Page 33 - Enterprise Engagement and ISO Standards eBook

Enterprise Engagement and ISO Standards

Chapter 6

ISO Engagement Standards: Implications for the Marketplace

So what will happen should ISO go beyond the issuance of its Quality Management
Principles, 10018 standards, and eventually approve formal standards for engagement? The
opportunity could be significant, says Lee S. Webster, Secretary for ISO TAG 260, which has
oversight over the engagement standards.

“Let’s take the ISO 9000 standards as an example,” he notes. “That gave rise to an entire
industry, starting with organizations that train other organizations to conduct audits and
provide certifications for clients. These companies develop their own certification process
and branding that helps their clients obtain and maintain their certifications. These
companies do their best to establish the value of their services.”

The Role of Consultants

These consultants help their clients through the process of conformity assessment, usually
starting with a gap analysis, Webster explains. They either provide the specific solutions
needed to operate in compliance with those standards, or work with others who provide
specific solutions depending on the need. This work has to be periodically audited, with
processes and procedures updated and documented as needed. Auditing and certification
services are provided by different companies to reduce the possibility of conflicts of
interest.

While the general philosophy of ISO is for organizations to bake compliance and operations
into day-to-day operations rather than imposing a new level of bureaucracy, Webster notes
that the process of implementing ISO standards takes planning and time, and that quality
management is a never-ending process that needs to be regularly updated based on current
needs and opportunities. He says that each consulting engagement in the field of ISO 9001
can cost between $5,000 and $60,000 to get started, depending on organizational size and
the state of its quality management infrastructure, and that ongoing fees exceed that, not
to mention costs associated with other areas of compliance. Obviously, he points out,
companies are only willing to make this investment because it has impact with customers
and because the standards help improve efficiency and quality.

The Audit Process

Compliance is anchored in an audit process. A Wikipedia article on ISO 9001 explains the
process: “Auditors are expected to go beyond mere auditing for rote conformance by
focusing on risk, status and importance. This means they are expected to make more

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