Most companies by now have heard about ISO 9000, the series of international quality standards and guidelines. But what does becoming "ISO 9000 certified" really mean, and should your company take the plunge?

ISO 9000 is a series of three international standards and guidelines on quality management and quality assurance which were first published in 1987 and revised in 1994. ISO 9000 standards do not apply to a specific product, but instead provide quality assurance models for organizations which design, produce or test products. Since the standards are not specific to any particular products, they can be used by both manufacturers and service industries.

That's the technical definition. From a practical standpoint, ISO 9000 is a collection of good business practices - things that your company should probably be doing anyway. It's a way for large and small companies to study their operations, identify problem areas, and then improve their overall quality and efficiency.

In deciding whether or not to pursue ISO 9000 certification, it's important to ask yourself a few questions: will your company benefit internally by implementing ISO 9000? Will it help you compete with your competitors? Do your customers expect you to be certified? Are they already requiring it?

The process for attaining ISO 9000 certification is rigorous, typically taking up to 18 months to complete. But with that hard work come a number of benefits.

Companies that apply ISO 9000 principles will probably realize real cost and time savings, as well as getting a competitive edge in the marketplace. In this way, ISO 9000 is a valuable tool that helps companies achieve increased cost control and product/process improvement.

Gaining ISO 9000 certification also sends an important message to customers, both current and prospective. It says the company has invested resources and time to ensure its products and services are of the highest quality.

For most companies there is no real "deadline" to become ISO 9000 certified, although the auto industry has imposed deadlines on its first-tier suppliers to become certified to QS 9000, the auto industry's version of ISO 9000.

Many companies, however, are finding that pressure from major customers is a primary reason for investigating and pursing ISO 9000 certification.

Manufacturers and service providers who do business in the European common market also may be more inclined to seek certification, since the EC is requiring ISO certification for companies in a number of industries.

Whatever the reason, most companies find ISO 9000 certification appealing because it serves as a valuable road map for their improvement and expansion efforts.

Beginning the Process

The first step in beginning the ISO 9000 certification process is gaining the commitment and involvement of your company's top management. Unless the company's leaders are behind the effort, the ISO 9000 process will be an exercise in futility.

Typically, companies have one person spearheading the certification effort, with assistance from a steering committee made up of people representing all major areas of the company.

In addition to these internal efforts, many companies also hire an outside consultant to oversee the project. It's important, however, that the consultant does not do the entire job. ISO 9000 certification, after all, is about studying and refining your own policies and procedures. The process is an invaluable way for you to learn the potential of your own company.

Once a company has studied its operations and brought processes up to ISO 9000 standards, it's time to bring in a third-party registrar to perform an audit. This registrar, specially trained in ISO 9000 criteria, determines whether the company can be certified.

When your company officially becomes ISO 9000 certified, you have accomplished something of which you should be proud. But your work is far from over. ISO 9000 certification requires a company to continually conduct internal quality audits to ensure the processes are being followed throughout the entire organization. The payoff is that your company - and its customers - is assured of continuous quality in everything you do.

Several management/manufacturing trends have become popular in the last decade, only to disappear as quickly as they came. Not so with ISO 9000. The United States has joined other countries around the world in making Quality a business priority. ISO 9000 is the internationally accepted standard by which a company is measured.

To find out more about ISO 9000 quality standards and how they could improve the competitiveness of your company, contact Jack Ruff at the Nebraska Industrial Competitiveness Service (NICS), 402-471-6568. NICS is a not-for-profit organization that assists small- and medium-size manufacturers. It is part of a national network affiliated with the NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership.