Advantages and Disadvantages of ISO Certification

A friend of mine works at a large auditing firm that provides ISO certification services. One of the questions he is commonly asked is "Why should I get ISO certified?" As both a consultant and entrepreneur, I can understand both sides of the issue. Why should a company spend the money on this when there are at least half a dozen other quality paradigms. This issue of Quality Concepts will focus on both the advantages and disadvantages of ISO certification. Advantages Third party assessment The biggest advantage of ISO certification is the perspective of a third party assessment. Frequently, companies underestimate problems or just ignore them because they are too painful. The third party audit ensures that the quality management is properly calibrated against the rest of the industry. Executive management exposure Many times I am called into companies that already have a quality department. Because I have a better publications, more certifications, or perhaps higher fees, executive management tends to listen to my recommendations and not their own departments. ISO audits have a way of percolating to the highest levels of the organization. This enables systemic problems that may be concealed to be brought out to the appropriate levels of a company. Of course, this is a double edged sword as attention may be unnecessary, but it is nonetheless an advantage for executive management to be involved in their quality system. Common ISO certification is also the most common type of certification. This makes it easier to implement new systems, hire personnel, and understand changes. Some of the more obtuse quality paradigms like Baldridge or TQM require specialized training or knowledge that substantially ups the ante for those organizations considering an alternative.

Disadvantages Does not guarantee better quality ISO certification definitely does not automatically lead to better quality product. While it does encourage operations to think in terms of systems, it does not require them to be good. This is definitely a problem with newer certified companies and those with purchased quality systems. Focus on certification For anyone that has worked with ISO certified companies, this is definitely a truth. ISO certification becomes a target, an end point, a stop on the road to quality. In reality, continuously improving the systems would lead to better quality, but for ISO certified companies, all too often the focus is on the next audit.

Frequent audits Full system audits every three years with annual surveillance audits is just too much. It seems that an audit is always around the corner. People can spend one month preparing and two months addressing findings so that 1/3 of the total effort in a year is addressing audit findings. If an organization has a robust internal audit system, there is no need for annual surveillance audits.