In many
organizations ISO 9001 consultants play a significant role in the
implementation of ISO 9001 and the subsequent certification audit. Their role
is crucial because they can do the hand holding during your journey towards
attaining business excellence through successful Implementation of the ISO 9001
quality management system. They enable faster learning and help you establish
and implement a system that suits you very well. They help you choose the
auditing firm(certification body), which is best suited to your business
processes.
In order to
attain successful ISO 9001 certification, it is essential to have a
certification audit conducted in your premises. An independent auditing firm (registrar
or the certification body) chosen by you will send qualified ISO 9001 auditors
to visit your establishments for performing the external audit. The firm will register your company for the
audit and issue the certificate as soon as the audit process is completed
successfully.
Sometimes
there is confusion about the role of the external auditors and consultants. The
consultants can’t audit and certify you, because they are meant to assist and
coach you, whereas auditors must act as independent examiners. Consultants
assist in planning and creating documentation so that a formal system is in
place. If a QMS already exists; they will do the gap analysis to enable you to
know what is missing, so that new procedures and other information can be added
to ensure conformity. They train the internal auditors needed to conduct
internal audit and provide awareness training to employees. They advise you on
weaknesses in the system and preventive actions required. After the audit, they
help you to resolve the NCs and other audit observations.
Selection of the ISO 9001 consultant
Consultant
is selected on the basis of his or her past performance as well as the
background. Trade bodies such as chambers of commerce, as well as professional
bodies sometimes keep a list of approved QMS consultants. Minimum requirement is that the
consultant or his staff must have attended lead assessor training courses and
transition courses and qualified themselves as lead assessors for the latest
revision of the QMS standard. Websites of the consultants may give some idea
about the industries they are able to guide and advice. Prior experience and
knowledge of the applicable business processes could be a plus point.
References from previous clients, as well as
the results of previous projects in terms of time and cost incurred are
considered. Often a small part of the project such as gap analysis is awarded
initially. Milestone based fee is also one of the options. Consultants often
provide a written proposal for a fee based on the size of the clients
operation.
Selection of the ISO 9001 Auditors (Registrars or
Certification body)
The ISO 9001 Registrar (certification body) is
the independent entity that sends the auditors to conduct your certification
audit. One must look for officially accredited registrars. The reputation of
registrars should also be ascertained with the help of trade bodies or the professional
bodies. The criteria for the selection of registrar can be finalized with help
of your consultant.
Critical factors
to be considered in the selection process include:
- accreditation and other credentials of certifying
body or registrars (Every country has an accreditation body: ANSI-ASQ
National accreditation Board in USA)
- scope of the accreditation: determine if the
scope of accreditation certificate applies to your business processes,
- references and global reputation/recognition
- fee for certification audit as well as subsequent
surveillance audits
- their terms and conditions
- comfort level, flexibility to suit your time
frame
- confidentiality and ethical issues
- how to tackle issues of interpretation of clauses
of the applicable standard
- credentials and competence of the auditors, who will be assigned to
audit you.
Thus the
selection of a competent consultant and a reputed certification body at a later stage, paves the
way for successful certification of your company for ISO 90001.
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