Most future-oriented business owners are likely familiar with the International Organization for Standardization, or ISO, as it’s often referred to. Simply put, ISO’s business is really all about businesses and how they can be optimised, whether it be with regards to their products and services, or their customer service, their cyber protocols, and virtually any other operational process that requires a quality management system.
In the development of tailored standardisation certification, ISO offers plans and procedures to manage teams, simplify systems, and strengthen your company’s reputation and trust signals. ISO has these standards for use across all sectors, with qualified external auditors that are trained on each of the ISO standards and are authorised to determine whether the organisations they audit operate in accordance with all the necessary requirements for certification. Demonstrating accordance with ISO certification requirements can then in turn show prospective clients, customers, investors, or partners that your business is committed to maintaining effective operational practices and processes.
One of the most highly sought after certification standards is ISO 9001:2015 for Quality Management Systems. With big corporations and public sector bodies considering ISO 9001 certification to be a strong trust signal, businesses who attain this QMS accreditation are more likely to be considered for high-profile contracts or government tenders than their competitors.
Where and how else could ISO accreditations improve your business? Here’s the skinny on ISO and its other popular certification standards.
What does ISO stand for?
If you’re still fuzzy on what ISO means, it’s the name of the organisation (the International Organization for Standardization) that designs all of the ISO standards and the certification requirements that businesses must meet to qualify for accreditation.
Fun fact: ISO is also the organisation that designed the standardised measure for light sensitivity, which is where the ‘ISO light settings’ in DSLR cameras got its name! Today, however, ISO are best known for creating and updating their certification standards and accompanying guidelines.
The different types of ISO standards
Though ISO 9001 can be applied to any business – because all businesses are managed by someone – there are also specific standards for each sector and business type. In fact there are over 21,000 different standards written by the ISO (even a new one on AI). Here are some of the most popular ISO standards that drive business growth and development initiatives today:
ISO 9001:2015 - Quality Management Systems
As we’ve touched upon, ISO 9001 certification takes a multi-pronged approach to organising the movements within your business and how they are organised. This particular standard focuses on customer-centric service, effective leadership systems, process improvements, promoting evidence-based decision making, and relationship management (both internally and externally, with staff and stakeholders). As a general indicator that a company or organisation maintains high-quality operational processes, ISO 9001 certification is generally considered to be a strong foundational investment for any organisation looking to attract higher quality leads.
ISO 14001:2015 - Environmental Management Systems
With growing concerns for the ecological effects of global industries, the environmental impact of your business is becoming a growing concern for your stakeholders, customers and clients, as well as your employees and managers. These concerns are largely mitigated by the securing of ISO 14001 certification.
In the simplest terms, ISO 14001 certification signifies that your business maintains environmentally friendly practices. This includes following the specifics of local ecological laws and industry regulations, pollution standards, and sustainable performance monitoring. Because of this, the ISO 14001 standard has quickly become another popular certification for organisations across a wide range of different industries, including manufacturing, agriculture, mining, and energy sectors.
ISO 45001:2018 - Occupational Health & Safety Management Systems
If your business uses industrial machinery and physical labour, then securing or maintaining ISO 45001 certification is likely to be a top priority for you. After all, a health and safety violation can be a catastrophe for a business in more ways than one.
The focus of this particular standard is to support businesses in maintaining proactive approaches to identifying hazards, reducing risks, and maintaining employee safety. With ISO 45001 certification, businesses may expect to attract more industry talent and maintain high worker satisfaction ratings.
ISO 22000 - Food Safety Management System
As you would guess, ISO 22000 certification is designed for companies working in the food services sector. This certification standard covers everything from hospitals to hotels, focusing on developing, implementing, and maintaining safe food procedures for all of these organisations and facilities. The ISO 22000 certification also focuses on maintaining hygiene protocols for staff, including outlining processes for ingredients and food preparation, as well as serving and storing food. The ISO 22000 standard also outlines establishing cleaning and responsible food waste disposal processes.
ISO 27001 - Information Security Management System
With virtually all industries investing in digital transformation initiatives, establishing robust information and communications technology protocols and procedures is no longer negotiable for any future-oriented enterprise. This is why the ISO 27001 standard has become another accreditation with universal appeal.
This particular standard focuses on establishing cybersecurity protocols, so that your company’s digital assets stay secure and safely within your control, or more specifically, away from malevolent third parties or even unauthorised personnel. Financial service providers arguably benefit the most from this certification, as they have financial and personal data on file for all their customers, but certification is worth considering for all businesses – after all, which business doesn’t use a computer? In this regard, securing ISO 27001 certification is also highly likely to be a trust signal that consumers will look for from any business they share data or even funds with online – from subscription service providers to eCommerce enterprises.
How do you attain ISO certification?
If you’ve actually taken a peek at the certification requirements for any of these ISO standards, you’ll likely be a little intimidated by the complexity and detail of their supporting documentation. They are far from light reading or a simple checklist.
Thankfully, the work required to attain accreditation isn’t work you have to do alone. Third-party ISO certification consultants can do the heavy lifting of finding the inefficiencies in your business and helping you tackle them, ensuring that you’re ready for the external audit that will determine whether your enterprise qualifies to receive certification.
The process for attaining ISO certification with these third party consultants is often as follows:
- Your business applies for certification at an ISO auditing service. The auditors will read the application and create a proposal, which you will discuss and agree on. Next begins the detailed auditing and certification process.
- Stage 1 of the certification consultation process assesses your company’s current policy/protocol documentation and management systems that support these processes. Upon reviewing these documents, your consultants will provide detailed analyses that outline how you can implement the necessary systems to qualify for certification.
- Following these tailor-made guidelines, your business will make the necessary changes and update policy documentation accordingly.
- Stage 2 has external auditors return to confirm your new systems meet the certification guidelines and if they do, you’ll be certified.
- After this, your ISO certification lasts for three years, with auditors returning to confirm and finetune your systems each year.
- After the three years, your business will reaudited in full to renew your certificate.
Final Thoughts
Securing ISO certification naturally requires your company’s decision makers to first sit down and deliberate on which standards are most likely to provide a strong ROI (return on your investment). If it isn’t clear enough from the praise and fanfare the ISO 9001 standard receives, this QMS certification is sure to provide a strong foundation upon which you can develop management systems that aid in attaining additional certification. But you may find that your company is more in need of ISO 45001 or even ISO 27001 certification first, so consider your unique business goals and how each certification may be able to support your organisational growth and development initiatives.
Take your time to see what certification standards the competitors in your niche or sector are using then follow suit. Each standard is a laser-focused approach to improving each aspect of your business and that provides the kinds of commercial benefits that snowball in the long run.
