Working with an ISO 9001 Consultant - ISO to the Rescue!

 

Few people and organizations are aware of the fact that there is an ISO standard, ISO 10019, available which provides guidelines for the selection of quality management system consultants and the use of their services.

The selection of a consultant is important for ensuring that the resulting quality management system is capable of meeting the organization’s planned objectives in an effective and efficient manner.

It is vitally important to remember that, even when the services of a consultant is used, the involvement and commitment of top management are key factors for the realization of a quality management system that is going to be effective and add value to the organization.

ISO 10019 provides guidance on the factors to be taken into consideration when selecting a quality management system consultant. The organization is looking for a consultant who is able to meet their specific needs, expectations and objectives.

Definitions

Quality management system realization: The process of establishing, documenting, implementing, maintaining and continually improving a quality management system.

Quality management consultant: A person who assists the organization on quality management system realization, giving advice or information.

The standard has two main sections:

• Clause 4: Selection of a quality management consultant
• Clause 5: Use of the quality management consultant’s services

Section 4, dealing with the selection of the consultant, contains the following guidelines:

• 4.1 Inputs into the selection process
• 4.1.1 Organization’s needs and expectations
• 4.1.2 Role of the consultants
• 4.1.3 Evaluation of the competence of the consultant
• 4.2 Competence of the consultant
• 4.2.1 General
• 4.2.2 Personal attributes
• 4.2.3 Education, knowledge and skills
• 4.2.4 Knowledge and skills specific to quality management
• 4.2.4.1 Relevant standards
• 4.2.4.2 National and international certification / registration and accreditation systems
• 4.2.4.3 General quality management principles, methodologies and techniques
• 4.2.5 Knowledge and skills specific to the organizations
• 4.2.5.1 Statutory and regulatory requirements
• 4.2.5.2 Product, process and organizational requirements
• 4.2.5.3 Management practices
• 4.2.6 Work experience
• 4.2.7 Maintenance and improvement of competence
• 4.3 Ethical considerations

Section 5, dealing with the use of the consultant’s services, includes:

• 5.1 Consultant’s services
• 5.2 Contract for consultant’s services
• 5.3 Useful considerations for the consultant’s services

Over the next few blogs, I would like to discuss the requirements of this standard, as well as some additional information on the use of quality management system consultants.

In this blog I would like to focus on some of the selection criteria which organizations should consider when they decide to make use of the services of a consultant.

The first consideration is the needs and expectations of the organization itself. When selecting the consultant, the organization must know its own expectations for the consultant, based on its overall objectives for the realization of the quality management system. It will include factors like the knowledge already available in the organization, the amount of benefit the organization wishes to realize from the implementation of the system (some organizations only want a certificate for the system, with little expectation of real sustainability benefits for the organization, while on the other end of the spectrum they are looking for maximum benefit in terms of strategic planning, managing business risk, etc.). This means that top management must be involved in the selection process.

Role of the consultant

The selection process must take into account the role of the consultant. It generally includes:

 a) assisting the organization to ensure that the design and the implementation of the quality management system is suited to the organization's culture, characteristics, level of education and specific business environment;

b) illustrating the concepts concerning quality management in a clear and understandable way throughout the organization, paying special attention to the understanding and adoption of quality management principles;

c) communicating with all relevant individuals, at all levels, involving them actively in the quality management system realization;

d) advising and supporting the organization in identifying the appropriate processes needed for its quality management system and defining the relative importance, sequence and interaction of those processes;

e) assisting the organization in identifying needs for documentation essential to ensure the effective planning, operation and control of its processes;

f) evaluating the effectiveness and efficiency of the quality management system processes to stimulate the organization to look for opportunities for improvement;

g) assisting in promoting a process approach and continual improvement of the quality management system within the organization;

h) assisting in identifying the training needs to enable the organization to maintain the quality management system;

i) assisting the organization, where applicable, to identify the relationship between its quality management system and any other relevant management system (e.g. environmental or occupational health and safety) and facilitate the integration of such systems.

The next step is to evaluate the competence of the potential consultants. This includes, for the specific industry sector, total work experience, work experience in quality management and experience in the implementation of a quality management system.

The company also has to look at the consultant’s personal attributes. The organization must be able to work with him or her. Other things to look at includes:

• Relevant education
• Knowledge and skills necessary to meet the organization’s overall objectives for the quality management system
• Work experience
• Ethical behaviour

More on these points will follow in later blogs.

Consultant competence can be shown as follows in terms of the standard:

Generally important personal attributes of the consultant are:

a) ethical: fair, truthful, sincere, honest and discreet;

b) observant: constantly and actively aware of organizational culture and values, physical surroundings and activities;

c) perceptive: aware of and able to understand the need for change and improvement;

d) versatile: able to adapt to different situations and provide alternative and creative solutions;

e) tenacious: persistent, focused on achieving objectives;

f) decisive: capable of reaching timely conclusions based on logical reasoning and analysis;

g) self-reliant: able to act and function independently while interacting effectively with others;

h) communicative: able to listen to, and effectively interface with, all levels of an organization, confidently and with sensitivity to its culture;

i) practical: realistic and flexible with good time management;

j) accountable: able to take responsibility for his/her own actions;

k) facilitative: able to assist an organization's management and employees through the quality management system realization.

 I hope that this information is useful to organizations who need to make use of the assistance of a consultant. More information and discussion will follow in future blogs.

 You can contact me at koosgouws10@gmail.com. You can also visit our website at www.sheqmanagementsystem.co.za, or, alternatively, www.sheq-management-systems.webnode.com.

Regards

Koos