Nearly two dozen companies have earned ISO 9001/SN 9001 certification, and as many – if not more – are nearing the auditing process. For those of you on the fence about whether this is right for your company, Tammy Johnson, who conducts pre-certification assessments, shares what she’s seeing and the trends she’s noticing.
You completed a number of the pre-certification assessments over the last year, year and a half. Have you noticed any trends with regard to where operations are deficient (with regard to ISO) and where they excel?
My experience has been that the two areas where I have found companies have some work to do is in the area of purchasing (7.4) and responsibility and authority (5.5.1). The standard for purchasing requires that their suppliers are evaluated on an annual basis. This is referring to their chemical suppliers and service providers. This evaluation does not have to be complicated but it is a requirement. ISO 9001:2008 standard 5.5.1 states: “Top management shall ensure that responsibilities and authorities are defined and communicated within the organization.” If you have job descriptions this standard is being met. I have found in many companies that job descriptions are hit or miss. They have some, but typically do not have job descriptions for everyone working in their snow division.
In our industry it stands to reason that an area where the companies excel is that of in-event documentation. I have yet to find a company that is not already documenting the required in-event documentation protocols. In most cases, they are also doing well with preseason site inspection requirements; the exception to this would be operating hours. It is a SN 9001 requirement that they have a record of operating hours for each client’s property. However, this is easily rectified and all companies I have had to point this out to have been able to comply with the requirement without undue hardship.
When engaging contractors about ISO, a common reaction is they don’t think their operation is big enough to warrant certification. Is this true, or is certification not dependent on a contractor’s size or scope?
I firmly believe you cannot be too small to pursue ISO certification. ISO helps companies of every size to put processes in place to help them become a better run, quality company. In fact, I believe you can make an argument for both smaller companies and larger companies. Smaller companies benefit because they may not have any processes in place yet simply because of their size. This process will help them to be prepared for growth much faster than they could get there without having the processes in place. Larger companies can benefit because let’s face it, “we have always done it this way.” That thought process oftentimes can keep the company from implementing processes that could help them grow. Going through the ISO certification process helps a company of any size get beyond what is their norm, perhaps moving past the comfort zone to implement the processes necessary for quality and growth.
What are some major misconceptions about the ISO process?
There are two that jump at me. 1st that it is going to take a long time to get certified. This does not have to be the case. I tell every customer that I work with that they should schedule their Stage 1 audit 4 – 6 weeks after I am there. There has not been a single company that I have been into that could not make the necessary adjustments needed, have their internal audit completed and hold their management review meeting in that time frame. Putting it off until you are “ready” means it will be delayed indefinitely. Bottom line, you can get through this process in less than 6 months from start to finish; in most cases much less than that. The second misconception is that you can’t do this during the fall or winter. I say BULL. In reality, this is the best time to go through this process. This is the time when you can readily identify your gaps and implement changes necessary to fill the gap. Yes, it means that whomever you designate as your management rep could potentially be working on the process during a storm, but so what. Is this person really “not busy” during spring and summer? They have nothing else on their plate during this time frame? I think not! I believe that this process can be started at any time of the year, make the decision and move forward – do not procrastinate!
You provide that neutral, outsider’s assessment of whether an operation is ready for the final audit. Once the decision is made to pursue certification, how soon or at what point in the process should a contractor call you and why?
As soon as they make the decision to move forward! I have been into several companies that have spent countless hours “working on” their ISO certification only to have me come in and tell them that they have over thought it or over complicated it unnecessarily. I am often asked what they should do to prepare for the gap assessment, my answer is always the same. I tell them I want them to have a copy of the industry standards, a copy of SN 9001:2012 and a copy of ISO 9001:2008 – beyond that I do not want them to do anything. If they feel they need to do something – I tell them to read the standard, underline everywhere they see the word “shall” and circle everywhere they see that a documented procedure is required. Honestly, that is busy work but I would prefer that they do that than attempt to start the process on their own.
Are your services required after certification has been achieved? For example, are their follow-up activities that a contractor may need your guidance?
Most companies will have me come in to do their internal audits rather than doing those audits themselves. For some that decision is based on the fact that they simply don’t have staff to do their own internal audits. Others simply firmly believe that having someone outside their organization perform the internal audit will help them to stay on track without worrying about bias.
How stressful is the ISO certification process on an organization? For example, is it disruptive, time and resource consuming?
It does not have to be disruptive. There is some time involved, but enough to be “disruptive” to the overall organization? No. I think change can be stressful but you can control the stress by being prepared. I had a client comment recently that told me that I was like a doctor – I have a good bedside manner, made sure they knew that they were good, explained things well, and put them at ease. That is my job – if I can help to eliminate the stress of those involved in the ISO process I am happy.
A follow up to the previous question, please share any techniques or methods you have observed that have allowed ISO certification to run smoothly.
Those companies that engage me and allow me to guide them through the process find that it runs smoothly. If the company puts this in the hands of the management rep with my assistance and the management rep has the authority to make the necessary decisions to keep the ship sailing smoothly. Like anything else, when you have too many hands in the puzzle it can cause some bumps in the road.
You completed a number of the pre-certification assessments over the last year, year and a half. Have you noticed any trends with regard to where operations are deficient (with regard to ISO) and where they excel?
My experience has been that the two areas where I have found companies have some work to do is in the area of purchasing (7.4) and responsibility and authority (5.5.1). The standard for purchasing requires that their suppliers are evaluated on an annual basis. This is referring to their chemical suppliers and service providers. This evaluation does not have to be complicated but it is a requirement. ISO 9001:2008 standard 5.5.1 states: “Top management shall ensure that responsibilities and authorities are defined and communicated within the organization.” If you have job descriptions this standard is being met. I have found in many companies that job descriptions are hit or miss. They have some, but typically do not have job descriptions for everyone working in their snow division.
In our industry it stands to reason that an area where the companies excel is that of in-event documentation. I have yet to find a company that is not already documenting the required in-event documentation protocols. In most cases, they are also doing well with preseason site inspection requirements; the exception to this would be operating hours. It is a SN 9001 requirement that they have a record of operating hours for each client’s property. However, this is easily rectified and all companies I have had to point this out to have been able to comply with the requirement without undue hardship.
When engaging contractors about ISO, a common reaction is they don’t think their operation is big enough to warrant certification. Is this true, or is certification not dependent on a contractor’s size or scope?
I firmly believe you cannot be too small to pursue ISO certification. ISO helps companies of every size to put processes in place to help them become a better run, quality company. In fact, I believe you can make an argument for both smaller companies and larger companies. Smaller companies benefit because they may not have any processes in place yet simply because of their size. This process will help them to be prepared for growth much faster than they could get there without having the processes in place. Larger companies can benefit because let’s face it, “we have always done it this way.” That thought process oftentimes can keep the company from implementing processes that could help them grow. Going through the ISO certification process helps a company of any size get beyond what is their norm, perhaps moving past the comfort zone to implement the processes necessary for quality and growth.
What are some major misconceptions about the ISO process?
There are two that jump at me. 1st that it is going to take a long time to get certified. This does not have to be the case. I tell every customer that I work with that they should schedule their Stage 1 audit 4 – 6 weeks after I am there. There has not been a single company that I have been into that could not make the necessary adjustments needed, have their internal audit completed and hold their management review meeting in that time frame. Putting it off until you are “ready” means it will be delayed indefinitely. Bottom line, you can get through this process in less than 6 months from start to finish; in most cases much less than that. The second misconception is that you can’t do this during the fall or winter. I say BULL. In reality, this is the best time to go through this process. This is the time when you can readily identify your gaps and implement changes necessary to fill the gap. Yes, it means that whomever you designate as your management rep could potentially be working on the process during a storm, but so what. Is this person really “not busy” during spring and summer? They have nothing else on their plate during this time frame? I think not! I believe that this process can be started at any time of the year, make the decision and move forward – do not procrastinate!
You provide that neutral, outsider’s assessment of whether an operation is ready for the final audit. Once the decision is made to pursue certification, how soon or at what point in the process should a contractor call you and why?
As soon as they make the decision to move forward! I have been into several companies that have spent countless hours “working on” their ISO certification only to have me come in and tell them that they have over thought it or over complicated it unnecessarily. I am often asked what they should do to prepare for the gap assessment, my answer is always the same. I tell them I want them to have a copy of the industry standards, a copy of SN 9001:2012 and a copy of ISO 9001:2008 – beyond that I do not want them to do anything. If they feel they need to do something – I tell them to read the standard, underline everywhere they see the word “shall” and circle everywhere they see that a documented procedure is required. Honestly, that is busy work but I would prefer that they do that than attempt to start the process on their own.
Are your services required after certification has been achieved? For example, are their follow-up activities that a contractor may need your guidance?
Most companies will have me come in to do their internal audits rather than doing those audits themselves. For some that decision is based on the fact that they simply don’t have staff to do their own internal audits. Others simply firmly believe that having someone outside their organization perform the internal audit will help them to stay on track without worrying about bias.
How stressful is the ISO certification process on an organization? For example, is it disruptive, time and resource consuming?
It does not have to be disruptive. There is some time involved, but enough to be “disruptive” to the overall organization? No. I think change can be stressful but you can control the stress by being prepared. I had a client comment recently that told me that I was like a doctor – I have a good bedside manner, made sure they knew that they were good, explained things well, and put them at ease. That is my job – if I can help to eliminate the stress of those involved in the ISO process I am happy.
A follow up to the previous question, please share any techniques or methods you have observed that have allowed ISO certification to run smoothly.
Those companies that engage me and allow me to guide them through the process find that it runs smoothly. If the company puts this in the hands of the management rep with my assistance and the management rep has the authority to make the necessary decisions to keep the ship sailing smoothly. Like anything else, when you have too many hands in the puzzle it can cause some bumps in the road.
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