1) My company was certified under ISO9001:2000 but we dropped it when ISO9001:2008 was introduced, primarily because we did not wish to redo our manuals to match the new standard. Will it be a major job to upgrade to meet the new standard?
A) No. If you have an ISO9001 style manual and it has been kept current with all of your processes, it is relatively simple to update it to correspond to ISO9001:2015 (the current version). A total rewrite may be in order if the manual is out of date, or if your company wishes to simplify the documentation.
2) I have heard that, in order to be certified to ISO9001:2015, a great deal of paper work is required on an on-going basis, resulting in a serious hold up in the processes. Is that true?
A) If the processes are correctly managed, there should be no need for large amounts of additional paperwork. Many companies who are certified to ISO have prescribed too many paper records thinking that they are required in the ISO9001 standard. This is not the case. Only paperwork necessary for your business to operated consistently is required by the Standard. On the other hand, many businesses who have never been certified to ISO9001 do not have enough documentation to operated efficiently.
3) My company has several personnel who are more than capable of composing a manual that hopefully will meet the requirements of ISO9001. Since they already know the workings of the company, would it not be more cost effective to complete the manual in-house?
A) Individually, the different segments of manual production, interpreting the standard as it pertains to the company, documenting the processes, and formatting the manuals is not difficult. Collectively, however, the research, preparation and commitment required to complete the manuals is not usually an efficient use of in-house resources. Part of the extensive internal learning process may result in manual failure resulting in further labour and time lost. Hutton & Associates interprets the ISO9000 standard to reflect your company’s process and develops your quality manual with you.
4) I have always understood that ISO9000 was known as a "Quality Standard". It does not seem to be referred to as Quality any longer. Is there a reason?
A) In its first versions ISO9000 was know as the Quality Standard. With the introduction of ISO9001:2000 we were asked to use the term "Business Standard". In fact this is always what the Standard has represented. The idea is, that if the procedures and processes were documented and the documentation followed, quality products and services would be produced. Business Standard has become the general description of the Standard.