Learn About ISO Quality Standards

Businesses develop quality management systems for three primary reasons:

1. to optimize quality by streamlining and improving internal operations to reduce costs;
2. to meet customer expectations;
3. and, to increase their competitiveness in the market.

As organizations implement ISO, they experience increased ability to meet performance goals and business objectives. They discover ways to streamline their business and therefore increase the bottom line, i.e., increase profit in a for-profit business and increase efficiency and performance in a not-for-profit organization. 

Internal Motivation

• Increases the bottom line in more than 90% of companies (Source: Dun and Bradstreet]
• Creates continual improvement through the evaluation and feedback loops
• Results in clear statements of roles and responsibilities for all individuals in the organization; forces clarity
• Establishes a foundation and framework for change
• Provides confidence that time is spent on priorities, addressing important objectives and maintaining organizational focus
• Creates and fosters teamwork
• Focuses on processes, products and improvement, thereby creating a non-judgmental environment
• Assures all work adds value
• Requires deployment of process to control documents
• Maximizes work product, especially in times of shrinking resources
• Protects the integrity of products and services provided to all stakeholders in an environment where leadership and operational personnel changes are not uncommon
• Makes life simpler through clarification of business objectives and production or service processes
• Preserves organizational knowledge

External Motivation

• Fulfulls international business requirements, and is often a necessity for doing and wining business internationally
• Provides performance accountability
• Creates positive differentiation in competitive funding situations
• Establishes credibility with stakeholders that the organization is well managed
• Creates an effective partnering/merging of cultures (important in takeovers and multiple-agency shops)