Module - Design, Development and Creativity
Class or Article - Article
Lesson or Name - Wareham, E. M.
(1994) ISO 9000 and
the very small firm.
IEE Review, 40, 207-
09.
Additional Info - 207-209
ISO9000 and the very small firm by Wareham is based on the application of ISO Standards in to a small firm. While ISO certification is the gold standard for industries, the pursuit of achieving this for small firms could impact them negatively. However, no matter how small of an organisation can be designed to achieve this standard, but in most cases small firms will not be able to achieve this as it demands levels of management and it is a sophisticated system. As a result however of being ISO certified there is a financial uplift as the certification appeals to procurers of services. There is now an understanding that the ISO standard needs to be interpreted based on the size of the company/organisation. Still though to implement processes and procedures to a small organisation cold mean that the company has expensive pieces of literature that doesn't not have any application within their business. Once achieved and the logo stamped on a business they are seen invariably as more reliable. While it has not improved cost-efficiency it will inevitably improve customer satisfaction. Wareham proposes that each clause in the standard should be assessed on the size and function of the business.
I believe the achievement and pursuit of ISO standards to be a worthy one for companies but it should not be to the detriment of your business. What we see now with standards is different levels depending on the amount of the clauses or asks within the specification the business can fulfill and I feel this move by the standards is a great stride to make the pursuit more applicable across industries.
There is also I feel a cause for concern as standards on business are not applicable for all business. While they are a stamp of quality there is also a history behind some companies that could outweigh a standard.
Having applied one of these to a business there is great reason to using these are they advocate constant improvement, striding for the next standard and in cases they are incentivised. Also a shift in the procurement of some organisation has seen a rise of companies asking for these standards from companies applying for work.
So in essence standards are good for guidance and if they are applicable for your business and not to your detriment you should look to apply them.
For small organisations I would feel the production of your output should be first and foremost and then the standards second but this will be depending on the industry you are in. If you in Pharmaceuticals you should certainly pursue your standards.
Precis
ISO9000 and the very small firm by Wareham is based on the application of ISO Standards in to a small firm. While ISO certification is the gold standard for industries, the pursuit of achieving this for small firms could impact them negatively. However, no matter how small of an organisation can be designed to achieve this standard, but in most cases small firms will not be able to achieve this as it demands levels of management and it is a sophisticated system. As a result however of being ISO certified there is a financial uplift as the certification appeals to procurers of services. There is now an understanding that the ISO standard needs to be interpreted based on the size of the company/organisation. Still though to implement processes and procedures to a small organisation cold mean that the company has expensive pieces of literature that doesn't not have any application within their business. Once achieved and the logo stamped on a business they are seen invariably as more reliable. While it has not improved cost-efficiency it will inevitably improve customer satisfaction. Wareham proposes that each clause in the standard should be assessed on the size and function of the business.
Reflection
I believe the achievement and pursuit of ISO standards to be a worthy one for companies but it should not be to the detriment of your business. What we see now with standards is different levels depending on the amount of the clauses or asks within the specification the business can fulfill and I feel this move by the standards is a great stride to make the pursuit more applicable across industries.
There is also I feel a cause for concern as standards on business are not applicable for all business. While they are a stamp of quality there is also a history behind some companies that could outweigh a standard.
Having applied one of these to a business there is great reason to using these are they advocate constant improvement, striding for the next standard and in cases they are incentivised. Also a shift in the procurement of some organisation has seen a rise of companies asking for these standards from companies applying for work.
So in essence standards are good for guidance and if they are applicable for your business and not to your detriment you should look to apply them.
For small organisations I would feel the production of your output should be first and foremost and then the standards second but this will be depending on the industry you are in. If you in Pharmaceuticals you should certainly pursue your standards.
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