specific documentation. It does not in
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ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 are two sets of standards that aim to improve the operations of businesses and improve the standard of their end products as well as helping to make them more efficient in general. These sets of ISO International Standards are different from many other forms of certification however, in that they do not assess the end product or service, but rather the process or ‘system’ through which the end result is achieved – and by altering this it is possible for them to alter the outcome and thereby improve the end result.

Accreditation is provided by third party companies rather than ISO, and training can be used in order to learn more about the standards and how to meet them. There are many reasons that a company should use these programs. The first of course is moral as these standards will help the company to provide better quality in a more agreeable manner. The next is financial – of course by improving systems it’s possible to reduce overheads and to generally earn more, while at the same time improving quality will attract more customers. The third is reputation – and by achieving the certification you will be able to entice investors and customers all the more.

Here we will look at how ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 differ and what they entail.

ISO 9001

ISO 9001 training aims to improve a company’s quality. This is quality management and it involves the implementation of systems that are designed to help improve the overall quality of the product for the benefit of the paying customer and the share holders. This will then mean ensuring that you plan the development of new products, that you include significant testing phases in this process and that you have solutions readily available in the case of non compliance at any stage in the product’s development. This international system is used by over a million companies making it a highly successful quality management tool.

ISO 14001

ISO 14001 has a different focus than ISO 9001. Here the aim is to help organizations to minimize negative effects on the environment. This means reducing energy consumption, waste and the use of hazardous materials. This is important from a moral perspective of course, but it will also help to build a company’s reputation while at the same time reducing the amount of wasted materials thus decreasing overheads.

ISO 14001, like ISO 1900, is not a system in itself – it does not define an absolute methodology for ensuring minimal damage to the environment and it still allows variations between companies. Rather it is based around a system of ‘continuous improvement’ that once implemented should ensure the gradual improvement of any system. The basic premise of this continual improvement is often referred to as ‘Plan, Check, Act, Do’. This means that companies are constantly checking their environmental management systems as well as their general energy and material consumption and then making amends in order to improve it where it could be better. The system should work with any sized organization and has been adopted by over 18,000 companies worldwide.

The ISO 9000 family of quality certification can be an incredibly useful tool for small and medium sizes businesses. While ISO has traditionally been seen as something that only large companies might consider, the fact is that quality management systems can be equally, if not more, valuable to small growing businesses.

The reason is that the process of attaining ISO 9000 certification is all about writing down what it is that you do, how you do it and how you stop it from going wrong. In and of itself, this is an extremely valuable exercise for any small business. Whether you are planning growth in terms of taking on more staff, or are just looking at how to service a larger client base as your reputation grows, having a handbook that summarises how you ensure quality can be of huge help.

If you run an SME, you may already have experienced how helpful it can be to speak to a business mentor – not only because they may point out areas that you haven’t given enough attention to, but also because they can confirm that you are going in the right direction. The ISO 9000 assessment process can play a similar role – you will probably already have processes in place for almost everything your ISO assessor will discuss with you, but you may not necessarily be documenting everything. Laying out your quality management handbook and meeting the requirements for recording information for your ISO means that you have a really easy way of making sure that your business is meeting the standards you have set for yourself.

It also lays the foundation for really essential review processes that can happen as you grow. For example, if you are considering staff training, it will be helpful to have kept a training record so that you know exactly where your training budget has been spent and be able to review outcomes.

Of course, the other huge benefit of ISO 9000 Certification is that it proves to potential customers that you take quality seriously – and when it comes to larger tenders or contracts, it can help to open doors. For some SMEs, ISO accreditation has allowed them to ‘punch above their weight’ with new clients, allowing them to speed up their growth process significantly.

Whereas IS0 9000 used to be reserved for companies with the budget and internal resources to go through a lengthy assessment process, ISO is now much more accessible both in term of price and the streamlining of the assessment and certification.

As the world’s largest developer and publisher of International standards, ISO Certifications ensure consistency in standards across the globe. The certifications are suitable for all, from large international corporations to small home based businesses and large private sector companies to charities and not-for-profit organisations. There are also a wide variety of certifications to choose from: whether you want to prove that your internal quality management system is one of the best around, that you understand the effects your business has on the environment and are dedicated to offsetting your carbon footprint or that the wellbeing of your staff is of importance through the correct implementation of a health and safety system.

You may be considering an ISO Certification for your business, and there are certainly plenty of advantageous that you can benefit from when you can proudly hang your certificate on your office wall. Firstly it makes you stand out from the crowd. Being ISO accredited is a sought after status and in a competitive market the accreditation can set you apart from your competitors. Certainly firms who are already ISO certified prefer to work with other companies who have the accreditation – they want to make sure that they are working alongside an organisation that have the same standards in the work place as they do.

Ultimately an ISO Certification can also lead to increased profit margins. A recent study of the ISO 9001 certification, for instance, has shown that following the process 44% of businesses saw a marked increase in profits. This is one example where profits are increased due to an increase in business but other certifications can help to reduce costs. When implementing the environmental management system in an ISO 14001 there will be obvious reductions in cost. As you check through the amount of energy you use and how your waste is disposed of there will be areas where you will be able to find cutbacks. Simply making sure appliances are switched off at the end of the day or changing your lights to energy saving will make a big difference in the long run.

The best thing about thinking about becoming ISO certified is that there have been changes to the process by which you are assessed and become certified as traditionally ISO Certifications were complicated, costly and time consuming. Although the standards you have to meet have not dropped, the process has been streamlined and made hassle free so that more businesses are able to access them.

Businesses face lots of challenges in the international market. Implementing an ISO 9000 initiative is an action-oriented program that refers to obtaining ISO 9000 registration and working with its standards. The ISO certification process starts with pre-assessment audits and passes through on-going maintenance. The process of implementing ISO 9000 includes identifying, collecting and organizing the information required for certification.

ISO 9000 is a generic standard. It can be applied to any organization that intends to set up a quality management system, whether the organization is small or large, for-profit or governmental, whatever the service or product. The certification is now implemented by thousands of companies around the world. Many countries have taken it as their national standard.

Application of ISO standards generally refers to the process of implementing the collective intent of ISO 9000 family. The family includes four standards on quality management and quality assurance, namely, ISO 9000: 2000 (presenting fundamentals and vocabulary), ISO 9001: 2000 (presenting quality requirements), ISO 9004: 2000 (providing guidelines for performance improvement), and ISO 19011 (which is the auditing quality and environmental management systems).

Implementing quality management and quality assurance, as well as using the principles and guidelines contained in this family help the organization ensure complete customer satisfaction. ISO 9000 implementation also helps organizations design and manage their processes effectively to attain corporate aims, choose the right things to perform based on an objective analysis of the environment, and create an environment in which people will be motivated.

Many ISO services offer ISO implementation assistance for organizations. Their service includes professional implementation or upgrading of the appropriate standard in the organization through consulting (i.e., planning, procedures developing, system audits, etc), training, continuous improvement support, and risk analysis programs. The training programs instruct project managers how to implement ISO 9000 in their organization. ISO 9000 self implementation manual kits are also available in the market.

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ISO 14001 is an internationally recognised certificate which evaluates how well an organisation manages its environmental responsibilities by guiding them through the process of putting an Environmental Management System (EMS) into use. An EMS is a widely used and recognised standard which concentrates on both continued improvement of how you manage the impact you have on the environment while implementing a ‘plan, do, check, act’ methodology to ensure that no stone is left unturned.

The process by which a business becomes certified is relatively simple and unlike before it is much more accessible in terms of cost and time. You can be certified within 30 days after completing an assessment in which your business is examined and advised on areas that need to be rectified to comply with all the regulations set out for the ISO 14001 accreditation.

There are many benefits to becoming ISO 14001 certified and it can in fact directly help to drive profits of your business. After completion of the assessment, you will receive along with your certificate an environmental manual which will not only outline the guidelines you have to work within but also advice on obtaining maximum publicity and marketing from your achievement which will help you to gain new customers.

In the current climate, seeing to be environmentally friendly is of paramount importance and with the ISO 14001 certificate you are letting your customers, clients and competitors know that the environment is something you take very seriously. This in turn will earn you the respect and reputation of a trustworthy business. There are some customers who are obliged only to work with or purchase from certified organisations therefore with the certification you can be safe in the knowledge that you are not ignoring potential clients and gives you a competitive edge over rivals.

Organisations now are legally obligated to conform to rules and regulations regarding their waste management and energy consumption, an ISO 14001 certificate proves that you are definitely complying with any legislation and avoids potentially being liable for a large fine and any legal cases.

The processes the EMS puts into place will also save your organisation money in the long run. By reducing waste fewer resources are used and by looking at ways in which your organisation consumes energy bills can be reduced.

An ISO 14001 Certification also grows alongside the business. When you expand there is no reason to waste time and money on new environmental management systems as they are already there and as the certificate is recognised internationally if you expand into other countries the certificate just effectively moves with you.

And finally of course you are doing something for the environment, reducing your own and your employee’s carbon footprint to make the world a greener place.

- Hazard and risk assessment and control
- Emergency response
- Training and awareness
- Conference and communication
- Measurement of performance

The first part of the process involved the current state of your business’s health and safety management system being externally audited. Currently existing documentation and policy will be assessed. For example, auditors from outside the business will assess what risks there are in the workplace and what protection employees currently have from them, what the current procedure is in an emergency such as a fire, how aware employees are of how to avoid risk and respond to emergency, how often management consider health and safety, and how its efficacy is measured.

The next stage is to compare what has been seen in the first auditing process with the OHSAS 18001 regulations, and to make sure the business is doing what it supposed to do. Auditors will assess each aspect of the standard in relation to the results of the first assessment, and recommend any changes that need implementing. Auditing is carried out externally to provide the most objective standpoint possible; it would be overly subjective if solely carried out by internal management.

Finally, auditing will be carried out at intervals to ensure the business continues to use optimal health and safety management systems. These will be more regular early on, as it is hardest to maintain new systems as soon as they have begun.

Online OHSAS 18001 certification companies offer certification as a reasonable price, carry the process out efficiently, and involve minimal bureaucracy. Prices begin as £799 if your annual turnover is under £75,000. There are various benefits to investing in certification:

- Employees will feel more secure in their workplace, increasing morale and consequently production

- Customers will place more trust in a business that has been proven to have sufficient health and safety management systems in place in place will protect you from being prosecuted for health and safety negligence, by showing you have done everything you can, and any accidents are not your fault

- Having adequate health and safety management systems will make your business run more smoothly, and increase efficiency by ensuring that employees know immediately how to responds to risks and emergencies. It also means that conferences concerning health and safety have a clear agenda and can be completed more quickly
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Designing a quality management system that fulfills the requirements of ISO 9000 is not a difficult task. Many ISO 9000 services help businesses build up systems that obey the requirements of the ISO 9000 series of international standards.

ISO 9000 is a complete quality control system recognized and respected throughout the world. It applies to all types of businesses irrespective of their size and final outcome. ISO 9000 now includes three quality standards, namely, ISO 9000:2000, ISO 9001:2000 and ISO 9004:2000. The first one introduces requirements and other two present guidelines.

These services assist business organizations to attain ISO 9000 knowledge, implement the standard, and prepare for registration with the least time, in the most convenient way, and cost-effectively too. Both product and service oriented businesses seek the assistance of ISO 9000 services to improve their productivity and customer happiness through reduced waste and rework, shortened cycle times, superior supplier relations, and improved problem tracking. Most ISO 9000 services are customized to your organization?s particular needs.

Their auditor team of these ISO 9000 services consists of experienced professionals who are qualified to evaluate companies pursuing all variations of certification under the ISO 9000 standard. The audits done by such professionals provide public recognition that your business is dedicated to producing quality products or services, and giving prompt delivery.

With many years of experience, ISO 9000 services can prepare your organization to implement standards and avoid unforeseen casualties. They offer assistance through unique services, tools, and workshops and training events such as facilitator training, internal audit training, and documentation training.

Many ISO 9000 services also offer project planning with senior management, compliance reviews and gap analyses, quality manual/procedure review, writing and organizing procedures and other documentation, assistance with supplier development, and liaison with third-party assessors.

Everyone in the business world is aware of the fact that environmental issues are the order of the day. Customers and suppliers are more environmentally aware and are increasingly demanding to know what suppliers and service providers are doing to remain environmentally friendly.

This is where ISO 14001 accreditation comes in. The ISO 14001, along with ISO 14004, provides comprehensive guidelines, requirements and advice on how to implement the standard that deals with the environment.

The first thing that ISO 14001 requires is that there is management buy-in and drive to establish a project and project team. The project team should also have the authority to implement the steps in the accreditation process.

The project team should formulate an environment policy which will form the basis of the Environmental Management System (EMS). Here the project team will have to look at the requirements for ISO 14001 accreditation and decide how best to integrate these requirements with the day-to-day operation of the organization. The important thing to remember about ISO 14001 accreditation is that the company should still be able to perform and be profitable.

Many of the objections against environmentally friendly initiatives are that the costs outweigh the benefits. ISO 14001 provides guidance on how to integrate the two objectives and make it a sustainable practice.

Another problem with ISO 14001 is that managers don’t necessarily understand how to integrate the standard with existing Management Systems. Therefore they don’t make the effort to keep the project viable and user-friendly. Once again the guidance provided in ISO 14004 is extremely useful. It paves the way for mainstreaming the EMS into the current operations of the business and makes good use of the existing systems to create compatible paths for implementation.

Time – the resource that cannot be bought yet is very scarce. Here one has to keep in mind that all worthwhile projects will take time to set up and become self-sustainable. ISO 14001 is no exception. However, once implemented, it will be viable with very little effort and time required from the project team. If the awareness and training of staff on conservation efforts were done properly, the EMS may need only a few hours a month to revise and make sure that it is still on the right track.

Finally: Employees are resistant to the project. This is another common problem with not only ISO 14001, but all other ISO standards. The project should be sold to the employees in a way that will make them excited and enthusiastic about participating.

The ISO 14001 accreditation is an important step for a company to take. Once certified, there will be many unexpected bonuses for the company.

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Lina Azuero

The concept of social responsibility is not new. It has been around since the 70s, when early discussions on the role of organizations in society began. What is emergent, is the momentum social responsibility has gained and the shape it has taken.

The momentum is everywhere, evidenced through the different principles, conventions and guidelines now available on the topic or its elements, and their level of adoption. Some examples are the United Nations’ International Labor Organization Conventions, the United Nations Global Compact and Social Life Cycle Guidelines; Equator Principles; Global Reporting Initiative (GRI); Social Accountability 8000; AA1000 Series and more recently the ISO 26000 Guidance on Social Responsibility.

So I’m not going to spend time on the momentum, but rather attempt to discuss the shape social responsibility has taken… And yes, this is where ISO 26000 comes in handy.

ISO 26000 is a voluntary, non-certifiable standard, whose value lies in the attempt to compile all of the different elements of social responsibility in one place, define its evolved concept and provide ways to integrate it into the organization.  In the past, social responsibility would be seen as purely philanthropic and/or volunteering efforts. While these are important, we now acknowledge that social responsibility requires understanding society’s expectations and evaluating the organization’s capacity to respond them, so that no false expectations are created.  In addition, ISO 26000 also defines the seven core subjects that (at a minimum) need to be considered when thinking about social responsibility:  governance, human rights, labor practices, the environment, fair operating practices, consumer issues and community involvement and development.

Thus said, I’d like to make a point clear: The appearance of ISO 26000 doesn’t mean other guideline documents on social responsibility or related aspects are no longer valuable or needed. Contrary to that, they are complementary. The challenge becomes understanding how they interact and at which stage of the process to use them. ISO 26000 is filling a gap between high-level aspirations and reporting by providing a good basis for the “how”.

As with everything, social responsibility has its passionate supporters and detractors. However, if organizations are interested in staying in business for the long-term, social responsibility has to be part of the agenda. So, I’d like to end with a quote from Marc Epstein’s book, “Making Sustainability Work” that really helps getting this point across:

“The issue of whether companies should consider their social responsibility or the impact on their activities … is no longer up for discussion…The challenge has moved from “whether” to “how” to integrate corporate social, environmental and economic impacts—corporate sustainability—into day-to-day management decisions.”

Lina Azuero is a management consultant with CDM, in Cambridge, Mass.  She has a graduate degree in Business and Management from Harvard University, and a B.A. in Business and Management from the University of La Sabana in Bogota, Colombia. She is a candidate for a master’s degree in sustainability and environmental management from Harvard University, where her research has centered on social and environmental life cycle assessment in supply chains. She will be presenting during NAEM’s Sept. 8 webinar “New ISO Standards and the Impact on EHS and Sustainability”.

ASSIST Group Managing Director Sreenivas Narayanan launched ASSIST India’s training services in Chennai.

Through these training services, ASSIST hopes to contribute to its social business dimension, generating resources to further its core social developmental activities.

Participants came from such diverse domains as banking and financial services (BFS), manufacturing, retail, automobile dealership and service, and food processing.

Since the launch in July 2011, two programs have been conducted in Chennai. Sreenivas Narayanan, ASSIST Group Managing Director and Platosen Samarasam, ASSIST Executive Director inaugurated the event on July 5, 2011.

ASSIST Executive Director Plato Samarasam welcome the participants to the training.

Kameneson Ganeson, an expert from Malaysia who brings with him decades of experience in training facilitated the programs on Complaints Management and Training Return on Investment held on July 5 and 7, respectively at the GRT Grand, Chennai. Participants in the Complaints Management workshop came from such diverse domains as banking and financial services (BFS), manufacturing, retail, automobile dealership and service, and food processing.

Kameneson Ganeson facilitated the programs on Complaints Management and Training Return on Investment.

Meanwhile, the Training Return on Investment program, which targeted HR practitioners from the industry welcomed HR practitioners from companies like Sundaram Finance as well as MBA – HR students from management and business schools such as Xavier Institute of Management and Entrepreneurship (XIME) Bangalore, Indian Institute of Planning & Management (IIPM) Chennai and Institute for Financial Management and Research (IFMR) Chennai.

Participants join the workshop part of the training.

Most of the participants expressed great interest in partnering with ASSIST for future endeavours.#