QIC Guru

I have had the chance, as a consultant and Lead QMS Auditor, to see ISO 9001 in companies big and small in many industries such as manufacturing, service, technology, aerospace, warehousing and others. I’ve grown to understand a few things that seem to make all the difference in how ISO 9001 impacts an organization, either positively or negatively.

In the worst of circumstances, some companies regard their ISO 9001 certification as an accessory that has been uncomfortably inserted into the fabric of the organization. In these companies, ISO 9001 is something to present to an auditor once a year. When the annual audit comes due, everyone rushes around to tidy up the place because “we can’t allow them to see how we really live”. Somehow they placate the auditor enough to come away with an extensive list of corrective actions to address, while still retaining their certification.  Once the auditor leaves, the “QMS” is quickly shoved aside so it is out of the way of the “actual” business that needs to get done.

Somewhat better are those companies who at least try to keep up with everything through the year unless an “emergency” comes up or everyone becomes too busy. Unfortunately the crisis-of-the-month and the too-busy-with-the-customer excuses are quite routine and, worse, acceptable justification to “work around the system”. In too many cases these short term lapses become the standard operating procedure. Once the dust settles things get mostly caught up until the next “all hands on deck” is signaled. These companies commonly think of ISO as a “necessary evil” that has to be tolerated.

On the flip side, there are a significant number of ISO 9001 certified organizations who appear to “get it” when it comes to achieving real value from their ISO 9001 quality management system and have incorporated it  into their daily business processes. In these companies, the management team has learned how to use the requirements imposed by the standard to their advantage by solving real problems and consistently achieve real improvements in business objectives. These organizations actually achieve real benefits by using the standard as a lever for improving both customer satisfaction and their own bottom line.

I have worked with many ISO 9001 success stories over the years and have come to realize that there are a few unmistakable similarities in how they were able to reached their goals .

In either case, the “magical prescription” to achieve genuine value from IS0 9001 are a direct result of:

• Keeping it simple (K.I.S.S)!
• Focusing on business importance!
• Never doing anything just to please an auditor!