• The first truth is, that you need it for business. Is not the only standard, but it is one of the most recognised internationally. However you already know that, don’t you? When you want to enter a market or get a new customer your life becomes easier if you have it. It is your business card if you will, to ensure that you have management systems in place to control the illnesses that eat alive organisations that only work for a profit. Some managers say it is an unnecessary evil.

• The second truth is that, it doesn’t teach you directly the core concepts of Quality. The techniques required to make the most of it. It is up to you to combine what the standard demands from you, with additional action, specific to your business, but based on universally accepted rules, to take your operations to the place where elite businesses are. If you get right this approach, it will make yourself shine, and become recognised in your field as a hero, who has won the war against the Lord Errors and conquered Customer Happyland, as I call the place where excellent businesses operate from.

• The third truth is that the standard is not prescriptive, it won’t tell you in detail what you need to do, and it does not advice on the correct path to achieve your goals effectively. It’s a guide to Quality but is not Quality.  If you compare the body of the standard to other frameworks which are prescriptive, you will realise that sometimes you would wish it was more specific. Have a read to the hygiene standard called BRC (British Retail Consortium) and you will know what I am talking about. Such generalist approach leaves a lot of space for interpretation, and such flexibility can do good or harm to your business, depending on how is approached. A Quality System badly implemented, will become a ballast for your organisation, by eating time and resources, which don’t really add value to your operations.

...again you may or may not agree with me. I have seen it. I have witnessed how, external auditors will build a relationship with the business they audit year after year, and become complacent, looking for the minimum requirements to be met and satisfy their customers, because you pay their salary, so you can continue holding your certification.

Now don’t misunderstanding me, I believe ISO 9001 is a great framework to run your operations, to guide you through your journey to a sustainable business, however, to have it, you could just set poor systems and mediocre processes, you will have no problem getting your certificate on the wall, and getting your congratulation letter from your boss. What I am talking about here, is that you choose whether you have a mediocre, boring, isolated system or you aim to have the biggest possible impact in your organisation, by creating a powerhouse that will ensure outstanding service and products for your customers.

Just to finish, let me clarify my point. You must choose whether you turn your process of getting certified in ISO 9001:2015, into an advantage in your market, or on the  contrary you just introduce another hole in your bucket, where resources scape and go down the drain. You decide to be mediocre, or you decide to be the hero of your organisation. If you are the type of professional that aims for the latter: Sign up right now and start by reading the article I am offering for free. If you are one of the former please do me a favour and close this browser, just forget about what I just explained. Go and hide behind your desk, put your head down and look busy. Busy doesn’t mean results.

My mission here is to you get you certified to ISO 9001:2015 through systems which allow you to go beyond what is required, looking at the big picture, having sound and practical processes, creating culture and supporting you along the way, so you don’t lose focus.

See you soon on your way to Customer Happyland.