Any organisation wishing to become ISO certified, needs to implement and maintain an ISO Management System. The steps that are recommended for an organisation to become ISO certified are as follows:

Step 1 – Gap Assessment

Why do organisations need gap assessments?

• To understand the organisation’s current conformance to the ISO Standard of their choice.
• To identify the relevant documentation and records the organisation might already have which are aligned to the standard, and identify how to map it to the ISO Standard’s requirements.
• A gap assessment assists the organisation and WWISE to indicate the amount of work required to conform to the ISO standard and to comply with legal requirements.

What are the outputs of the Gap Assessment?

• A Gap Assessment report indicates the current conformance to the standard and the performance of its Management System.
• An Obligation-free proposal to assist the organisation in closing the identified gaps to conform to the standard with a task list/project plan for implementation and preparation for certification.

Step 2 -Closing Gaps.

• Gaps are closed from a documentation and governance perspective in accordance with the ISO standard.
• Awareness Training for all Staff on the importance of ISO, the benefits of ISO certification and the requirements required per role/individual in the company.
• Information is gathered to understand the respective roles, responsibilities, processes and procedures.
• The templates for all documentation are standardised and aligned to the organisation’s corporate identity.
• The Management system is documented and aligned to the standard’s requirements.
• Risk management and the specific plans aligned to the standard are focused on and forms are created to collect data to generate Statistics.

Step 3 – Implementation of the ISO Management System

• ISO management system documentation are implemented and records of at least 3 – 6 months are generated.
• On the job training and Workshops on how to use the management system are conducted.
• Internal audit training and maintenance training are conducted to ensure a level of skills transfer.
• Internal audits (dress rehearsals) are conducted with workshops on non-conformances, corrective actions, the updating of risk assessments and the management system if required.
• A management review is conducted. During the management review an action plan is created to ensure all items, either capital or operational expenditure, are managed and documented.

Step 4 – Certification

Key points to consider when choosing a certification body:

• Is the Certification Body accredited? Logos to look out for are: South African National Accreditation System (SANAS), United Kingdom Assurance Services (UKAS), International Accreditation Forum (IAF), Deutsche Akkreditierungsstelle (DAkkS) and many more.
• There are multiple certification bodies globally, it is important that the certification bodies are accredited and being audited by an accreditation body as mentioned above. This ensures credibility of the certification body and respective clients would want to note that the certification was not attained through the internet or purchased, as each certification body is audited by an accreditation body to the ISO 17021 standard.

Who are the different certification bodies?

• The Different Certification Bodies are:
  • South African Bureau of Standards (SABS)
  • British Standards Institute (BSI)
  • TUV Nord
  • TUV Rhineland
  • TUV Sud
  • Bureau Veritas
  • Standard Global Service (SGS)

What is the difference between Single Site and Multi-Site Certification?

• Single Site Certification –One site/location and its departments (HR, Finance etc) and Processes (Recruitment, Induction, Creditors and Debtors) are audited.
• Multi-Site Certification – Organisations with various sites or offices across the country or world require multi-site certification. The sites are sampled over a 3-year period. The Initial Stage 2 audit will be conducted for all sites.