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How ISO 9001 Can Improve Project Management?

How ISO 9001 Can Improve Project Management?

ISO 9001

How ISO 9001 Can Improve Project Management?

 

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There are a few sets of standards for project management that businesses need to meet in case of quality.

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is a set of international standards established to assist companies effectively document the quality system foundations to be instigated to carry out an adequate quality structure. They are not specific to any one industry or company among which ISO 9001 holds particular importance.

The standard directs the companies to a sustainable and quality oriented business plan that satisfies their customers’ demands. Their products and services need to meet their customers’ and clients’ requirements consistently. Along with that, it assists regular improvement in quality, keeping in mind the legislative and supervisory requirements.

No matter what the size of the company, ISO 9001 can be used by any organization to enhance their performance, focusing on customers’ needs, providing motivation to improve, auditing quality, etc.

It can also be used by companies from any industry sector be it healthcare, energy, and resources, industrial manufacturing, etc.

A fundamental component of most industries’ corporate activity is undertaking project works. These are to solve problems, exploiting opportunities and many other reasons. To carry it all out an efficient team is required composed of different individuals holding different talents and set of skills.

From the setup to executing it till the end, the project is responsibly planned, and its objectives are prioritized appropriately, or else bad it can be vulnerable to bad decisions leading to failure to achieve desired goals.

Everything from instigation, preparation, accomplishing, monitoring and closing the work needs to be done in the specified time set for the goals.

ISO for QMS provides sophisticated concepts and procedures that are well thought out to arrange good run-through in project management. Using the disciplines of ISO 9001 allows project managers to expand the success rate of their projects and succeed in their business plans.

Project Management and ISO 9001 Goes Hand In Hand!

Yes, you heard it right!

Want to see when ISO 9001 and Project Management shake hands together then what can be achieved with their combined powers?

Through process management, ISO 9001 and Project management can be very integrated into each other also.

Let’s deep dive into real benefits of Project management and ISO 9001…

Create a Service Culture

The project methodology is not the only aspect ISO 9001 certification entails an organization to embrace; Customer satisfaction is just as essential and crucial.

If the customers are not happy with the product and services provided the whole objective of the business is a waste. This is why customer criticism is measured continuously. It is imperative that the service culture is adopted.

ISO 9001 can boost the rate of success of an organization if the project seeks to supply products and services to external or to bid for prestigious contracts, where quality is a priority.

Customers want products and services that they are buying to meet their demands and retain the quality consistently. A lot of organizations device a formal quality management structure to ensure that their customers and clients commend their products and services.

Customers’ confidence can be achieved by using an effective quality management system such as ISO 9001. The organization can gain their customers’ trust in the project once they are ensured that the company prioritizes the quality.

Encourage Employee Engagement

ISO 9001 can aid in drilling confidence in workforces if projects and schemes have a reputation of being afflicted by low staff morale in the past. It helps increase motivations and improve work.

The senior management is provided with a resourceful controlling process that allows areas of responsibility to be established through the company with the help of ISO 9001. An efficient administration process supports the employees, who can now enjoy a smoothly functioning process and clarity about their work and responsibilities.

Once the overall operational process synchronizes the way an organization commences its project management, it will improve the whole overall functioning process and more importantly, will enhance employee buy-in.

The company’s staff will be more motivated and confident once non-efficient methods are replaced with functional, fruit-bearing ones.

Once the staff realizes that the overall success of the projects is on their shoulders, they will take their job more seriously and enjoy greater job satisfaction.

To execute the project successfully every team member needs to be clear about their goals and what is expected from them.

Teamwork and coordination make achieving the desired results possible. It is essential that the entire team is clear about the project being undertaken. This way, the company can expect is employees to understand the importance of goal achieving and the objectives of the project.

Being on the same page will also encourage employee engagement and productivity without any confusion or slip-ups.

Enjoy a Strategic Advantage

ISO 9001 with a high success rate, encourages a globally agreed quality management system. The millions of companies and organizations can prove its successful execution in over 170 countries that put their trust in this quality management system and are certified to it.

This helps ensure that organizations can carry out the same concepts and arrangements in their contractual and working relationships with clients, partners and other stakeholders. This leaves no room for confusion and complications. This aids the developments of project-based companies globally and offers ISO 9001 certified corporations with a tactical lead.

When ISO 9001 certified companies work together, they have an advantage over those with different quality management process as they are already used to satisfying similar standards, making their coordination more productive and fruitful.

Enhance Project Management Efficiency

ISO-based project management is not only beneficial to organizations and businesses but also offers an exclusive pro to those authorities seeking to manage projects.

Project management teams do not always entirely involve workforces and employees. A lot of them can be generated or accumulated under an agreement and contain the contribution of specialists from numerous topographical and expert areas.

To pull together project management teams in this way there needs to be temporary collaboration and alliance between groups.  With the help of ISO 9001 QMS, the management process is globally agreed upon, putting the companies on the same page and familiar with the execution methods.

If team members recognize and use those processes, they can enjoy greater success, efficacy, and flexibility working together.

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ISO 9001 Management Principles

ISO 9001 Management Principles

ISO 9001, Quality Management Standards (QMS)

Getting expert help with your ISO 9001 certification will save you time and money.

Eight ISO 9001 Management Principles of ISO 9001 Standard

Enlisted below are the top eight ISO 9001 management principles:

  • Focus on Customers’ Needs and Demands
  • Top Leadership Commitment
  • Employees’ Engagement
  • Fundamental Process Approach
  • Basic System Approach
  • Continual Improvement Cycle
  • Evidence-Based Approach for Decision Making
  • Supplier Vendor Relationship

Mandatory ISO 9001 Certification Documentation

  • Objectives and criteria to measure success
  • Quality Policy
  • Customer Feedback
  • Management Reviews
  • Internal Audits
  • Document Control
  • Process Interaction and its Approach
  • Supplier Relationship
  • ISO 9001 standard copy

What are the Options to Implement ISO 9001 Certification?

There are two basic options to get ISO 9001 implemented in any organization.

  • Hiring an ISO Expert Consultant
  • DIY (Do It Yourself Approach)

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ISO 9001 Implementation with the Help of ISO Expert Consultant

If you have decided to take an external help i.e. hiring an ISO expert consultant who has success-proven experience of implementing ISO 9001 standard and the ISO 9001 management principles.  Here are the following benefits an ISO consultant should offer you.

  • A consultant will Get Your Work Done on Your Behalf

After hiring a consultant, all the implementation process and documentation will be the job of the consultant. Ensure your team uses consultants and provides them support whenever needed and the consultant is well-supervised by the higher management. Your consultant should follow the ISO 9001 management principles.

  • Corrective Actions in Documentations

The consultant will have a detailed study about existing documentation of your organization and will advise and discuss the required amendments. After management approval, the consultant will make sure to do necessary corrections and will assist your team to implement such mandatory corrections.

  • Training

Make sure your consultant will educate and train your staff about all the mandatory requirements of ISO 9001 standard and will ensure that the team knows and deeply understand.

ISO 9001 DIY (Do It Yourself) Approach

The DIY approach might not be workable for every business type and every business need depending upon the number of employees being working for the group. In this case, your own employees will be responsible for doing process analysis, conducting various interview sessions, designing and even re-designing documentation process but that would again depend on how much your employees are being trained and educated on ISO 9001 standard or if they have some relevant exposure or not.

Make sure your employees are not overwhelmed with other day to day projects because daily routine work might overburden your current employees and they won’t be able to focus on actual most important task i.e. ISO 9001 implementation. Getting your documents ready by your own employees will make them feel empowered and will definitely increase their competency level by making them learn in their own way to sustain ISO 9001 management principles in their system.

How to Decide Which Approach Is Best For Your Business?

There is no hard and fast rule to implement ISO 9001. It is dependent on your current business situation.

Go For Hiring A Consultant Only If:

  • You have time limits. ISO 9001 implementation is a time-bound process so hire an ISO expert consultant if you have a time crunch.
  • Your employees are busy with current projects and not able to manage ISO 9001 implementation as a priority.
  • You are confident about the competency of the ISO consultant.

Go for DIY Approach Only If:

  • You have ample time before the audit and your employees have prior experience and knowledge of ISO standards and implementation.
  • You had a bad financial year and cannot afford to hire a consultant.
  • You don’t believe in knowledge sharing.

Before Hiring Any ISO Consultant

Some ISO consultants might help you by going the extra mile to get you ISO 9001 certified. On the other hand, some ISO consultants prefer to get their job done, go for certification, get paid and move to the next job.

Being a major stakeholder of your company, do your homework first in order to make sure you hire the best of the best ISO consultants.

Looking to get ISO 9001 accreditation for your business?

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Integrating Six Sigma with ISO 9001, TQM and Lean Manufacturing

Integrating Six Sigma with ISO 9001, TQM and Lean Manufacturing

ISO 9001, Six Sigma

What No one tells you about Six Sigma Approach

Six Sigma approach aims to peerless supreme quality control and quality assurance methodologies by continuously improving the process focusing towards prevention of defects. Moreover, another problem solving approach that relies on statistical approach leading to huge profit margins along with maximum employee engagement. Hence, iso 9001 and Six Sigma acts like a backbone for any organization.

How ISO 9001 Works?

ISO 9001 is a systematic quality management technique that works on eight guiding principles which are Customer Focus Approach, Leadership commitment, People Engagement, Efficient Process Approach, Systematic Management Approach, Continuous Improvement, Evidence based factual decision making, Healthy Supplier relations.

What Is Lean Manufacturing?

Lean manufacturing tends to achieve zero waste generation motive by making use of its core tools and systematic techniques like Kaizen, Visual Workplace control. Statistical data analysis and hypothesis tests are not being made up in Lean manufacturing as they are core tools.

A Brief Insight about TQM

TQM stands for Total Quality Management refers to the production manufacturing with zero defects meeting all the defined process parameters and precise premium quality guaranteed every time the product has been manufactured.

There are number of tools involved in TQM in which few are Benchmarking, failure analysis, PDCA cycle (Plan Do Check Act) cycle, Process management, final product design control and statistical process control.

Connecting ISO 9001 and Six Sigma

As stated previously, ISO 9001 is nothing but a quality improvement management strategy whose entire focus is to ensure the products have been manufactured on the set standards as defined by ISO 9001 clauses. ISO 9001 also emphasis on quality improvement but it has much wider scope than ISO 9001. ISO 9001 cannot be used as a statistical approach to solve a problematic defect.

ISO 9001 helps in identification of the problem and not in identifying the solution or fixing the actual root cause. In its comparison  one step ahead in terms of quality improvement. Six Sigma not only identifies the actual root cause but also provides appropriate solutions for it. Consider helping hand when it comes to ISO 9001 certification or ISO 9001 implementation steps.

How This Helps to Achieve Objectives set by ISO 9001

Here are some really helpful ways through which Six Sigma can assist achieving ISO 9001 objectives:

  • Reduction in Defects

A significant amount of defect reduction has been allowed throughout the process execution leading unmatched quality outcomes and reduction in defects generation which is ultimately the objectives of both.

  • Rock Solid Verification of the Process

Both the management philosophies tends to define, control, verify and improve the overall process leading to reduction in defects generation.

  • Problem Indication

ISO 9001 and Six Sigma both indicates the problem identification and identifies the deviation from the set standard specifications.

  • Continuous Improvement

Both management success-proven strategies of ISO 9001 and Six Sigma put a great amount of stress on improving the process continuously and seek new opportunities for improvement.

Wiring the Concepts of Total Quality Management (TQM) and Six Sigma

TQM aims to satisfy every type of customer (be it internal customers like suppliers and vendors or external customers like end-consumers).

TQM has limited scope as compared to Six Sigma. The implementation of TQM is in some particular areas especially production and quality departments which comes under technical departments.

Whereas Six Sigma’s Methodologies like DMAIC is applicable to any type of problem existing in any department whether the department is technical or non-technical. TQM doesn’t deal with the execution of any process whereas Six Sigma keeps process execution steps in spotlight anytime.

How Six Sigma and TQM comes Hand In Hand?

Six Sigma is of great help when it comes to achieving TQM objectives. Here are few common goals:

  • Customer Satisfaction

They both narrow down towards meeting customers’ requirements leading to winning customers’ trust and confidence by providing them satisfactory outcomes.

  • Evidence Based Decision Making

Rather using your gut feelings, TQM both are based on decisions to be made on definite facts and figures.

  • Process Variables

TQM and Six Sigma stresses upon the fact of lowering variability in process which can lead to potential hazards and defects leading sub-standard product.

  • Continuous Improvement

Continuous improvement of the process and making new doors for more smarter ways of manufacturing certain products.

  • Ensuring Boost in Employees Morale

With proven success of  TQM, employees working on shop floor level feels motivated and rewarded as their contributions add value to the organization and to the performance of the business thus leading to high employee engagement levels.

Integration of Lean Manufacturing 

Lean manufacturing implements a funnel approach to eliminate waste that are being produced while manufacturing a product. By eliminating waste, one can avail numerous benefits like lower production cost, reduction in cycle time and increased yield while Six Sigma focuses on problem resolution caused due to unknown reasons.

A Handshake between Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma

Both success proven scientific methodologies comes hand in hand to provide benefits to manufacturing industries by various means.

Since lean manufacturing stresses upon zero waste and Six sigma emphasizes on least variability in the process so that final product can be made of precise quality and each and every customer of the product feels satisfied and trust the ordered paid products.

Here is how Six Sigma aims in achieving objectives of Lean Manufacturing also.

  • Reduction In Defects

As soon as the quantity of waste produced in reduced, the amount of good production will increase ultimately increase in Asset Intensity of machines.

  • Reduction in Production Cycle Time

Since the quantity of waste production will be eliminated by implementing Lean methods in manufacturing processes and will result in flawless quality product that is ultimate target.

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ISO 9001 Benefits or Prestige?

ISO 9001 Benefits or Prestige?

ISO 9001, Quality Management Standards (QMS)

ISO 9001 benefits or prestige? is an international standard that defines the necessary requirements for a Quality Management System often abbreviated as QMS. With ISO 9001 certification in your hands, you have the magic spell to not only accomplish customer requirements but to go beyond customers’ expectations and gratifies customers’ voice by providing guidelines about establishing appropriate complaint handling channel and recording and acting on customers’ valuable feedback timely. The major target of ISO 9001 is to ensure consistent quality to every customer each time the customer orders your products or services.

Money Back Guaranteed Mind Blowing ISO 9001 Benefits That Every Business Should Aware Of

ISO 9001 benefits are numerous for any organization (whether the organization is a multinational or small medium enterprise). Quality Management is not just a bunch of documentation to be set aside on the table but it is a comprehensive methodology of continuous improvement and a proven success mantra for organizations no matter what type of business they do or how big corporate name they are.

  • Your Customers as Number One Priority: ISO 9001 directs towards customer satisfaction and enable you to reach your customers’ voice through feedbacks and complaint handling proper channels.
  • Setting and Achieving Business Goals & Objectives: ISO 9001 helps you to establish and align organizational goals and objectives. It makes you so much empowered in your own role and your team mates in their respective roles by developing the required competency through trainings and skill advancement.
  • Opens New Doors for Business: Being ISO 9001 certified, an organization comes in better market position and even make you stand out among its competitors in global marketplace. Since ISO 9001 brings you under spotlight, it helps you to be more near to new exciting, more profitable, more premium customers thus leading to more success in every aspect of business and trade.
  • Enhancement in Product and Service Quality: ISO 9001 is all about Quality and being ISO 9001 certified one commits to provide consistent quality results every time with embedded continuous improvement cycle in place in the management system.
  • Better Employee Engagement leading to High Results: A company who takes care of its customers well is capable enough to take care of its top talent employees also. Ensuring 100% employees’ engagement through target settings and proper goals alignment is definitely a good head start to initiate employees’ constructive involvement in company’s mission. Cutting off un-necessary non- value addition tasks in your current management system will help employees to focus on more valuable value addition work which will ultimately help your business to be in better shape.

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  Five ways to grow your business with ISO 9001 Benefits 

Have a look at the miraculous ways through which one can give a boost to his business by opting for ISO 9001 certification.

  • ISO 9001 certification – A Marketing Asset: Marketing strategy is heart and soul of every organization and so it is needed to be designed cleverly and smartly strategical. ISO 9001 can be one of your marketing weapon that may strengthen your market credibility especially when it comes to tender winning.
  • Possessing a Big Chunk in Market Share: Once you realize the power of growth of your company, you will be able to race for it. Instead of running towards customers, potential clients will contact you for having your services at your premium pricing schemes.
  • Retention of Customer Loyalty: Having able to deliver unmatchable performance once for a customer will be sufficient for being able to generate repeat business. Having brand loyal customers is more profitable than knocking new unknown doors. Moreover, business referrals can be generated through brand loyal customers.
  • Getting an Edge over Competitors: Being able to not only offer promising results but to deliver peerless performances is worth more than your thoughts for potential customers.
  • Evidence Based Decision Making: ISO 9001 believes in strong practically implemented documentation system. Having continual improvement system in the form of PDCA Cycle (Plan Do Check Act) and Six Sigma approach already established and practically being followed in your management system by your team mates will enable you to take decisions based on facts and figures instead of feelings. Corrective and Preventive action approach should be kept in action while problem solving so that actual root cause can be identified and should be nipped off without having any re occurrence in future by sustainable solutions on table.

Myths about ISO 9001 Certification 

There are proper ways to market your ISO 9001 certification but beware of the pitfalls that might endanger your reputation in market.

  • Does ISO Perform Certification?

For certification, ISO is a wrong door to knock as it doesn’t perform certification. ISO makes and publishes standards worldwide only.

  • Logo Usage and Display of ISO

No, you cannot use ISO logo after being certified. No one is allowed to display ISO logo outside ISO.

Bottom Line: ISO 9001 benefits are heard in success stories by small, medium and big enterprises. ISO 9001 has raised a notch to deliver consistent good quality results every time and for every customer. Plus, it has given a vibrant voice to the customers’ feedback and surveys done to improve customer service and to handle customers’ complaints so efficiently that you become enable to achieve customers’ satisfaction to the utmost levels.

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Beat the Challenges In ISO 9001 Implementation

Beat the Challenges In ISO 9001 Implementation

IATF 16949, ISO 9001

Beat the Challenges In ISO 9001 Implementation

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Implementing a Quality Management System (QMS) in an organization, especially ISO 9001 implementation, where there was no former existence of ISO 9001 can result in a mess. So here are tips and tricks to overcome the challenges.

Top Challenges to Cope Up For ISO 9001 Implementation

The top challenges to overcome for successful implementation of ISO 9001 implementation in accordance with Quality Management guidelines.

Challenge # 01 – Documentation
While implementing ISO 9001 guidelines, you might feel like you’re under a mountain of paperwork and documents. If you or your team feel the weight of all the documentation due to implementation of ISO 9001 here is the way to take the situation in your hand again.

Solution of Challenge # 01:

Explain to your team the documentation in ISO 9001 will make everyone’s lives easier in the long run. Another plus of documentation is to have a proof of every compliance that you meet and further helps in circulating the right information (rather than a second hand information) to all stake holders.

Challenge # 02 – ISO 9001 Guidelines Are too Inflexible
ISO 9001 has stringent guidelines about every case and sometimes one may have feeling of too much rigidity being involved while designing working procedures because of too much rigidity and will ultimately feel less motivated.

Solution of Challenge # 02:

Due to evolving market needs, customers’ awareness level and magnitude of the competition QMS also evolves with same pace. Stringent rules and regulations help you to make your business more secure and guarantee consistent quality results in order to stay ahead in modernization and improvements.

Challenge # 03 – Loss Of Motivation
Sometimes one feel pressure from higher management to get ISO 9001 implemented and the emphasizing power of management can make one feel to be too much pushed resulting in loss of interest and motivation.

Solution of Challenge # 03

To get the best optimum outcomes, higher management should be on board. Each member of the team must feel and be able to take the responsibility for the quality of products and services that an organization offers to the customers. Another important point is to properly communicate the role and responsibility of every team mate in the QMS.

Challenge # 04 – Gossips, Rumors and Restlessness
Sometimes the workforce gets involved in various rumors and gossips about reason of ISO 9001 being implemented in the organization. Some might think and spread rumors about the reduction of head count in the organization also known as “Downsizing”.

Solution of Challenge # 04

Leadership must give a clear message to every team mate of the organization about the reason of ISO 9001 implementation way before spreading of the rumors and gossips among people so that motivation of your team cannot be lower down.

Challenge # 05 – Extra Workload
Due to implementation project of ISO 9001, your existent employees may feel an excessive pressure and stress to do day to day work and to put special focus on ISO 9001 implementation resulting in less motivation.

Solution of Challenge # 05

Get the best of your resources and team players for allocating the tasks of ISO 9001 implementation across the group. The implementation process should be first ignited by top level management and then to middle level management. Continuous recognition and appreciation is required to keep the morale of the employees boosted all the time. Please ensure that ISO 9001 implementation project is designated to only those who have a potential to do something by going extra miles for the company’s vision and mission and have magnified understanding about what the organization wants from them to deliver.

Challenge # 06 – Education and Training
Difference of opinions and difference in concepts might be faced during the ISO 9001 implementation meeting. There is a potential chance that the difference of opinions while discussion might result in potential or hard core resistance from your own team.

Solution of Challenge # 06

Before ISO 9001 implementation, it is mandatory for every management person of the organization to attend a training session and understand the concept of ISO 9001. If the step of Education and training will not be executed before ISO 9001 and QMS implementation then one might face difference of opinions on meeting table.

Straightforward Path for ISO 9001 Implementation Journey

  • No QMS is perfect for every business type so implement a QMS that is applicable to your business.

  • Development of an effective document management system is mandatory to keep information flow real and effective.
  • Use only a necessary level of details in documentation.
  • Ensure to involve each and every staff member of the organization so that everybody can contribute for the implementation of ISO 9001.
    Ensure all stakeholders are involved and are aligned.

  • Don’t lose your focus on customer satisfaction.
  • Ensure each team mate knows roles and responsibility of their own.
  • Make sure you have got the support of top leadership in each and every step of ISO 9001 implementation.
  • If the organization consists of more than one factory, then it is vital to coordinate with multi-sites so that the implementation process step remains synchronized in the pipeline.
  • Stay up to date with all the amendments being made in ISO 9001 and its certification and re-certification criteria.

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