Key Difficulties Small Businesses Face in Implementing ISO 9001

Several businesses, especially the small ones still fear getting an ISO 9001 quality management system implemented because of the several challenges that can be required by the process. However, they also realize the immediate as well as the long-term benefits that the ISO 9001 certification can provide to small businesses. The benefits of ISO certification are noticeable for small enterprises or businesses which seek growth, and it can help to drive their growth potential with better quality products/services and higher customer satisfaction.

While every organization, regardless of its size or type of business, is eligible for this ISO certification, there are unique challenges that each face while implementing the quality management system (QMS) complying with the regulations of the ISO 9001 standard.  Here are some of the difficulties small businesses may small businesses in their route to implementing ISO 9001.

Documenting the Procedures

One of the most serious difficulties faced by organizations that need to implement a QMS is regarding what to document and how to document.  There is a question of how to document the procedures that are introduced in their quality management approach to meet the requirements of the ISO standard. Detailed documented procedures are useful to make employees aware of their responsibilities or tasks. However, difficulties can arise in this process for small firms due to a number of reasons, which are generally not experienced by larger organizations.

• Finding competent employee/employees who can document– Small businesses have a limited workforce and hence the task of documenting the procedures are assigned to one or two members. Whether they have enough knowledge of all processes of the QMS that are to be covered by the documents is a big question.

• Competence level needed- The competence level of employees of a small business is generally less or not up to the mark to understand and implement an internationally accredited QMS. As a result, the management of the organizations needs to focus on increasing their employees’ competence to structure the document, write it precisely, and then follow the procedures.

Dealing with Outsourced Services

Generally, small businesses outsource a lot of services owing to restricted resources, head count or space. This creates a challenge in the implementation of a QMS. Outsourcing a large number of services implies that the business does not have control over a lot of its processes or how those processes are executed. It becomes a major difficulty for the business to impose quality management regulations on those processes.

This challenge can be dealt with when the business monitors, performs audits, documents, and follows up on the outsourced services consistently. In simple words, the business should have control over its outsourced services and be able to show the records of their control activities at the time of external audit.

Handling of Internal Audits

Internal audits of the QMS are a prerequisite for businesses that need to implement ISO 9001. Internal audits are a legitimate way of evaluating the performance of the QMS and its processes at regular intervals. It is useful for ensuring that everything is effective towards the quality management goals and the QMS processes are compliant with the ISO 9001 requirements. The results of the audits are therefore helpful in knowing if there are any inadequacies in the QMS against the standard or if there is any performance inconsistency.

Small businesses can face a challenge in their internal audits because they may not have enough skilled officials to do the audits. While large organizations can keep their own internal audit team, it is generally not the case for smaller firms because having a skilled team for only auditing purposes is costly. Auditing is a specific assessment process that needs particular skills and training. Hence, how a small business is going to choose their auditors, train them, and make them acquainted with QMS processes is a challenge. However, thankfully, audit services can be outsourced to an external agency that offers quality assurance services. 

 

Bottom Line

From a cost perspective as well as resources perspective, small businesses face a number of challenges in implementing a QMS according to the ISO 9001 regulations. It can be easier for larger organizations which have large teams dedicated to quality management processes and internal auditing and take care of all responsibilities of the ISO 9001 certification. However, as a small business, you may not only lack dedicated staff but also enough expertise to understand the requirements of ISO 9001. As a result, you may face difficulties in documenting, implementing as well as managing the QMS procedures. A team of ISO consultants from a quality assurance services agency can solve all your problems and challenges of implementation. From helping you to understand the standard to guiding the documentation of procedures, performing internal audits to helping you to maintain ISO standard compliance, they can assist you in every step.

Contact Details:

Business Name: Compliancehelp Consulting, LLC

Email Id: info@quality-assurance.com

Phone No: 877 238 5855

Also Read: Don’t Fall for These Myths About ISO 9001 Certification!