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ISO18404: Why Your Organisation Should Get Certified

Nic Mason

Welcome back to the official Services Limited ISO18404:2015 blog, a weekly instalment of Lean/Six Sigma and ISO18404 knowledge right where and when you need it! You should check back every Thursday for your latest news.

In this week’s blog, we’ll be discussing why your organisation should become certified against the new International Standard, ISO18404.

ISO to the Rescue!

The market for the training & certification of Lean and/or Six Sigma has become abused, there’s no doubting that. Fast-tracked, often online, courses are one of the many reasons bad practise became a mainstay; you really don’t have to look that far to find a not fit-for-purpose online-based course.

Of course, instead of teaching you knowledge of lots of theory & tools, it’s the actual doing that matters. Whilst knowledge is certainly part of the picnic, the ability to produce results is what should be prioritised, but it hasn’t been But now, ISO18404:2015 enters the stage, a far cry to previous standards, whereby key professionals will now be required to regularly show they have adequate competence for their job role.

The new International Standard, which was published by the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO), will provide an elite mark of global recognition for both organisations and personnel for their successful implementation of Lean and/or Six Sigma.

ISO have members representing 160 countries and has published over 21,000 standards to 3,368 technical bodies. Everyone knows some of their standards, such as ISO9001 and ISO14001. This experience and reach should be viewed as a kite mark.

Benefits of an International Standard

International Standards published by ISO have a number of key benefits, which should be considered:

Cost savings – International standards help to save money by optimising operations.

Enhance customer satisfaction – Since International Standards help to improve quality, you’ll see an increase in customer satisfaction and sales.

Access to new markets – Using International Standards will open the opportunity to access new markets.

Increased market share – An International Standard will increase productivity, giving you a competitive advantage.

Environmental benefits – International Standards will have a positive benefit on the environment.

To learn more about the benefits of an International Standard, you should visit ISO’s website here.

Why should you use ISO18404?

Very importantly, the new International Standard will help combat any questionable interpretations of Lean and/or Six Sigma, helping implementation of both methodologies in well-considered defensible ways.

Certification under ISO18404 will set your organisation apart from the rest. As the new International Standard requires both an organisation and their key personnel to be proactive in providing evidence for regular certification checks, it wont allow your system for management to slip; thus promoting good practice.

Alongside this, ISO18404 will ensure that your system for management of Lean and/or Six Sigma is right and consistent with your business strategy; meaning it will immediately begin delivering results.

Whilst certification against ISO18404 is great on an organisational level, it also looks very attractive to potential customers and stakeholders. Since you have a continued eye on quality management, you’re more likely to consistently return better results in less time.

Is your organisation ready to receive an internationally recognised statement of good practise?

Sector Scheme

It’s expected that the first round of certifications against the new International Standard should be ready in autumn. A growing number of large and small organisations globally are already undergoing gap analysis ahead of their potential certification against ISO18404.

With that said, if you want to be among the first few to be certified, now is probably a good time to set the ball rolling.

If you wish to learn more about ISO18404:2015, you should consider coming along to our next FREE briefing event on the 7th of June at 2.15 – 4.30 pm.

If you're not already a member of our ISO18404: Lean & Six Sigma Professionals, what are you waiting for? You can join here to get all of your questions answered by Professor Tony Bendell.

Stay up to date with Services Limited on social media!

Twitter: @ProfTonyB

LinkedIn: Professor Tony Bendell

Website: servicesltd.co.uk

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