The concept around ISO Certification isn’t always an easy one to grasp – but that doesn’t mean it has to be difficult to work with. In this blog post, we share a few things to consider before embarking on the journey of ISO Management System Certification.
This is a topic that intrigues a lot of people that are not yet on the road to certification. In my opinion, any organisation choosing to walk this road should only do so by way of a strategic decision.
Organisations must therefore be very intentional about implementing a Management System (MS). The ISO MS will not only add value to the organisation, but also protect it against potential liability – and of course, achieve certification.
At Wynleigh International, we are not in the business of trophy hunting. I’m of the opinion that if you’re looking at certification for the sake of certification only, then you’re missing the bigger picture. There are different value propositions to consider before this, if that’s the path that you’re walking.
For companies genuinely looking to gain maximum value proposition from their certification, they should do so with the specific intention to derive value from what they are doing.
Certification is often thought of as the end of the road. There are however a couple of steps after gaining certification, but what does it take to actually get to your third-party certification audit?
Here are a few steps that you can take before System Certification:
Establish your system through ISO-related consulting, training, online learning, and software. Ensure system compliance through Internal Audits. Engage in a Gap Analysis audit.
Something to keep in mind is that a Gap Analysis audit is typically a service offered by consultants, but it can also be offered by your certification body. It is important here to state that the difference between a Gap Analysis audit being offered by a certification body is that they should not be consulting the organisation when auditing.
In order for the Certification Body to provide independent and objective views, they are not simply going to tell you where the gaps are and how to fill them. A consultant would however be able to guide and take the organisation further.
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The process starts with receiving your completed application. I’m all too aware that these applications appear to be quite daunting – it’s evident in the time that it takes for people to return them, that they are more than just a few tick boxes. A point to raise here is that certification bodies who utilize the requirements of the ISO 17021 standard are informed, not only by the requirements of that standard but also by several guides. This is also true for companies that are working under the accreditation authorities of the International Accreditation Forum (IAF).
The main guide that we take into consideration (at this point) informs both the need for a detailed application, and then how much time Wynleigh is going to spend in the audit. We prepare your quote with a depth of insight for the applying organisations and this helps us understand the competencies that we require to bring to the audit. The application also helps us understand the nature of work that we anticipate going through in the actual audit and, very importantly, the duration that we should be spending on the audit.
If the Certification Journey is something that you are ready to begin, we encourage you to connect with Christina – our Certification Operations Manager. Christina will be able to answer the questions you may still have and will guide you through the process with ease.
Get in touch directly with Christina via info@wynleigh.com or by calling +27 (0) 31 941 4790
There is no sense in rushing the process. We encourage you to subscribe to our newsletter and to connect with Tony Cunningham and with Wynleigh International on LinkedIn.
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