ISO certification audit - Is it becoming a ritual in companies?
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ISO 9001:2008 - Quality Management system (QMS) is the most adopted international system by firms and organizations. In the wake of recent revisions being proposed for this international system and the new revised version of ISO 9001 is going to get released officially by Mid 2015, I want to register my thought process regarding this international certification with my own experience as a freelance ISO consultant.
ISO certification process - the audits both internal and external are being conducted in various organizations and the non-conformances raised during these audits are closed by taking "appropriate" corrective actions. But my experience goes like this........In internal audits is is predominantly the role of MR and the qualified internal auditors to take care of closing the non-conformances. It is in fact imperative to note that these non-conformances were issued by the same set of people. Rest of the crowd brand these people as "ISO people" and they think that it's none of their business to take the corrective actions for the non-conformances raised. In fact there should be a separate article to be written titled as " Is playing the role of an ISO internal auditor - A bane or Boon?"...........All the auditors some point in time lose their interests because of the extra work due to ISO audits and start feeling this as a "BURDEN"
The top management also doesn't provide any extra incentives for the MR or the ISO internal auditors who are in fact playing a yeomen role in sustaining the management system in the organization.
Whenever a consultant enters inside a company, then on seeing him any employee whatever position he or she occupies in the organization immediately directs the consultant to MR and say, "ISO consultant has come and all ISO "PEOPLE" can meet the consultant" as if he or she doesn't have any role to play in ISO certification. This is the ground reality.
The organizations are in a compulsion to go in for ISO certification due to the mandatory demand from the customers. They will not be able to participate in the tenders without ISO certification. By hook or crook they want to get their organizations "ISO CERTIFIED"
In this scenario, Organizations doesn't ADOPT the ISO system in their daily routines and instead feel that conducting an ISO internal audit followed by an MRM (management review meeting) is a ritual to be carried out once in six months. This is in fact true with many MSME's wherein the top person managing the company is neither able to calibrate to the level of a corporate company nor want to leave the "COMFORTABLE" position as an Entrepreneur. So there is always a lack of commitment in the Top management people to adopt this international standard in its true spirit.
After getting the certification, the top management person always says in a frustrated and blaming mood that , "I am unable to see any difference in my organization. I don't see any system in my company. I don't see any change in my employees. I think I have wasted my money in getting the ISO certificate."
Always the consultants like me face this music and we very well know the answer for this. "The Top management person is not strictly adhering to the ISO system and adopt in his daily routines". The top management works according to its convenience. They themselves violate the system and blame the certification body and the ISO team (MR & internal auditors) and term it as a wasteful exercise.
As a result the whole exercise of getting an ISO certifications is becoming a mockery and of course there are ways to get these international certificates at a cheaper price. Where are we heading for? Are we not cheating ourselves? Whose responsibility is to check these type of touts prevailing in the certification domain?
These type of scenario - Will it see a change with the release of revised standard in mid 2015? because the new standard doesn't requires a Quality Manual and also a MR - Management Representative and more focussed on 'RISK MANAGEMENT".............
(The views expressed here are only my views. There may be differences of opinions which are most welcome as "COMMENTS")
ISO 9001:2008 - Quality Management system (QMS) is the most adopted international system by firms and organizations. In the wake of recent revisions being proposed for this international system and the new revised version of ISO 9001 is going to get released officially by Mid 2015, I want to register my thought process regarding this international certification with my own experience as a freelance ISO consultant.
ISO certification process - the audits both internal and external are being conducted in various organizations and the non-conformances raised during these audits are closed by taking "appropriate" corrective actions. But my experience goes like this........In internal audits is is predominantly the role of MR and the qualified internal auditors to take care of closing the non-conformances. It is in fact imperative to note that these non-conformances were issued by the same set of people. Rest of the crowd brand these people as "ISO people" and they think that it's none of their business to take the corrective actions for the non-conformances raised. In fact there should be a separate article to be written titled as " Is playing the role of an ISO internal auditor - A bane or Boon?"...........All the auditors some point in time lose their interests because of the extra work due to ISO audits and start feeling this as a "BURDEN"
The top management also doesn't provide any extra incentives for the MR or the ISO internal auditors who are in fact playing a yeomen role in sustaining the management system in the organization.
Whenever a consultant enters inside a company, then on seeing him any employee whatever position he or she occupies in the organization immediately directs the consultant to MR and say, "ISO consultant has come and all ISO "PEOPLE" can meet the consultant" as if he or she doesn't have any role to play in ISO certification. This is the ground reality.
The organizations are in a compulsion to go in for ISO certification due to the mandatory demand from the customers. They will not be able to participate in the tenders without ISO certification. By hook or crook they want to get their organizations "ISO CERTIFIED"
In this scenario, Organizations doesn't ADOPT the ISO system in their daily routines and instead feel that conducting an ISO internal audit followed by an MRM (management review meeting) is a ritual to be carried out once in six months. This is in fact true with many MSME's wherein the top person managing the company is neither able to calibrate to the level of a corporate company nor want to leave the "COMFORTABLE" position as an Entrepreneur. So there is always a lack of commitment in the Top management people to adopt this international standard in its true spirit.
After getting the certification, the top management person always says in a frustrated and blaming mood that , "I am unable to see any difference in my organization. I don't see any system in my company. I don't see any change in my employees. I think I have wasted my money in getting the ISO certificate."
Always the consultants like me face this music and we very well know the answer for this. "The Top management person is not strictly adhering to the ISO system and adopt in his daily routines". The top management works according to its convenience. They themselves violate the system and blame the certification body and the ISO team (MR & internal auditors) and term it as a wasteful exercise.
As a result the whole exercise of getting an ISO certifications is becoming a mockery and of course there are ways to get these international certificates at a cheaper price. Where are we heading for? Are we not cheating ourselves? Whose responsibility is to check these type of touts prevailing in the certification domain?
These type of scenario - Will it see a change with the release of revised standard in mid 2015? because the new standard doesn't requires a Quality Manual and also a MR - Management Representative and more focussed on 'RISK MANAGEMENT".............
(The views expressed here are only my views. There may be differences of opinions which are most welcome as "COMMENTS")
