ISO 9001 for very simple business...?

[scm5436]

We are an e-commerce trader, and we have a new range of safety equipment. Due to the type of equipment and the large construction companies that tend to buy them, it's likely that being 9001 certified would help / be required for many of the tenders or quotes from those companies.

But we're a very simple company. Basically a 1 man ltd company. With a website. And the goods would be dropshipped. So at the very simplest we receive an order from the website, email the supplier and they send the goods to the customer. Slightly more complicated would be to quote by email or fax or reply to a tender electronically, and then receive a purchase order. That would then be dealt with in the same way.

And that's it. There's not really much to document.

So my questions are:

1. Would we even be able to get ISO 9001 for such a business model?
2. How cheaply could we get it considering the (presumably) small amount of things that need to be documented?

 

[Caledonian TV]

There is no real barrier to a one-man-band gaining 9001 certification. More important to consider however is how it relates to your business activities. In my opinion too many organisations blindly chase the bit of paper without caring much about what it's supposed to underpin.

In this respect, the following might be worth reflecting on...

https://www.thecoresolution.com/iso-compliance-vs-certification

Do you know what ISO 9001 will mean in relation to the actual operation of your business?

 

[scm5436]

No, I have no idea, but if it's something we need then it would be useful to know how much it might cost.

 

[Caledonian TV]

Honestly, it's more important to be thinking about how you're going to engage with the system first rather than what it costs; otherwise you can wind up wasting money.

I would strongly suggest doing some legwork (research) into the system to see if it's of any actual use to you. - Essentially it's 'about' what methods (and you do need to be methodical about it) you put in place to ensure the goods and/or services you're delivering are of the proper standard and the overall service you provide meets customer expectations.

i.e. - As far as safety equipment is concerned we've seen people turn up with items carrying the appropriate markings, which are faked; what steps do you take to ensure the drop-shipped goods aren't that? (rhetorical question; I don't need to know).

A good place to start understanding what it is you're buying into is here:

https://www.bsigroup.com/en-GB/iso-9001-quality-management/Resources-for-ISO-9001/

The cost is in getting your processes checked and certified by an accredited auditor - paying a consultant to come in and check your paperwork to see that you have the processes in place and that everyone works to them. That's maybe three days’ initial assessment, followed by one or two visits a year from then on at anything from about £800-£1200/day. - Maybe £3K a year? But, to be perfectly honest, that's an educated guess; the only place you'll get a straight answer is from an assessor and that seems to vary quite a bit depending on what you know and are doing.

As to the value of it? Well, too many organisation are too fond of collecting meaningless 'Muttley medals' to plaster around reception and clutter up the bottom of their notepaper!

What I've found is that whilst many firms will ask for evidence that you have a QMS in place - and 9001 is the lingua franca for that - actual certification is less important than compliance; although there is no doubt its sometimes necessary to get you though the door.

Sorry I can't give a clearer answer on costs - but it seems to be one of those 'how long is a piece of sting' things.

 

[scm5436]

So technically, we could just unilaterally declare that we are "9001 Compliant"? And, theoretically, how would anyone check that...?

 

[Caledonian TV]

So technically, we could just unilaterally declare that we are "9001 Compliant"? And, theoretically, how would anyone check that...?

No... Because you'd them be making a false claim which impacts on the legality of both your advertising and the contracts you make. - You would need to put a 9001 complaint QMS in place and actually use it; because in the event of a contractual dispute, evidence of this could be called for. - The same people who might certificate 9001 can also audit your 'compliant only' system, and that can be useful evidence.

Ultimately it's 'wrong headed' to think of these things as simply meaningless 'badges' (Muttley Medals as I call them) to decorate the walls; even though that's what they sometimes wind up being.

 

[scm5436]

does anyone have any links to examples of what putting in a 9001 QMS would mean in practice for a simple business?

For example:

Essentially it's 'about' what methods (and you do need to be methodical about it) you put in place to ensure the goods and/or services you're delivering are of the proper standard and the overall service you provide meets customer expectations.

I would only have 1 supplier and they are 9001 certified and they are delivering direct to the customer. So what 'method' would I need to put in place for that? And it would be a one off anyway, so do I really need a process to do something once? And what does a method/process for ensuring I'm delivering the proper standard of overall service look like?

 

[Caledonian TV]

so do I really need a process to do something once?

If you were only ever going to make one sale, no. If this is regular work, and therefore you need to develop a workflow and a way of doing things... Well, that inherently involves developing a process.

Ultimately the answers and systems that meet your particular needs are bespoke, and can only come from a training and certification body in concert with your own study of the standard and knowledge of the service you provide.

does anyone have any links to examples of what putting in a 9001 QMS would mean in practice for a simple business?

In our business - which is a family run microbusiness - we designed all our methods; i.e. how we script programmes, how we ensure we have approvals, checks and balances at every stage; how we handle and assign copyrights, health and safety policies, travel and transport policies etc - all around three recognised systems...

ISO 9001 CMS
OHSAS 18001 for health and safety
Prince-II Project management system.

9001/18001 we work to 'meet or exceed' the requirements... The project management system remains compatible with the outline principles, but is heavily customised - the point of all this is twofold:

1) It ensures we're doing what we need to be doing to minimise business risk.

2) It ensures our systems can easily 'plug in' to the requirements of other firms we might work with - broadcasters, event organisers etc.

...Essentially, we're not just 'winging it' and putting a bi of polish on; but actually walking the walk in step with our more demanding clients.

 

[JEREMY HAWKE]

You could get a consultant in for a reasonable price to help you get accredited