Advantages of ISO Standards

Advantages of ISO Standards

By: Jessica Seelman

Initially one may think an ISO Standard requires too much time, money, and resources but ISO Standards can be very beneficial to any size business.  The standard requires businesses to establish guidelines for all aspects within the company.  If implemented correctly these guidelines will ensure the company focuses on continuous improvement, safety, corporate image, improves customer satisfaction, and reduces waste.   These are just a few benefits of a ISO Standard, so when you feel overwhelmed after reading a standard just remember the initial work is worth the reward!

I am more familiar with the ISO 9001:2015 Standard that focuses on a quality management system, so let’s take a detailed look at that standard and its advantages. ISO 9001:2015 Standard is a part of the ISO 9000 family of quality management systems and focuses on continuous quality improvement while providing consistent products that meet the customer’s needs. The ISO 9001:2015 places a huge emphasis on leadership engagement and demonstrating it through actions not just words.

The standard requires that top managers establish a quality policy and objectives that will be the foundation of the quality management system. Management engagement is just the start of the standard, it also focuses on planning, support, operation, performance evaluation, and improvement.  Once you’ve focused on each of these sections you’ll have established guidelines of how your business should communicate and function to produce consistent products.  Having all the processes identified will allow the business to operate more efficient and please the customer.  All employees will clearly understand their tasks and expectations, which in return will improve productivity, customer satisfaction, and eliminate non-value added tasks.  If implemented correctly it should also promote employee motivation and morale.

The standard also requires that the polices are reviewed annually by management.  Reviewing these policies and how they are implemented will help managers identify strengths and weaknesses in the quality management system.  They may find that their quality policy needs to be redefined to meet new markets which will allow the business to strengthen their portfolio.

So if you’re curious if there is an ISO standard that applies to your business check out their webpage, http://www.iso.org/iso/home.htm.