ISO Certification Consultant & Consulting Services

ISO Certification & Registration

Certification is ‘the end of the beginning’, of your QMS. It is a validation that you have an effective quality system and that system then becomes a platform from which you can drive improvement in your organization. Without an integrated Management System business process improvement is not sustainable. 

The Challenge with ISO Certification

You need to find the right registrar but also the right auditor within that registrar. You need to ensure you are fairly treated by their auditor. You need a certification body who will provide a ‘second pair of eyes’ and identify any remaining elements of the complex management system that require attention. 

How can Quest help with ISO Certification?

Quest is in close contact with the leading registrars and we will provide you with a listing of contacts. You will ask them to quote for registration services and we will give a registrar a briefing of how the quality system has been developed so they understand how it functions in the organization. We will request that the registrar provides resumes of the proposed auditors and work with you selecting the best choice. You do have choices and do not have to take whoever they give you. We will explain your system to them in their language. Quest will be an interpreter.

(By the way, note that the terms certification and registration are used interchangeably.) 

Quest Experience with ISO Registration & Certification

Quest knows the best registrars and they respect our experience. The registrar will be given the policies and procedures of the organization for review and they will conduct a ‘document audit’ at a ‘system level’ to ensure there are no major gaps in the quality system. This way the registrar also becomes familiar with the details of the new quality system. The audit itself gives the benefit of that ‘fresh pair of eyes’ and we will guide you through the audit and ensure fair treatment. Every Quest client has successfully registered first time. This should be your own expectation.

The result of ISO Certification with Quest

The audit will take two or three days, depending on the size of the organization, and any findings will normally be minor issues. When dealing with complexity there are always opportunities for improvement. Quest will address any remaining issues. The registrar's decision will be given at the end of the audit and certification will be recommended subject to there being no major non-conformances. The audit is subject to oversight to ensure that auditing requirements have been met.

Life after ISO Registration 

Registration is good for three years and the auditor will return after 12 months and 24 months for a partial or ‘surveillance’ audit to ensure the QMS is still effective. They will usually focus on Management Review to ensure Leadership Engagement, Internal Audit to ensure any changes in the business have been captured and Corrective Action to ensure Continual Improvement is occurring.

Quest won’t just leave at the point of registration. There is a danger during the first year of registration that, after the intense effort, your people then relax. Quest will work with you prior to the first surveillance audit to ensure you are ready for the auditor.