How to choose the ideal ISO standard for your company?

Factors to consider while choosing an ISO Standard?

While choosing the ISO Standard for an organization, it is closely linked to many factors for its success. Here are the main ones.

1. Organizational Objectives

Before choosing an ISO Certification the organization must have clear objectives and goals they want to achieve through an ISO Certification.

It must be feasible and achievable with minimum or no disruption to the existing system.

ISO Certification enables an organization to follow certain internationally accepted best practices to bring in quality aspects in all their operations and standardize the daily operational process.

The organization system must be flexible enough to adapt to the changes seamlessly.

The organizational goals must be in line with the ISO Certification for the success of the Certification process and generate the desired result.

2. Awareness about ISO Certification Standard

The organization must be aware of the ISO Certification Standard specifications on a ground level at least to be able to shortlist the required ISO Certification standard for their business.

Depending on the achievable business goals the organization must choose the desired ISO Certification standard.

There are various ISO Standards available with the main one being ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System Standard that will ensure product and service quality across the organization.

There are specific standards such as ISO 45001:2018 Occupational Health and Safety, ISO 27001:2013 Information Security Standard, and more, to fulfill specialized organizational requirements.

3. Scope of the ISO Certification

The scope of the ISO Certification depending on the specific Standard varies according to the specifications and Management System requirements.

The existing business operations and business management system will be optimized for productivity and improved business results.

The ISO System standard can be implemented at different levels depending on the business requirements.

The Quality Management System control points can be limited or expanded as per the compliance requirements of the selected ISO Standards.

4. Cost of Implementation

The cost of ISO Implementation plays a crucial role in ISO Certification. The additional investment is justified from the assured business results through the successful implementation of the ISO Certification.

There are multiple components in determining the cost of ISO System implementation.

It depends on the audit time requirement, no. of people to be trained, the number of sites or office location, the level of system updates required, ISO Consultant fees, ISO Certification body, and many more.

To know more about the Cost for ISO Certification, Read:

5. Changes Required to the Business Management System

Specific ISO Standards like ISO 27001:2013 IT Security requires implementing a robust IT Security Management System. There could be additional investment involved in changing the IT System in the organization to comply with ISO Certification.

To comply with the ISO Certification guidelines, the IT System must be checked for all control points and test okay for any vulnerabilities. The applied corrective actions must be recorded as per the standard operating procedure stated by the ISO Certification guidelines.

Team Involved and Top Management Support

The Quality Team or the respective team of the employee must be taking the initiative to get the organization certified to a specified ISO standard.

Also, the role of the top management in the process of ISO Certification in an organization is undeniable.

They will be more aware of the current business operations, the gaps in the system, and what is best for the organization to showcase increased productivity and business growth.

The ISO Certification system is based on a Plan-Do-Check-Act approach. It will include policy manuals and documentations to helps employees take corrective actions at the right time.

It helps employees to avoid any disruptions in the system that halts the functioning of the organization.

Additional Factors Contributing to the success of the ISO Certification

For the successful implementation of ISO Certification, there are two essential components – Choosing the right ISO Consultant and secondly, the Certification body.

ISO Certification involves a set of processes and involvement of numerous parties including the organization’s top management, employees in specific functionalities, ISO Consultant, Certification body, etc.

Hence the success of an ISO Certification Project is dependent on various factors.

 1. Choosing the right ISO Consultant

ISO Consultants play an integral part in the success of ISO Certification. The ISO Consultants will guide the organization the right way by:

• Applying all the guidelines indicated by the ISO Certification
• Identify any vulnerabilities in the system through gap analysis,
• Prepare documents and policy manuals for the ISO Certification,
• Assist in the ISO Certification Audit stage, and more.

2. The credibility of Certification Body

ISO Certification body is another major factor affecting the success of an ISO Certification. Based on the ISO Certification selected, the ISO Certification body varies.

ISO Certification Bodies are internationally acclaimed institutions governed and authorized by the International Standard Organization to issue ISO Certification after conducting an ISO Audit in the organization.

During the Audit, if any non-conformity with the ISO Standard Guidelines is observed, the ISO Certification Body will provide additional time to apply the compliance requirements and conducts a re-audit for issuing the Certification.