The first step enterprises must do for ISO Certification

When thinking about getting ISO certified, business owners ponder about the first step enterprises must do for ISO Certification. Granted, suppliers or customers might be asking you to get certified, and you would want to know more about what it really means to get certified. But the whole process might be dauting, and you might not know from where to start.

There are many approaches that you could get take to get certified. You could either choose to hire an ISO consultant in Malta to help you through the whole process. Or you could chose to learn more, through training ISO certification. Both options have their pros and cons, as will be discussed below. However, I believe that the first step enterprises must do for ISO Certification is to ensure that the leadership are committed to continual improvement.

The first step enterprises must do for ISO Certification

Management commitment is actually one of the requirements for the standard, but the need for such committed extends much deeper than a mere requirement. Just like people won’t learn anything by buying books, or courses – unless they take the time to read and study. And just like people will not get in shape by simply buying gym memberships, and training programmes, unless they actually get in their training shoes, and push their bodies. Companies who want to get ISO certified will not improve their ways unless management allocates the necessary resources and focus to effect change.

Hiring an ISO Consultant: your enterprise’s first step

Hiring and ISO consultant is certainly the easiest option to follow, and by far the most common. When working with an experience consultant, like Luke Desira, you are guaranteed a management system that is designed for your needs. Some of the requirements are duplicated within the standard, and only a trained and experienced eye can notice such a repetition. If you get one of your employees to simply read the standard, and implement each requirement as it is understood at face value, you will end up with a cumbersome management system. Naturally, in the long term this will have adverse effects. Hiring an ISO consultant might be more expensive than just doing the work yourself, however in the long term it will be worthwhile. Click here if you’d like to get a quote for ISO certification.

Learning about ISO Certification

If on the other hand you have a qualified person working within your company, who is willing to undergo the project, then this might be right option. It is important to make sure that the person is trained on the current version of the ISO 9001 standard. There are various types of training courses that you can choose. Some courses are accredited, and others aren’t. The type of training that you or your employees will need depends on the current level of your management system. If you’d like to discuss ISO 9001 training options, feel free to get in touch, we’d love to help.

Getting ISO certified is just the first step

After going through the whole process, you will be awarded an ISO certificate by a certification body. In terms of continual improvement this will not mean much, if once certification obtained, the idea of continual improvement is shelved. Step by step, you will need to keep on inching towards continual improvement. Towards the impossible goal of reaching perfection. Granted, with time, new challenges will come into place, and we must continually seek to adapt to such changes. Enterprises of all sizes must seek to adapt to the current situations, and to improve.