Understanding the Benefits of the New ISO 9001 & ISO 14001 Management Systems Standards – Part 2

We previously introduced the benefits of ISO 9001 & ISO 14001 – this article is the second part and will provide additional information on these management systems.

What’s the Feedback from Early Adopters?

The 2016 ISO survey released in September 2017 shows that both ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 have enjoyed strong single digit growth of 7% and 8% respectively.

In fact, early adopters of the 2015 versions have provided positive feedbacks as well. They all admitted gaining practical improvements from their experiences.

Our experience with a business owner reveals that the introduction of new ways of working, like post-project debriefings, can serve as the key to a business’ success. The new applications have increased business growth through improved knowledge-sharing among workers as well as the fulfilment of the new standard requirement for improving workplace culture. According to business owners, the adoption of the 2015 standard brought about the implementation of a ‘Business Risks and Opportunities Register,’ which provides details that impact the business. With this approach, it becomes easier to prioritise factors that have the most impact on the business. At the same time it encourages the identification and discussion of internal and external influences. All of these measures are aimed at creating more efficient management structures.

In another scenario, an organization in the jewellery industry admitted obtaining the ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certifications due to the fact that these standards have the potentials to help them build a business that will guarantee sustainability and help their business to stay ahead of competition. The new standards promote business focus (internally and externally), thereby enabling easy adoption of tools such as SWOT analysis (strength, weakness, opportunity and threat) for assessing business performance with respect to culture, corporate law adherence, technology and economic conditions.

Lastly, a Philippines company also revealed that the adoption of ISO 9001:2015 has led to a drastic reduction in business losses associated with customer dissatisfaction. A higher rate of customer satisfaction can lead to improve customer loyalty and trust. Consequently, this helps to increase the company’s cash flow as well as promote zero percent debt. The Philippines company also recorded improved internal and external communications and better employee engagement after implementing the new standard.

How to Achieve Smooth Transition

Understanding the difference between the current ISO standards and the 2015 versions is the key to achieving a smooth transition. If a gap analysis is conducted by a certified specialist like ISO QA IOM, it can help you in identifying those areas where improvements are needed. Such analysis can help an organization to create a realistic plan for smooth transition.

Our experience working with businesses that have already implemented the ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 14001:2015 have shown that undergoing a training session on the new versions of both standards, be it face to face or online, is the most viable way companies can accelerate the transition process and overcome the many obstacles along the way.

We have the advantage of experience and we are certain that early adoption guarantees the highest rewards. With this in mind, companies that are yet to implement the latest versions of these standards should do so on or before 14th September 2018.

Please click on the links to read more: ISO 9001 & ISO 14001.