WHY SHOULD WE DO AN ISO AUDIT?
WHY SHOULD WE DO AN ISO AUDIT? There are many reasons why an organization should do an audit. Some of the most important reasons are given below: 1. Meet Customer Requirements Many companies decide to get ISO 9001 certified for the simple fact that many of their customers prefer ISO certified companies. Though this is not an ideal reason to pursue this process, this is undeniably an important reason for more companies getting ISO certified. This can also be termed as a short-sighted or short-term benefit since such companies do not genuinely embrace the ICO vision for continual improvement. Nevertheless, once you achieve ISO Certification, there is a higher probability to open up new markets that were much harder to penetrate earlier. 2. Quality level is raised for the whole company After satisfying a Quality Management System Standard, the quality level of the entire organization is raised (including product quality and most processes). This is a significant advantage gained due to the organization’s conformance to the standard requirements. 3. Customer satisfaction is increased (both stated and implied) ISO audits, besides helping you meet a particular client’s stated requirements, also helps you in satisfying their implied (or unstated) requirements too. This would delight them and ensure a guaranteed rise in customer satisfaction. 4. Business knowledge and awareness is increased For example, the ISO 9001 standard requires you to describe your processes using clear business metrics. This is designed to manage and control your processes in a more effective manner. Here, the metrics are used to understand, communicate and enhance your system’s performance. Such practices inevitably increase your awareness of your own business activity. 5. Better employee culture An ISO 9001 Quality Management System will provide your employees with a clear expectation on their objectives and job description. They are also provided with guidelines on how to do their job more efficiently and effectively. The feedback for such performances are also communicated to them. There is no doubt that, gradually, the company culture and employee morale itself rises substantially. 6. Operational consistency When you increase the control over your processes (which forms the core of an ISO audit process), an organization can decrease its variation. Decreased variation is another way of saying ‘more consistency’. Therefore, ISO audits pave the way for operational consistency. 7. Reduce waste, save money Poor quality and inefficiency leads to a lot of financial wastage (not to mention the wastage of time too). As you improve your processes, such wastages are restricted and reduced. As mentioned in the previous point, lack of consistency also leads to a lot of wastage. Again, an ISO audit ensures your consistency is increased thereby reducing wastage too. 8. International recognition This is a privilege that is a given with any ISO audit process. Once your audit is successful and you are certified, you are now recognized for a world-wide standard for quality. You can now join a select group of companies that hold this prestigious status.There are a lot of other reasons too for your organization to do such audits and get certified. But the above reasons are more than enough to get a fair idea on why you need an ISO audit.