Wednesday January 28th, 2004

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How can I develop ISO 9000 standards in my small business?

The ISO 9000 Standards were created by the International Organization for Standardization. The ISO Standards are considered a consensus on “good management practices with the aim of ensuring that the organization can time again deliver the product or services that meet the client's quality requirements” (International Organization for Standardization, 2002). In other words, the ISO 9000 standards are not quality control standards for products per se, but are instead management systems standards that help businesses assure that they are following a set system for the production of their goods and/or services.

ISO 9000 standards essentially outline what requirements a good quality system will meet. Because ISO standards are implemented by individual businesses, corporations, and government organizations, the ISO 9000 “family” also provides auditing tools to make sure that you have properly implemented the standards and are meeting the quality requirements. More specific information on evaluation systems may be obtained from the ISO ().

What about business diversity?

The ISO 9000 standards target a large range of businesses-from “Mom and Pop” operations to multi-national corporations. How does the ISO know that its standards will work for all businesses? The answer is simple: ISO 9000 standards are designed to define what requirements a good quality system will meet, but they do not dictate how businesses must reach those requirements. If you own a small business, you can go about implementing the ISO 9000 standards in a fashion that is effective and efficient for the size and structure of your organization. If you are a multi-national corporation, you can use the same standards but employ different methods in the fashion that is most effective for the size and structure of your organization.

Implementing ISO 9000 Standards may seem like a daunting task for small businesspersons, and it frequently is. Businesspersons are often not familiar with ISO 9000, and find the paperwork required to be certified to the standards excessive and exhausting. Given these factors, how can you, as a small businessperson, implement ISO 9000 with relative ease?

Your first step in implementation should be identifying what your goals are: do you want to be more efficient and profitable? produce products that meet your consumer's needs continually? achieve customer satisfaction? increase market share? improve morale in your business? reduce costs and liabilities? increase confidence in your business' ability to operate effectively and efficiently? Be sure to write down your goals so you can refer to them as you decide what ISO 9000 Standards will be most useful for your business.

The next step in your ISO 9000 implementation should be obtaining ISO 9000 Standards guides and related materials from the International Organization for Standardization, whose contact information you will find listed at the beginning of this article. After you have obtained copies of the standards, you will need to evaluate whether or not you are seeking a certification for your management system. More information on applying for national quality service awards can be found on the ISO website.

After having decided what ISO 9000 Standards system you will be using, it might be helpful to hire an outside consultant to help you implement your plan. You might also want to look at your company's own human resources-do you have any employees who are familiar with ISO and might be able to direct your implementation efforts? Be sure to use the resources you have effectively.

The next step in implementing the ISO 9000 Standards is performing a self-evaluation. You will need to determine where there are gaps between your quality management system and the ISO 9000 Standards. Once you have determined what these gaps are, you can start drawing up a plan to implement the ISO 9000 Standards in an effective, efficient and responsible fashion.

After developing a plan to “close the gaps” between your quality management system and the ISO 9000 Standards, you need to carry out your plan. You will need to educate your employees about what the system is, why you are implementing it, and how you are implementing it. Make your employees and co-workers your partners in the ISO 9000 effort-they will be an invaluable resource to you, and can provide feedback on what facets of the system do and do not work.

After having implemented the ISO 9000 Standards, you will need to do periodic self-evaluations to assure that you are following the Standards. Performing these assessments will also help you target areas for improvement. If you need to demonstrate conformance to ISO 9000 Standards for regulatory, contractual, risk or consumer reasons, you will have to hire an outside agency to perform an audit of your quality management system. Talk to other business owners who have implemented ISO 9000 Standards about how they find independent auditors.

The last step in implementing the ISO 9000 Standards is to continue to work on improving your business. Continuing to evaluate and improve your performance will attract customers, boost morale and more than likely save you money in the long run.