ON ROUTE TO CERTIFICATION

Most organisations conform to the standard; however, they are unable to interpret the requirements of the standard into their business practices. Our professional consultants and auditors facilitate the interpretation of the standard and determine the required alignment to your business processes.

This is largely dependent on the organisation’s scope of products and services, departments, processes, activities, functions, and sites.

We generally consider the following:

• Organisations with less than 10 employees or 8 processes – 2 Auditors (1 day)
• Organisations with 11-30 employees or 9 to 16 processes – 2 Auditors (2 days)

An auditor can audit 4 processes in 1 day; a process is a function of a department (e.g., Human Resources is the department and recruitment, and induction are processes).

1. Contact admin@wwise.co.za or click on our Contact Us page and request a Gap Assessment on your specific ISO standard requirements. Should you require clarity on which ISO standard your business requires, a consultant will call you back within 12 hours to provide clarity and assistance.
2. We identify your scope, location, processes, and boundaries by asking for your Company Profile, Organogram, or a Product and Service Catalogue.
3. Our consultants will create a Proposal and Quotation for your Gap Assessment based on the information provided.
4. Once the Proposal and Quotation is finalised, a 50% deposit is required to book the auditors/consultants for the Gap Assessment. This will take place on a day that suits you – virtually, on-site, or both. Our preference for physical face-to-face sessions is well supported by the engagement experienced.
5. An Audit Plan, in line with the departments and processes, will be scheduled. Time allocation ranges between 60 to 120 minutes per process, depending on the criticality of the process (core or supporting).
6. The audit scope, objectives, and plan have to be accepted by the client. Once accepted, the audit is scheduled.
7. A day before the Gap Assessment, the audit is confirmed, and the auditors arrive to audit your organisation’s systems and processes on the scheduled audit day.
8. An Opening Meeting is conducted with top management, process owners, and the relevant employees to understand the scope, and context is provided on the benefit, value, methodology, and output of the assessment. Furthermore, the definitions of major and minor findings are explained for continuous improvement.
9. Questions related to the clauses are asked for each process with an emphasis on: Say What you do – Job Description or equivalent; Do What you Say – Process/Procedure; Show me – Evidence of 6-12 months; What are the Risks – Risk Assessment; How are you improving – Objectives and Key Performance Indicators. There are specific questions per Standard that are asked in relation to the requirements/controls.
10. Conformance or non-conformance to the ISO standard regarding documentation and processes audited are shared during the Closing Meeting.
11. A date on the Gap Assessment Report will be finalised, and options for Consulting (Option 2) or Implementation (Option 3) will be given.
12. The Gap Assessment Report is compiled and presented to the client, with an Implementation Plan on either Consulting (Option 2) or Implementation (Option 3)..
13. The outstanding balance is paid on receipt of the Gap Assessment Report.

The decision is made on whether to pursue the Implementation or Consulting option; this is dependent on your organisation with no obligation.

If costs are an issue, WWISE provides the best possible solutions to assist, and may consider “Option 4 – Do it on my own”, with ad hoc hourly fees.

This is an investment an organisation makes to understand where their processes lie in accordance with best practice international Standards or frameworks. The need for standardisation, process conformance, legal compliance, and ISO certification is what clients require as a means of assurance. This assurance ensures that the respective products and services are being delivered in a consistent manner and meet their needs and expectations as defined.

The Gap Assessment identifies any deficiencies in the organisation’s processes and establishes an Implementation Plan aligned to the standard requirements.

Many other auditors/consultants may not understand your business or its products and services, resulting in an assessment that will not add value and will be difficult to interpret. With our range of knowledge and industry experience, our registered consultants/auditors have reputable references and track records, ensuring your organisation is in safe hands.

Our rates are R9250,00 per auditor/consultant, per man-day. This excludes travel outside of Gauteng and the greater Cape Town area.

All our auditors/consultants are professionals with specific industry experience and are registered auditors. We have over 100 years of combined experience with a 100% Certification Record.

Consulting is the process of helping organisations apply ISO standards effectively within their business. A good consultant understands your industry, aligns the standard to your company’s goals, and ensures your systems are both conformant and practical, reducing the risk of failing an audit. Auditors can be searched on www.saatca.co.za and www.quality.org.

This is largely dependent on the organisations’ scope of products and services, departments, staff complement, processes, activities, functions, sites, and commitment from Top Management. This process can range from a minimum of 3 months to a maximum of 3 years.

1. Contact admin@wwise.co.za or click on our Contact Us page and request a Gap Assessment on your specific ISO standard requirements. Should you require clarity on which ISO standard your business requires, a consultant will call you back within 12 hours to understand your requirements.
2. We identify the standard you require to conform to, bearing in mind: time frame, location, scope, boundaries, processes, and products and services. This is achieved by requesting your Company Profile, Product and Service Catalogue, Legal Register (if any), and Organogram (functional).
3. Our Consultants create a Proposal with the following key Milestones and Tasks:
   1. Step 1: Gap Assessment. We advise the client to consider Option 1 (Gap Assessment) before Option 2 (Consulting).
   2. Step 2: Awareness training to for all employees and top management. Explanation of the history of ISO, benefits of a Management System, Project Plan, and requirements of each individual for the project is defined and communicated.
   3. Step 3:Implementation training for ISO Champions for 5 days utilising the e-learning platform, for a minimum of 2 employees from different departments/processes. ISO Champions are selected from the employee pool, with a focus on those who are assertive, motivated, dedicated, and can influence change.
   4. Step 4: ISO Management System templates are supplied, with training on how to complete each template. This includes an action plan with individuals responsible for: document creation, review, verification, validation, and sign-off. These are aligned to the Corporate Identity of the company, and the Control of Documented Information Procedure. Assistance in documentation of a Risk Assessment is also provided.
   5. Step 5: Guidance of how to generate Records for each mandatory requirement of the Standard is provided. Policy implementation and procedural outputs are undertaken and evaluated.
   6. Step 6: Internal Audit Training for ISO Champions is provided. Additionally, an Internal Audit is conducted by an independent Consultant/Auditor.
   7. Step 7: Non-conformance and Corrective Action (Root Cause Analysis) Workshops are conducted – risks are updated as required.
   8. Step 8: Management Review Meeting is held, and statistical Objectives are proven. Thereafter a final action plan on what is required for the Certification Audit is prepared.
   9. Step 9: Stage 1 Audit with an accredited Certification Body is undertaken. Completion of the application forms with multiple Certification Bodies is conducted and preference is chosen. The Stage 1 and 2 fees are paid to the Certification Body and a date is set for the Stage 1 Audit, or desk study Audit, for a day or 2. The Stage 1 Report is presented highlighting areas of concern.
   10. Step 10: Areas of concern will be addressed and preparation for Stage 2 Certification Audit is undertaken. Note: this must take place within 3 months of the Stage 1 Audit, or the Stage 1 Audit is forfeited.
   11. Step 11: The Stage 2 Audit is conducted with Top Management, process owners, and staff audited against inputs of the Standard (Policies, Processes, Procedures, and respective Standards controls) to outputs evidence of 6-12 months. Thereafter a Report is submitted with any non-conformances noted.
   12. Step 12: Corrective actions with evidence supplied to the Auditor. This is necessary, as evidence of closure of the findings must be provided.
   13. Step 13: Certification is awarded. This includes the benefit of utilising the ISO logos for marketing purposes. Furthermore, the annual Surveillance Audits of year 2 and 3 are agreed upon.
   14. Step 14: Consultant guidance can be provided – this may be a monthly retainer or adhoc.

The guidance of a competent consultant who understands the requirements of the standard and the organisation’s business and strategic objectives is key when documenting a system. This system will align with the culture of the organisation and provides assurance that there are no drastic changes required, only improvements and adjustments. A consultant’s objective is to assist in guiding an organisation to develop a system that is embedded within current practices. Our consultants have the ability to understand blue- and white-collar employees, communicating effectively and translating the value of the improvements to daily activities.

A consultant functions to advise on what to do. Organisations and employees do not have the time to document policies, processes, procedures, and standardise forms and templates as it is an administrative burden and results in delays of the project. To mitigate this, WWISE recommends Option 3 – Implementation.

On average, for all 14 phases, this ranges from a total of 7 days (56 hours) for smaller companies, excluding training and the certification audit (Stage 1 and 2) dates, or 15 days for medium sized organisations that can be spread out in an hourly, daily, weekly, or monthly basis.

A system is required to provide at least 3-6 months of records to be considered for certification.

Costs vary based on time required, for example:

• For an organisation between 0-10 employees, on average the days and costs are, excluding training:
• 5 days or 40 hours over a period of time, either a month or 3.
• R 750,00 an hour R 30 000-00 ex. VAT and travel expenses, for 5 days or 40 hours.
• An organisation between 11-20 employees, on average the days and costs are, excluding training:
  • 10 days or 80 hours over a period of time either a month or 3.
  • R 750,00 an hour or R 6000,00 per day. A total of R 60 000-00 ex. VAT and travel expenses, for 10 days or 80 hours.
• For 21 employees or more – Options 1 and 3 are recommended unless a set number of days and hours are required. This will be at a rate of R 9250-00 per day or R 1200-00 per hour ex. VAT and travel expenses.

All our consultants are professionals with specific industry experience and are registered Auditors. We have over 100 years of combined experience with a 100% Certification Record.

Implementation is a hands-on approach with a 100% success rate for organisations that seek to implement a system that is effective, manageable, aligned to business objectives, and is easily maintained.

Employees lack time to document their processes but may spare an hour or so to explain the process, controls, and requirements of their activities. WWISE documents this on the clients’ behalf and aligns the outputs with related statutory, regulatory, contractual, and other requirements. This results in an effective ISO Management System aligned to relevant Standards and frameworks – custom-built according to the organisations’ requirements.

We have resources, professionals, and experts to assist in accordance with the clients’ time frames. This covers continuous on-the-job training and mentoring of top management to take ownership of the Management System and monitor its performance through unique solutions that we create for the business.

This is largely dependent on the organisation’s scope of products and services, departments, processes, activities, functions, sites, and commitment from top management; this process may take a minimum of 3 months and maximum of a year.

Refer to our Brochure (page 8 – 13) for a detailed Project Plan, costing, and an explanation of an effective Management System Implementation process for any ISO Standard or Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) Framework.

This method of documenting a management system is the most cost-effective.

Through years of experience, we have identified that audit failure is often caused by ineffective implementation. Documentation of policies, processes, procedures, and standardising forms and templates is only an aspect of an ISO Management System. There is still a need to embed the controls of the standard into organisational culture and day-to-day activities.

Yes, WWISE offers a variety of packages for outsourced consultants depending on the needs of your organisation.

WWISE is not a certification body and cannot predict the costs of independent third-party certification bodies. It is important to note that when choosing a reputable certification body, they are accredited, and their accreditation body is linked with the International Accreditation Forum (IAF). This will assist the organisation in pursuing certification on the value of the ISO certificate they receive. An estimation of certification costs can be determined based on factors such as the scope, products and services, boundaries, locations, processes, and legal and other requirements once a Gap Assessment is conducted. Alternatively, certification bodies can be contacted directly, and an application form can be completed to understand the costs of certification fees over the 3 years. *Terms and Conditions Apply.