Transitioning to ISO 9001:2015, or implementing it for the first time, can be a complex and daunting project, which can take anything from a few months to a year, depending on the complexity of your operations, the size of the company, and various environmental factors. For these reasons, it makes sense to get guidance and professional assistance from a firm experienced in the provision of ISO 9001 consultancy services. With various challenges related to implementation, it is imperative to identify possible pitfalls beforehand, and ways to deal with them. Of course, it will make the most sense to set up an appointment with one of our ISO 9001 consultancy experts to discuss these. But, for now, let us take a look at a few tips to help streamline the implementation for long-term success and maximum benefits associated with being ISO 9001-compliant.
1. Plan Ahead
Like with any other project, effective planning goes a long way to preventing financial losses. Lack of planning is the main reason for failure in implementing the standard. It also applies to transitioning from the old to the new version. As part of our ISO consultancy service, we help clients to plan, to ensure that realistic goals and milestones are in place. It does not help you to set a timeframe in which implementation of the ISO 9001 standard must be done if it is an unrealistic one. You must make sure the timescales you use are achievable. However, if you are unsure, get expert ISO 9001 consultancy guidance to minimise the risk of falling short when it comes to implementation in the set timeframe.
2. Involvement of Executives
If the senior level of management is not involved, you can be sure that the implementation will be a failure. Indeed, the standard has specific leadership requirements that must be met. Our consultancy experts will be able to provide you with a detailed explanation and checklist regarding these. Essentially, the leadership must be committed to the implementation and maintenance of an ISO 9001-compliant quality management system (QMS). It is not solely the responsibility of the project manager to implement the system; it is an organisational effort, which must be done from top to bottom, as it affects every level of the organisation. If the leadership is committed, it helps to streamline the process of implementation, also for the project manager. We recommend speaking to our ISO 9001 consultancy experts regarding the requirements for leadership involvement.
3. Employee Involvement
Likewise, employees should be involved in implementation, especially key employees and important stakeholders. To ensure this, you need to develop awareness, provide platforms for discussions, use the knowledge of the key employees, and consult with stakeholders about the changes. Clear communication is essential to get the support of the employees. Here too, you will benefit from the ISO 9001 consultancy expertise that we offer in helping you to create the right structures for optimal communication to develop the required support for implementation on all levels of the organisation. Accurate, timely, and sensitive communication by the right persons is essential to develop a positive perception about the value of implementation.
4. Assessment of Performance
Your quality management system must be measured in terms of performance as soon as possible. Whether you do this against key performance indicators, or use the internal audit system, you cannot implement a compliant management system without measuring performance. We provide training for implementation, consultancy services, internal and external auditing, and templates for implementation and measurement of the QMS.
5. Employee Motivation
As stated earlier, all employees must be involved in the implementation. In order to get employee involvement, you need to motivate them. This can be done by ensuring that every employee in the organisation knows what the standard is and why implementation is necessary, as well as what your organisation’s quality policy is. You need to clearly define and communicate the roles, responsibilities, and authorities at all levels of the organisation. You must provide the required infrastructure for implementation and should initiate changes as suggested by competent and key employees. People are more likely to support, be involved in, and promote the compliant QMS if they understand their roles and are active participants. If you are not sure how to achieve this, get help from our ISO 9001 consultancy team.
6. Relevant and Reachable Targets
Returning to the timeframe issue; realistic targets are closely associated with achievable timeframes. Every objective must be relevant and specific. It is essential to select measurable objectives. If you cannot measure something, you will not be able to determine how well your organisation’s QMS performs. As such, you fly blind. It is a far too important exercise to simply hope for the best. Part of being compliant is to have measurable objectives.
7. Document Processes
Detailed documentation regarding current core processes is essential. Keep in mind that your organisation will be audited on its documentation, which must clearly show how its processes are compliant with the standard’s requirements. You will appreciate our ISO 9001 consultancy expertise regarding process documentation and can rely on us to help you create comprehensive and compliant documentation of the compliant processes.
What We Do
WWISE is a firm offering consultancy services, auditing, training, and integration assistance in South Africa. We help clients to implement businesses processes, integrate various management systems and become ISO compliant. We offer a wide range of solutions that help our clients to compete well in the international competitive business environments. As leading providers of training solutions, we offer clients on-site training, classroom-based instruction, e-Learning options, templates, and more. As such, we are able to assist in every aspect of ISO 9001 implementation, whether for provision of training solutions or to help develop and implement the QMS for the purpose of certification. We furthermore provide a range of auditing services, in addition to consultancy and QMS maintenance services.
Make use of our ISO 9001 consultancy services to help your organisation make the transition from the old to the new version or to implement and maintain a compliant QMS with success.