ISO certification at Space Database

The ISO certification at Space Database took around six months from the time that we set it up as a serious project until the time that we felt we were truly running the system. We ran the system for more few months before we had our first external audit and became fully certified.

 We were helped in our project by a very good coach. We had heard that it was very difficult to prepare for the audit without the help of someone that thoroughly understood the ISO system and the process of certification. We met with and interviewed a few different consultants and then selected the one that we felt most comfortable with. Jeff Chesebrough was a very helpful guide and remains a valuable resource as our current internal auditor.

The first thing we had to do was to define our 'scope' of certification. What was it that we wanted to say that our company did? We had to put some thought into what our company actually does. Next we had to define a quality management statement. What was the goal of the system we were about to design? These are very important steps because without them you don't know where you are going and you have nothing to measure you progress against.

The scope of our business:

The provision of software and services for real estate clients, including building surveys, interior design and information management.

 Our Quality Policy Statement:

Space Database is committed to supplying their customers with services that meet their expectations and with information that is clear, accurate and reliable. Space Database strives to continually improve the efficiency and profitability of their processes.

The next thing we had to do was the largest part of this project: we had to map out and document the processes for the work that we do in the office. This involved defining what we do from the sales process, through project management and the various work procedures all the way to final delivery and acceptance of the finished work. We had to document all of the tasks in the office and all the ways that different types of work gets done. We created work flow diagrams and text descriptions of everything. It was a team based effort and it was interesting to find out that there was quite a bit of disagreement about how things were actually being done!

Once we had mapped out our processes, we began to discuss how things could be improved. What should we change? Where were problems most likely to occur? We updated our procedures in ways that we could all agree would help us work more effectively with fewer errors and problems. We designed control systems - mostly in the form of check lists - that would ensure that the steps we had agreed on as being essential for quality results were actually followed.

 The last piece of our quality control system was the setup of measurable objectives. How can you know if your system is working if there is no way to measure results? We set up both objective measures of our performance based on turn-around times and profitability as well as subjective measures based on what our clients thought of us. We conducted an online survey with multiple choice answers. We now re-do this survey every year to see if we are improving.

Although nerve racking, our first certification audit was quite painless. The system was new and we were all enthusiastic about it. Subsequent audits have been a ittle harder. We now have a track record to beat and new goals to reach every year. There is always the tendency to loosen the controls over time. But that is why the system requires regular external audits. The auditor ensures that we do what we said we were going to do!

It was a fair bit of work to set up, but the ISO certification process was not really difficult. We know our own business and we have an intuitive sense of what will make it work better. The ISO system simply helps us standardize on the best practices within the organization. And then the fear of the auditor keeps us honest!