Where is ISO9001 going?

The $64 question. There are over a million organisations certified to ISO9001 in the world. Certification to ISO9001 has been without doubt the biggest influence on the development of organisational operating systems the world has seen in living memory. Since 1987 ISO9001 has matured from a manufacturing focussed set of guidelines to the cornerstone of operational excellence for any organisation, anywhere. It now delves into the beating heart of a business at the highest level asking why are we here, who are our interested parties, and the key executive drivers of leadership and risk management. So, where to next?

ISO9001 is due for revision in 2022. Last year a survey was conducted allowing input from all the national Standards Committees that contribute to the maintenance of ISO9001 asking what changes need to be made. As a member of Standards Australia committee QR8 I took part in this survey. The most popular response was that nothing needed to be done right now. Organisations are still coming to grips with the shift in focus presented by the 2015 revision. So is this the end of development of ISO9001, or is it the end of the beginning?

One of the goals of ISO9001 historically has been to connect organisations more clearly with their customers. This focus has obviously been welcomed by organisations for the competitive advantage that results. You'll note that the 2015 revision requires organisations to recognise all their stakeholders (or "interested parties" as they're now called). Just as ISO9001 in recent years has worked to connect organisations more clearly with their customers, I see that future revisions will work to connect organisations more clearly with other interested parties, which include employees, shareholders, suppliers, the community, and anyone else with a logical interest in the organisation and what it does.

The scope here is enormous. Consideration of "Continual improvement", which in the best organisations requires the close involvement of employees, has been included in ISO9001 since 2000. Before then many saw that ISO9001 did not promote continual improvement initiatives such as TQM or Six Sigma and that there were "2 opposing camps". The 2000 revision extinguished this myth. Initiatives such as TQM or Six Sigma are now correctly recognised as tools in the armoury of a well managed ISO9001 system.

Shareholders and owners obviously have an interest in the successful operation and improvement of a business. The best management systems have found a way to optimise their interest.

My career matured in the automotive industry in the 90s. A key focus in the automotive industry was connecting with the supplier chain, all the way from raw materials to the finished vehicle. And it's not just a matter of pinging suppliers when they get it wrong. I remember working in an automotive glass company reviewing quality requirements for sand employed by our suppliers in the operation of their float glass plant. I learnt so much.

However, I see that the most powerful stakeholder link still to be made by organisations is with the community that they are a part of. This is something that the ISO14001 environmental and ISO45001 WHS standards already focus on and really it's a natural progression for ISO9001, especially with the 2015 focus on risk management, to require the same. Ethical sourcing is already a major market influencer overseas and in some organisations with close links to the public in Australia (eg supermarket chains). This is a key area of growth for business in Australia. Surely there is a role for businesses, no matter what their size, to get closer to their local community, including the public, councils and federal and state regulators. What's to lose? Everything is to gain! What role can ISO9001 certification play in this field?

But really, why do we need to wait until it's a requirement that we have this "interested party" focus. There are so many benefits for a business in building closer links with all their interested parties. Can I help you do this? Yes I can. Watch this space!