ISO 9000 is among the most widespread approaches businesses use for measuring and ensuring quality services and products. Developed by the International Organization for Standardization, ISO 9000 is a set of standards that describe what procedures should an organization follow in order to ensure quality (Schroeder, Goldstein, & Rungtusanatham, 2012). Therefore, benefits of using ISO 9000 standards are endless; it has also been reported that firms that use them are more likely to not only survive in the ever-competitive business environment but also show accelerated growth in both employment and sales, paying better wages to their personnel, and overall have less organizational issues.
ETAP is an example of successful ISO 9000 integration to upgrade software systems. The company positions itself as “the leading provider of software design, analysis, modeling, and optimization for electrical power systems” (ETAP, 2017, para. 2). ETAP has undergone a quality system assessment and upgraded to ISO 9001 standards to achieve better process excellence. As a result, the company reported the following benefits of standard’s use:
- Improved management of documentation and records;
- Better commitment to customers’ needs;
- Enhanced procedures associated with the establishment of clearer policies and planning processes within the context of software systems’ management (ETAP, 2017).
It is critical for employees to comply with such standards as ISO 9000 when they perform specific tasks because documented procedures are much easier to follow and thus there is less room for error when workers follow them (Kirkpatrick, Geisen, & Schermerhorn, 2014). Because ISO 9000 requires a business to develop process flowcharts, methods of testing and inspection, measurements of customer satisfaction, and job descriptions, it is much easier for employees to understand the requirements they need to follow (Schroeder et al., 2012). As they know the requirements for ensuring a high quality, employees will be able to reach increased customer satisfaction through providing products and services that meet their needs (ISO, n.d.).
Overall, employees will highly benefit from the definition of roles and responsibilities, a developed and successfuly integrated system of accountability management, and the generally clear idea of how their work may affect the quality of services and products that their company offers (Phillips, 2017). In cases when companies encounter managers who refuse to introduce standardization processes, several things can be done to resolve this issue. The first solution comes with appropriate training. Both employees and managers should be educated on the benefits of quality standardization in order to eliminate any errors and encourage compliance with the standards (Manghani, 2011). The second solution is offering examples of other organizations, the success of which has been closely linked to them introducing ISO 9000 within their practice.
To conclude, ISO 9000 standards offer more opportunities to businesses than threats. Increased revenue, customer satisfaction, enhanced employee morale, consistency, and better documentation management are all reasons to introduce the standards in the organizational context. Following the example of ETAP, companies should reconsider their current quality management procedures and opt for ISO 9000 for improved performance.
References
ETAP. (2017). ETAP upgrades certification to ISO 9001: 2015 standard. Web.
Schroeder, R., Goldstein, S., & Rungtusanatham, J. (2012). Operations management in the supply chain: Decisions and cases (6th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Manghani, K. (2011). Quality assurance: Importance of systems and standard operating procedures. Perspectives in Clinical Research, 2(1), 34-37.
Phillips, T. (2017). Top 10 benefits of get ISO 9000 QMS certification. Web.
ISO. (n.d.). ISO 9000 – quality management. Web.
Kirkpatrick, R., Geisen, D., & Schermerhorn, S. (2014). Design and implementation of ISO: 9001. Standards at Sigma 6 Electronics, Inc. Web.