Competition is the name of the game and staying ahead is the key for survival. Against the face of growing business, and hence increased competition, we have begun to realize the need to provide our customers an ISO certification to our clients.

But the question is How to get ISO Certificate? At Jiya & Associates, we will help you in taking ISO certification. While these certifications by themselves do not help increase business, they certainly seem to act as a buffer to help companies get an edge over competition.

Overview of the process :

• Decide to get ISO. A commitment and a firm decision from top management are needed.
• Appoint someone to coordinate (project-manage) it. It's a project, so treat it as one. Do some research to find out what is involved?
• Allocate resources. Decide whether to use a consultant, or do it yourself.
• Establish where you are now, against where you need to be to get it - a 'gap analysis'. You'll usually need expert help here.
• Use the gap analysis results to create a plan and schedule.
• Now develop your quality system: improve an existing system by filling the gaps identified in the gap analysis. This includes having certain formal processes, documenting your system, and all changes or improvements needed to meet the requirements of the Standard. This is the biggest step, which takes the most time & effort. Make sure you involve people throughout, and make sure they understand and use the system. (One reason they need to be involved!)
• Internally audit your system. Address any issues arising, e.g., failures or problems discovered, using the formal processes developed earlier.
• Choose an auditor - an accredited certifier/registrar. Put in the formal application and fee, and schedule the date of the audit.
• Undergo the external audit. The certifier audits your quality system against all of the specific requirements of ISO. It's a rigorous test of the various aspects of your quality management system.
• Get the certificate and celebrate!

Assuming you are successful, the certifier can award you the coveted certificate. The certificate usually arrives a little after the audit: the 'look' of it varies according to your certifier (type of logo, etc). But it commonly states the scope of your certification (what it covers), the Standard (ISO 9001) and that your company complies.

Your certifier also enters your company onto the official register of companies with certification - see Links for more info. Your company is now said to be 'registered/certified to ISO or to 'have ISO certification'.

The most obvious benefits of quality certification are in terms of sales and marketing. Perhaps a major customer has "suggested" that its suppliers should get certified, or maybe competitors are starting to use a certificate as a differentiation point in the sales process. Either way there is no doubt that certification can be a useful sales aide.