Case study involving clients Dale Morgan has worked with:

Client’s Needs:

Our typical client usually has time restraint to implement a quality management system because their primary customer has directed them to pursue the ISO international standard or face possible removal from their approved supplier rating (95%) or a client is interested in ISO as a tool to create consistency and improve internal processes (5%).

Our Approach:
In both cases we started with establishing a framework of information about the company.  With both clients we talked with the CEO and their leadership team about their goals, values and constraints.  To further understand the business we toured the facilities and then conducted a cursorily review of policies and procedures, company values, the strategic plan and other documents and guidelines within the organization.  Next step was to perform a ‘gap analyses’. We selected participants from the senior and mid level manager’s levels, in addition to rank & file levels and conducted process interviews.  Client was asked for input about the core processes and how they are monitored and measured as each step is completed. Client was asked questions about opportunities for improvement needed either in their process/area or in the overall organization.  We wanted their input about why they felt the organization was not meeting the expectations of its internal & external customers.  

Preliminary Results:
What we had discovered was not much of a surprise to the senior executives from either organization.  Our report, a concise and detailed description, measured the standard requirements against each clients existing quality system dividing the results into two categories: compliances to requirements and improvements needed for compliance.    Note: Each scored around 50% - 60% compliance but mostly lacked in having a formal style. The large organization with different departments did not always understand the needs of the other departments but there was cooperation and communication between departments. The smaller organization was less formal. 

Development:
The next step was to take the information we had gained, develop a Gantt Chart time line identifying the projects magnitude by assigning task oriented activities, training and group activities to personnel that would assist the organization in meeting their goal.  Additionally, a key employee was assigned the title of ‘Management Representative’ who would facilitate internal activity in concert with our guidance.

Implementation:
We held educational forums, giving participants individual coaching by clarifying the ISO requirements to match their organization’s culture.

Upon collection of process documentation, six required (Control of Documents, Control of Records, Internal Auditing, Control of Nonconformance, Corrective Action and Preventive Action) to comply with the standard were completed and implemented & expected to mature over time, while other documentation determined by the organization was review and developed, as needed. All of these activities were designed to help the organization learn, demonstrate their ability to make improvements with bottom line impact and to achieve ISO certification.

Depending on the number of employees, number of physical locations and the ability to adhere to the project time-line an organization determines when the registrar is scheduled to perform its Phase 1 and Phase 2 assessments.  Typically, this time is 6 to 9 months for a small organization to 12 to 18 months for larger organizations.

Results (Client Benefits):
Results can vary.  1).The organization can participate in submitting quotes or contracts that previously they were unable to due to not being ISO certified.  2).With the help from their Internal Auditors and the commitment to continuous improvement, organizations will benefit by streamlining processes and impacting the bottom-line.