Things to consider when deciding to start your ISO journey
The road to achieving ISO certification is a milestone for a growing or established business. The benefits of achieving certification can speak for themselves …
It’s World Quality Week!
Did you know that this week is World Quality Week (7th to the 11th November?) In our line of business where assuring quality is at the core of everything we do, it’s particularly relevant and why at ISOAIMS we’re so keen to support it.
Vehicle Management Company use ISOAims to manage ISO9001
Staffordshire based Adept Vehicle Management specialise in all aspects of vehicle management from contract hire and personal hire to daily rentals and fleet management. https://adeptvehicle.com/
IT Company delighted with ISO software
Arc IT Solutions based in Stoke-on-Trent are one of our clients. www.arcitsolutions.co.uk. Louise Roberts is the company’s Operations Director.
ISO Management Systems
Why should I follow my ISO management system – well that’s a question we get asked a lot so we thought we’d explain.
In really simple terms – if you bought a map, or have a satnav would you follow them to get to your destination, or would you just try and wing it?
You’d listen to the satnav or read the map right – well the same applies to your ISO management system.
By following your ISO management system within your company you have a track to run-on, or a proven way of doing something which will bring standard, constant and quality levels of service or product.
Sadly, it’s often the case that because of a lack of training, or a lack of guidance some employees may not know how something is done and without a clear direction they might do things their own way. Naturally this is likely to lead to deviancies, errors and mistakes, which can make things less efficient,, work needing to be done again and even complaints and customer satisfaction rates dropping. That inevitably leads to a loss of income, increase in cost in terms of time and money and a drop in profitability.
Externally it can also lead to an increase in non-conformity actions from your chosen certification body.
So, unless you want to increase costs and hassle and lose revenue, why wouldn’t you follow your ISO management system? Simple eh?
Q & A on ISO9001
What is ISO9001?
ISO9001 is the world’s most recognised business standard for quality in terms of the product or service that is delivered to a customer.
Why should we gain ISO9001?
Accreditation to ISO9001 demonstrates not only that whatever a product or service is, that it is delivered in a consistently quality manner. It also demonstrates a commitment to reducing errors whilst increasing levels of customer satisfaction.
Who is ISO9001 aimed at?
ISO9001 is suitable for all types of organisation, from sole traders to Public Limited Companies who want to demonstrate they are a ‘quality organisation.’
How would you sum up ISO9001?
The philosophy of ISO9001 is ‘to meet and exceed customer expectation.’ All business processes within an ISO9001 accredited company should work towards identifying what the customer wants and then exceeding their expectation.
Explain to us how it works?
It is quite technical so please speak to us if you would like to chat it through. Essentially ISO9001 follows the standard ISO management standard template, called Annex L (formerly annex SL until 2019), which allows for ISO9001 to be easily integrated into other management standards, such as ISO14001 (Environmental), ISO45001 (Health & Safety) and ISO27001 (Information Security), to name a few. Annex L is structured as follows:
0: Introduction
1: Scope
2: Normative references
3: Terms and definitions
4: Context of the organization
5: Leadership
6: Planning
7: Support
8: Operation
9: Performance evaluation
10: Improvement
Or in simpler terms:
0: Introduction
1: The range/extent of the management system
2: Other documents of high relevance needed to implement this one
3: Terms and definitions
4: Who are we in our market sector? What internal and external things affect us? Do any other organisations or people have an interest in us, and if so what is that interest? What is our scope and how does our whole quality system work together?
5: The requirements of top management
6: Addressing risks and opportunities, setting out the objectives in the plan and any changes
7: Non-operational support processes
8: How we market, sell, design, buy and ‘do’ (manufacture or provide our service or good, as well as managing the doing.)
9: How we make sure that we are being excellent (or not)
10: Identifying where we can strive for greater excellence
Can you sum up how will ISO9001 help our company?
The benefits speak for themselves:
- Improvements in an organisation’s efficiency and effectiveness
- Enhanced customer satisfaction
- Lower costs and the prevention of wastage
- Increased sales and profits
- Competitive advantage over rivals
- Requirement within invitations to tender
- Requirement within supply chains
- Requirement for ‘public sector’ work.
Get in touch and let us help you on your ISO journey. We’re here to hold your hand as lightly or as tightly as you may need.
Eaglet Business Systems and ISOAIMS are delighted to be attending The Love Business Expo in Loughborough on Thursday 17th February 2022
The tradeshow will be their first of 2022 and only their second face to face event since Covid restrictions lifted.
EBS provides first-class consulting, auditing and training in Standards including ISO9001 (Quality), ISO14001 (Environmental), ISO22301 (Business Continuity), ISO27001 (Information Security) and ISO45001 (Health and Safety).
Since the company was founded, it has helped companies to gain or maintain ISO accreditation more than 1355 times.
ISOAIMS is a software solution designed by the Eaglet team to help businesses manage their ISO systems. It’s easy, straightforward, intuitive, quick and eliminates the need for a paper-based system.
Both companies are owned and run by husband and wife team Jo and Wayne Pearce.
Wayne, who has more 20 years’ experience in the International Business Standards Industry said: “It’s been so long since we’ve been able to attend a face to face trade show. We’re really looking forward to attending such a big event, showcasing what we do and meeting other likeminded businesses.
He added: “ISO certified management systems can really help businesses. Essentially if they’re going through a procurement process to win new contracts, one of the first things companies look for is whether bidders have quality management systems in place. If they haven’t they can be ruled out from the start so it can make the difference between winning the business and not. We can’t wait to show Expo visitors how we can support their businesses.”
What ISO can learn from ‘A Message to Garcia’
You may or may not have heard of a piece of writing called: ‘A Message to Garcia.’
So just in case you haven’t, we thought we’d explain. It’s actually an essay that was originally published in an American monthly periodical called The Philistine in March 1899. It was written and published by Elbert Hubbard under his, ‘The Roycrofters,’ publishing house.
The essay tells the dramatised story of a daring escapade performed by an American soldier, 1st Lt. Andrew Summers Rowan (April 23, 1857 – January 10, 1943), just before the start of the 1898 Spanish–American War. The essay describes Rowan carrying a message from President William McKinley to “Gen. Calixto García, a leader of the Cuban insurgents somewhere in the mountain vastness of Cuba—no one knew where.” The essay contrasts Rowan’s self-driven effort against “the imbecility of the average man—the inability or unwillingness to concentrate on a thing and do it.” You can tell from the tone of the essay, that’s it’s now somewhat dated and possibly too strongly expressed in our modern day politically correct world.
But the overriding message within Hubbard’s essay is one highlighting the importance and value of individual initiative and conscientiousness in work – a message that is still highly relevant today.
As ISO9001 lead auditors and specialists it’s a subject we take very seriously at ISOAims. The philosophy of ISO9001 is: ‘to meet and exceed customer expectation,’ and how can you meet and then exceed that expectation without a commitment to excellence? In our view – quite simply you can’t. Too many organisations are satisfied with ‘average,’ and as we know average is the best of the worst and the worst of the best.
What we do know is that one of the best ways to sort the, ‘wheat from the chaff,’ is to sift the average out leaving only excellence and you can do that by gaining certification to ISO9001. We can help you do that with our expertise and our technology.
IF you would like a FREE white paper on What is ISO9001 AND a full copy of the Elbert Hubbard’s essay A Message to Garcia, just contact us here.
Thank you
We would like to thank all our clients, suppliers and colleagues past and present for their custom, support and for being so fantastic to work with.
Our offices close at 13:00 on Tuesday 21st December 2021 and reopen at 08:00 on Tuesday 4th January 2022.
We wish you all a very happy, healthy and safe Christmas and New Year. Enjoy the break.
Eaglet November Blog
This month we’ve done something we’ve never done before here at Eaglet Business Systems.
A new contract win has seen our work take us underground in the Scottish Highlands to Europe’s only undermine sand-mine.
An eight-hour journey with some stunning scenery end-route saw us arrive in one of the most remote, rural locations we’ve ever worked in, right in the depths of the Scottish Highlands to Lochaline Quartz Sand Limited.
The company specialises in extracting quartz/silica sand deep underground for use in products including Pilkington Glass.
We’re providing them with Quality and Environmental Management support and will be working with them to get ISO certified around Easter next year.
Wayne said: “Taking in the scenery on the way up the Scotland was really spectacular and it was great to be able to see clients face to face again. The company’s location is fairly remote and certain roads in the area close through the winter because of the treacherous weather conditions so we knew we had a limited window of opportunity to get up there and see how their processes work.
He added: “This visit was very much part of the mapping process, to see how they operate and the steps they follow. We’ll be going up there again after the winter weather has cleared to complete the next steps in the ISO journey..
As you can see from the pictures – we even took Eaglet’s Mascot – Everton the Eagle with us so he could take in the views and the experience. We wonder where’ll Everton will go with us next on business?” Wayne said.