This list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) has been prepared by ISO/TC 176/SC 2 to support the publication of ISO 9001:2008 and the revision of ISO 9004. Input has been obtained from experts and users of the ISO 9000 standards, expressed during seminars and presentations around the world.
The list will be reviewed and updated on a regular basis to maintain its accuracy, and to include new questions where appropriate. It is intended that this list will also provide a good source of information for new users of the standards.
Friday, June 18, 2010
ISO 9001 Standards Certification
When an organization chooses not to pursue ISO 9001 certification or not to retain the ISO 9001 certificate, it should make no difference to the way the organization is managed. Its similar to the man who chooses not to take the course examination. He still has the knowledge he has acquired whether or not he takes the exam and gets a certificate. What he cannot do is demonstrate to others that he has reached a certain level of education without having to prove it every time. People who know him dont care that he didnt take the exam. It is only those who dont know him that he will have difficulty convincing.
Many organizations were driven to seek ISO 9001 certification by pressure from customers rather than as an incentive to improve business performance and therefore sought the quickest route to certification. The critics called this coercion and like most command and control strategies, believed it resulted in managers cheating just to get the badge. What was out of character was that suppliers that were well known to customers were made to jump through this hoop in order to get a tick in a box in a list of approved suppliers. It became a necessary evil to do business. Certainly when perceived as a means to get a badge, the standard was no more than a marketing tool. It could have been used as a framework for improvement but the way it was imposed on organizations generated fear brought about by ignorant customers who mistakenly believed that imposing ISO 9001 would improve quality. To achieve anything in our society we inevitably have to impose rules and regulations what the critics regard as command and control but unfortunately, any progress we make masks the disadvantages of this strategy and because we only do what we are required to do, few people learn. When people make errors more rules are imposed until we are put in a straightjacket and productivity plummets. There is a need for regulations to keep sharks out of the bathing area, but if the regulations prevent bathing we defeat the objective, as did many of the customers that imposed ISO 9001.
Many organizations were driven to seek ISO 9001 certification by pressure from customers rather than as an incentive to improve business performance and therefore sought the quickest route to certification. The critics called this coercion and like most command and control strategies, believed it resulted in managers cheating just to get the badge. What was out of character was that suppliers that were well known to customers were made to jump through this hoop in order to get a tick in a box in a list of approved suppliers. It became a necessary evil to do business. Certainly when perceived as a means to get a badge, the standard was no more than a marketing tool. It could have been used as a framework for improvement but the way it was imposed on organizations generated fear brought about by ignorant customers who mistakenly believed that imposing ISO 9001 would improve quality. To achieve anything in our society we inevitably have to impose rules and regulations what the critics regard as command and control but unfortunately, any progress we make masks the disadvantages of this strategy and because we only do what we are required to do, few people learn. When people make errors more rules are imposed until we are put in a straightjacket and productivity plummets. There is a need for regulations to keep sharks out of the bathing area, but if the regulations prevent bathing we defeat the objective, as did many of the customers that imposed ISO 9001.
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