How is the Association’s ISO Program better?
We do it better, faster and cheaper… by making you do less!
Kevin McNulty
Director of Member Services
Originally Published by IWLA
Download the original published article PDF scan
Members of the International Warehouse Logistics Association continue to enroll in our ISO 9000 program as they make progress towards certification. Each month, the Association holds start-up programs at different locations around Canada and the U.S.
Many members have asked me how our program is different. How does the Association provide ISO Certification in one year and for a fraction of the cost found in today’s market place? To understand how our program is different, it helps to understand the basic ISO process and how certification is currently delivered to the market place today.
ISO has been around since the ’30s but the ISO 9000 model was created for industry in the 1980s at the request of prime manufacturers who were seeking a standard that could be applied to their suppliers universally. The ISO 9000 series is 20 quality management tools (called “procedures”) designed to help companies continually improve the performance of their companies. To get ISO Certified you do not have to be perfect. The system incorporates “corrective actions” for “nonconformities” that arise as you manage your activities.
The Purchasing Procedure, for example, indicates how purchasing is done, who can authorize purchases and what paperwork is required (i.e., P.O.’s your company uses). In many cases, you can implement your existing forms with the ISO documentation. The Association member who has been certified under the program has all their documentation in one (1) 2-inch ring binder.
Most consultants make companies do more writing than is required by ISO. Many take a micro view and make your managers write out, in agonizing detail, each process used in their departments. ISO does not require that you rewrite your procedures to fit their model. It requires that you prove that your procedures have training materials when needed, that your employees are kept track of their performance.
Most companies that work with private consultants spend an inordinate amount of time writing procedures from scratch. This process is usually where companies get bogged down often leading to failure.
Under the Association’s program all documents are downloaded to your PC including easy-to-read procedures ready for your company to edit, revise and implement. Complete implementation instructions (written for our industry) are included with each procedure and implementation is emphasized from the very beginning so that by the time a procedure is complete, it has also been implemented and is working in your company to improve quality.
Your primary lead person called the Management Representative attends the first Orientation sessions. At this first session ISO is covered in detail and the internet system employed in our program is explained in detail. Peter Sanderson, Founder and President of TQMS International, trains all participants in the use of the Internet, our dedicated chat rooms and other computer technologies used in the program. While it is not necessary that your management representative be a computer whiz, they should generally be comfortable with computers and have some experience using word processing programs. All documents used in the ISO program are created using Microsoft Word.
Approximately two months into the process we train two of your employees as internal auditors. They audit each procedure as it is implemented and provide feedback for improvement. Again, this guarantees that the system in place is truly functioning and not just “on paper.” Our consultants review your entire process, approve documentation and then a final audit is scheduled.
Each year following your audit you are re-audited to maintain certification. These audits are part of the program.
The direct cost of ISO Certification programs ranges from $14,500 U.S. to $16,500 U.S. Your indirect costs include staff time, travel to seminars and travel costs for on-site auditor visits.
Sample Timeline (from page 2 diagram)
- Day 1: Half-day start-up training session attended by your company representative
- Month 1: Begin implementation and documentation
- Month 2: Company internal audit and 2-day internal auditor training
- Months 2–10: 20 procedures are made and implemented (each procedure is audited by the internal auditing team; consultants assist this process)
- Month 11: TQMS does final corporate review and pre-audit
Final result scheduled — your company is certified
For information on future training sessions, contact Kevin McNulty at Association Headquarters.
