4 Myths about ISO 9001 for Small Businesses

Managing ISO 9001 is a lot simpler than you think. The latest version of ISO 9001 was revised partly with micro and small businesses in mind.

Introducing and adhering to this standard now requires significantly less documentation. It gives businesses more flexibility to decide how they comply.

Fact versus fiction about ISO 9001 for small businesses

Misconceptions persist about ISO 9001 certification for small businesses. They stem primarily from secondhand stories and outdated experiences with the system.

It’s never been easier for small businesses to adhere to this standard, which can significantly boost your quality management. We look at the top four myths about ISO 9001 for small businesses.

1. It’s meant for big business

ISO standards may seem like the concern of big businesses that need to pass multiple standards to function and sell their products, but ISO standards can help small businesses too.

ISO 9001 looks at quality management. This should be a high priority for all businesses, whatever their size.

Businesses that take the time to achieve ISO 9001 compliance and certification are in a better position to offer quality services and products to their customers.

2. It requires masses of paperwork

The 2008 version of ISO 9001 did require more paperwork but that changed in 2015. The newer version only requires three pieces of documentation:

the scope of your QMS
your quality policy
your quality objectives.

For your own requirements, you can have more documentation if you feel it’s necessary. These are the minimum requirements to go ahead with the certification process.

3. It’s expensive and requires a full-time manager

If done internally without a third-party consultant, certification doesn’t need to break the bank. There are manageable costs involved in buying the standard and being audited by a registrar.

You don’t need to hire someone to manage ISO 9001 certification full time. Compliance doesn’t require that much work.

However, it’s a good idea to have one staff member in charge of certification. That person should be quality-driven and organized.

4. It’s a bureaucratic exercise that doesn’t really improve quality

Don’t let the process of getting ISO 9001 certified deceive you. Certification has real-world benefits for small businesses.

The process of certification gives small businesses an overview of their internal quality management systems. Improvements can be made even if they aren’t required by ISO. A business can offer its customers better services and quality products.

Basics: what ISO 9001 certification involves for small businesses

The process differs slightly from business to business. Overall, the steps for ISO 9001 certification remain the same.

Follow these steps to get ISO 9001 certification:

buy the standard and read it
decide if you need an external ISO 9001-certified consultant to assist
compare the ISO requirements to the processes you have in place
adjust processes that don’t meet the requirements
select a certification registrar to conduct the audit
address non-conformities in order to receive certification.

Benefits of ISO 9001 for small and micro businesses

As well as better service delivery and higher quality production, small businesses can expect a range of internal benefits when undertaking ISO 9001 compliance. These include:

the opportunity to secure contracts that require ISO 9001 certification
logical and consistent money and time-saving processes
team understanding and appreciating the QMS
team members knowing their responsibilities
the opportunity to build a foundation for growth
corrective actions in place that can be implemented
identifying and rectifying shortfalls
reduction in mistakes and quality shortfalls.

How isoTracker’s affordable quality management software can help

The benefits of ISO 9001 for small businesses are clear and well-documented. However, these benefits depend on effective implementation.

At isoTracker, we offer modular, cloud-based quality management software that’s specifically designed to enable easy compliance with ISO standards. It’s also designed to be affordable for small to medium businesses.

Modules we offer: