Sustainability what is it, and is it just a fad?

So what’s this got to do with your SME based in the UK?

A storm in an environmentally friendly tea cup?

1. Things I can’t do anything about, such as the first three, No Poverty, Zero Hunger, Good Health and Well Being – (though having tried to access NHS services of late I wonder whether the UK government should really be claiming allegiance to this goal!)

2. Requirements which are already enshrined in UK legislation, like gender equality, good education, reduced inequalities etc, so we should already be complying with them.

For the goals that can be impacted by our compliance, many of us running companies in the UK will likely find that we are already meeting many of them and with a little thought we can meet the ones we aren’t. As a result, the cost to us providing positive responses to tenders around these needs could be significantly reduced as they’ve already been met.

Wheels within wheels and the need for a referee

A further problem comes in the cost of the reporting that government, and other major purchasing bodies are expecting. Giving them the benefit of the doubt, I don’t think many have the slightest idea how much time and effort goes into responding to these requirements.

Nature abhors a Vacuum

Many of these Sustainability Reporting sites/Owners have managed to grow very close ties with major purchasing organisations, some links may even have financial agreements behind them:

i. You want to sell to company A,

ii. Company A says to do business you need to pay a subscription and complete Company B’s questions

iii. Company B then either pays a subscription to Company A, or could even be owned by them.

Which would explain why there are so many different websites/companies with similar but varying services. But for reliable and honest reporting, the person doing the reporting needs to be independent and competent, but at present this can’t be checked.

At long last, enter ISO 20400, an internationally agreed best practice guide for Sustainable Procurement. Originally written in 2017, this standard ought to result in a level playing field, and independent, honest and meaningful reporting. Let’s hope the UK government and all other UK based major procurement organisations are forced to accept and comply with the practices it enforces, and we all stop having to pay for these unregulated Sustainability Reporting websites hosted in unknown locations around the world.

Should you be interested in the background to Sustainability, and how we got to where we are, there’s a quick synopsis below.

The United Nations role in a divisive subject!

In 1987 a United Nations commission defined Sustainability as “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” A very noble definition and aim.

All 193 nations who form the UN were present and unanimously agreed to the goals. This included the USA, the Russian Federation, China, India, most of the known world, and even the tiny inconsequential UK.

Those 193 countries are now charged with implementing, monitoring and reporting performance against these goals. Which is really where the problem starts. As UK Prime Minister Harold Wilson is reputed to have said, “a week in politics is a long time” and the last ten years have been particularly tumultuous. As a result, most of the world leaders who agreed to these very worthy and noble aims are now long gone.

Who knows if they will continue to be supported, or where the required financial investment will come from?

Having been involved in Quality and Compliance since the early 80’s I sometimes wonder why we still get bad products and services, despite ISO 9001 et al.

One of the issues is definitely weak and inconsistent auditing from certification bodies. But I have a feeling that is inevitable with the way certification is set up in the UK: Certification bodies are not the same, despite their UKAS Accreditation, which is supposed to ensure conformity. My own experience suggests that often the more expensive the certification body, the harder the audits are to get through. Which gives a lot of incentive to spend as little as you can!

I’ve been visiting customers and suppliers for over 40 years. In the early days an auditor said to me “you know a good company within 10 minutes of entering”. Another offered “all companies reflect the personality of their managers”.

I dismissed the idea you could establish the quality of a company/potential supplier within ten minutes pretty much instantly. It’s too complex a situation, with too many variables, and of course, is dependent on your own circumstances.

However, I do think the influence of management on their own organisation is often overlooked or misunderstood, especially by themselves. If you want employees to do their best for you, to look after your customers and take care when delivering your company’s products or services, then your own attitude to these things and how you go about your daily work, becomes very important.

I’ve also come across “micro-managers” many times. People who give no real responsibility to their staff, but then complain that their staff show little commitment and never come up with improvements or suggestions. Why should they, if your attitude towards them gives the impression you just want obedient robots who do as they are told, nothing more or less?

Improving the quality or consistency of your products and services requires, in most cases, a change in the culture of your staff, and the only way you’ll get that is if you deliberately nurture and encourage all staff to take some sort of ownership for their work and position in the business, to take part and offer something more than mere obedience.

What is the ISO 14001 standard? Lots of people ask this question. Is it a little too basic to ask? Not at all. I am an ISO consultant. I regularly find bad examples of ISO consulting. ISO certification should not be over-complex. Therefore, I will try and make things simple. But not simplistic.

The Short Version…

ISO 14001 – Environmental impact, and your business. Environmental responsibilities are fulfilled through an environmental management system. This means that your business practices will remain legal. This is not an exaggeration. Breaches of environmental law lead to fines and imprisonment. Furthermore a sensational pollution story is lapped up by the media. Your company will get well-known, but for the wrong reasons.

Common-Sense, Good Design, and Reality Equal Effectiveness.

Believe it or not, ISO Standards contain much common-sense. Bad ISO systems make rules. Conversely, a system designed around your company’s business means a well-applied standard. Therefore, ISO 14001 helps you do better business in a simple, efficient and understandable way. Furthermore, certification, in ideal circumstances, is not difficult achieve 

Sound Business Reasons

If you plan to sell into government or local government bodies, you will need ISO 14001. Likewise for tenders. Certification by a UKAS Accredited Certification Body to ISO 14001 will prevent your bid being rejected. Furthermore, many large companies hold ISO 14001. Therefore, they buy only from ISO 14001 suppliers and sub-contractors. Above all, many of the issues covered in ISO 14001 are now law. What is the ISO 14001 standard? Bluntly, a way of keeping your directors out of court and the news.

What Do I Need To Consider Right Now?

First, identify the areas of your business which pose environmental risk. Next, develop processes for the control and reduction of their effects.

Here are some typical areas of focus:

ISO management system standards have been impacting on the UK business community for over 25 years. However, there remains an air of mystery around even the common standards like ISO 9001. Hence the question and the title of this blog. Google tells us that there are many asking basic questions such as  “what is a quality management system?”

Blame The Government

Such procedures were pioneered by Ministry of Defence, to make sure that every shell fired actually went “bang” (but only on the battlefield). Therefore, the original systems were often over-complicated and hard to understand. Hence, complexity and confusion, and the question “What is a Quality Management System?” Consequently, in my drive to make the complex simple, I will describe the “why and “what” of the Quality Management System.

Doing The Same Thing Every Time. You Need To Make It Happen.

Consistency of product or service is a much-neglected issue. Word of mouth tradition may be adequate for a two-man joinery workshop, but not for the manufacture of a medical device or aerospace component. Management may be convinced that all their personnel are “singing from the same hymn sheet” However, some are singing the same song, but in a Country and Western style. Others are Jazz-Scatting and improvising. An effective Quality Management System means an agreed standard, procedure, and outcome. The same song in the same style. Harmony. Good.

What is  a Quality Management System?

Something to Protect You From the Side-Effects of Success

Sadly, many a successful market innovator, encouraged by their initial success, begin to believe their own marketing hype, rather than their quality statistics. They fail to grasp the need for good old down-to-earth consistency. Furthermore, they fail to fulfil their potential due to the inability to do things right every time. Here is a major “why” of a quality management system. No business can survive long term without satisfying customers. This needs to be a managed intention. Success is good. Quality is even better.

Hopefully, we have answered the question “What is a quality management system?” It’s much-simplified, but hopefully not simplistic. There is much more to tell on this topic, specific to your business. Drop us a line.

ISO 45001 requirements. If you are here to find a list, some useful words, and fixed prices, you may be disappointed. However, if you want to share my “long view” of ISO 45001 requirements, then read on. I’ve been in this industry a while now. It’s my conviction that companies seek ISO 45001 certification with a “tick off the points and create a file” attitude with makes the standard a superfluous “bolt-on” to a business. It benefits no-one, apart from irresponsible consultants.

What would be my “broad-brush” ISO 45001 requirements? They may surprise you.

Forget The Stereotypes

Health and Safety really does need a image makeover. If it was a physical product, it would be time now to change the label, packaging, and even contents. Typically, the OCD-afflicted safety officer, a solitary voice of doom, is a soft target for ridicule. Therefore, before you even start considering the work involved in attaining ISO 45001 certification, it’s time for a shift in attitude. Save your humour for another target. Breaches of law in this area can get your enterprise into deep trouble. It’s time to take this seriously.

“Protect Us From The Directors”

What “deep trouble”? I’ll stress this once more. Directors are actually being jailed for not protecting their employees. Corporate responsibility grows year on year. The penalties for neglect get harder. Surely, apart from anything else, Health and Safety should at least be seen as methodology for keeping directors out of jail? Hopefully, ISO 45001 can not only restore a damaged image, but also wake senior managers up to their responsibilities.

System Equals Reality, Equals Application.

Now that I have your attention, let’s make one thing very clear. Theory-based rules are not the heart and soul of an ISO standard such as ISO 45001. It is a management system. It’s purpose is to  “systematise ” controls, converting theory into the everyday practice. This transforms the abstract to the actual. It’s about real business life, not lip-service to slogans.

Culture is Better Than Paper

Maybe I’m reiterating the same point. This is because I’ve seen too many bad applications of health and safety procedure. Good practices and safe working need to be part of business DNA. Therefore, if you see ISO 45001 as merely a lever-arch file of documents and a certificate on a boardroom wall, it’s certainly time to think again about the true ISO 45001 requirements.

A example: insisting that a reluctant sub-contractor writes a risk assessment is not “good Health and Safety”. It may produce a document, but it won’t produce a mind-set. When a practical system of health and safety creates a safe culture, then the risk assessment goes beyond paper. Risk-based thinking has become a natural part of the culture.

Next?

With a sound understanding of how not to approach the whole issue, perhaps it’s time to consider how to move forward. You may have guessed tell that we are passionate about practical application of ISO 45001. If you share our passion about foundational ISO 45001 requirements, or even if you need some impartial help, we’re here to talk.

We’ve been working with companies in the medical device market for over ten years. Gaining approval to ISO 13485, (the quality system standard required for by a medical device business) isn’t easy. It often takes over a year from start to certification for even experienced businesses.

The Dunkirk Spirit?

Small boat owners sailed over to France to retrieve stranded British servicemen in 1939. Exceptional effort and ingenuity in times of challenge. It is something that we appear to do peculiarly well. Other nations appeared to have tried, too.

Medicine today is a high technology sphere. It has critical requirements. For the safety of both the medics. and the patients, these must be followed. Hence why the requirements of ISO 13485 are particularly strict. This standard saves lives. It also guards against litigation.

Therefore, properly-specified medical equipment can be expensive. There is a reason for that. To recap, errors of judgement and falsely specified materials in this industry can cost lives. “Saving a couple of quid” by buying the gear from the cheapest (or only available) source around is not a good idea.

However, if you wish to enter this market, ISO 13485 certification is vital. It will help ensure that you supply the right products, made from the right materials to the right standards.

Realistically Attainable?

Having made ISO 13485 sound a daunting standard to attain, I am now going to risk making it sound easily attainable. Our ethos in over ten years of consulting has been to demystify the industry.

Unfortunately, some organisations seem to enjoy making it mysterious (and expensive). We work alongside your organisation to gain ISO 13485 certification in a structured, well planned manner.

Furthermore, we will build on existing strengths and structures. Hopefully, this will avoid having products returned to you, at your cost, from halfway round the world. To steal a current phrase “Get ISO 13485, save lives, protect your business”.

What does it mean to be ISO certified? Quite simply, an approved independent body has audited your quality/safety/environment/other management systems. They comply with the requirements of an international standard. You are issued with a certificate to confirm this. That’s basically it.

However before going for ISO 14001 or ISO 9001 certification, I’d recommend asking some challenging questions. I have worked in this industry for over twenty five years. In my opinion, the following issues are fundamental.

 Alternatively, do you simply need a quick fix and a certificate on the wall? Or something more?

Simply gaining an ISO certificate can be rapid and inexpensive. For example, I have implemented ISO 9001 in small, businesses with only 2-3 days of my time. However, the priority was to respond to a tender which mandated a certain ISO standard.

However, the management systems created in these circumstances are very basic. Furthermore, if the aim is to tighten internal processes and improve consistency throughout the business, they are unlikely to be very helpful .Significantly, in this kind of situation, more time is required for a consultant to work with staff and gain their buy-in to the new ways of working. Therefore, “a certificate on the wall”, or doing better business?

Whatever the reason, (all the above are perfectly acceptable for gaining certification), it’s wise to understand just why you’re doing this. Furthermore, it’s vital to give the necessary time commitment to the project. Which leads me to…

Question 2 – Do You Have The Time? 

Many customers pay for my services, and then don’t have the time to listen to what I have to say. They choose a “best practice” which they tell me they want in their businesses. Subsequently, they don’t spend the time to plan and adopt it. Why? Even if you have excellent, disciplined processes already in place within your business, gaining certification WILL need some of your time. What you put in really does have a bearing on what you get out.

Question 3 – Can You Model?

What does it mean to be ISO certified?  Words or actions? Are you prepared to be seen to champion the management system? If give mere lip service to a new Quality Management System, then revert to your old system of working (whenever your consultant or auditor isn’t looking), your staff will notice. They will not “buy” it if senior managers don’t “model” it. For example, if you commit to checking products before you dispatch, don’t push your staff to blindly ship everything they can find on the last day of the month just to meet targets.

Question 4 – Do You Like Numbers? (What Gets Measured Gets Done)

What do you want to measurably achieve? Your policy MUST be underpinned by measurable objectives. I’ve observed that most senior management teams struggle with this. What is your level of customer complaints? Is it measured at all? Level of returned faulty goods? Have local residents moaned about the noise from your machines? Has The Environment Agency challenged your emissions? What are your big issues? And how can you measure improvement? This is an incentive for real measures within a formal “standards” framework. A consultant should not need to invent such Key Performance Indicators. This is for someone with a knowledge of the business. A manager who knows the real problems which it faces every day. 

Question 5 – Can We Talk?

Having thoroughly put you off this ISO certification malarkey, I almost dare not suggest that there is a way forward. What does it mean to be ISO certified? ISO Certification will benefit your business, help win new orders. It will keep you and your staff safe, and keep your directors out of court. I’ve been in the quality business for over 25 years, and can quickly assess how to move forward.

There’s much to tell, and I’d love to help. Please be in touch.

Many organisations see ISO 27001 implementation as probably difficult, slow and expensive. Sadly, some ISO Consultants are quite happy for this illusion to remain. The clock ticks, the documents get bigger, and the fees roll in, as I’ve discussed here (where I also give outline costs and time scales)

Of course, information security is a serious business, and requires focus. However, it is often made over-complex. ISO certification seems hard to attain, difficult to understand, and disengaged from normal business life.

Therefore, in the pursuit of clarity and simplicity, I set out to create a ten-point guide. It’s not “The Answer”, but a beginning, a framework of “how”, rather than “what”. And. of course, it’s always best to discuss these things face-to-face.

So, some basics:

3 – “Where Are You? Where Do You Need To Be?”

Examine your current information security systems with potential ISO 27001 demands. It is quite possible that you are already using parts of “best practice” already. Reinventing the wheel is not required.

A good ISO 27001 system will be designed around your current situation. Companies are often severely challenged by the prospect of ISO Certification. However, they discover that they are using some of the component principles already.

6 – Have a Plan

Roles, responsibilities and timescales need to be made clear. Add too many team members, and they will generate more heat than light. Implementation is unlikely to go smoothly. Adjustments are always necessary.

The key issue is to progress and not duplicate activity. A framework and objectives will save much time and energy. Most importantly, Getting started is good. And often the hardest part.

9 – Get Some “Buy In”

Raise Some Champions. Share that ISO 27001 should be “done with” not “done to” staff. Getting them to train as internal auditors is a major step. The most vocal “champions” will be the early adopters. Sadly, your IT team is not all-seeing and all-knowing. A wider company team will have insights from their daily work that only they themselves could ever discover.

ISO 27001 needs to escape the IT department at the first opportunity in order to be truly effective.

Google tells us that many organisations search for an ISO Template PDF Download. However, some “ISO Free PDF Downloads” are frequently incomplete and/or unnecessarily complex. We’ve seen them.

Quality and Focus, Not Volume.

We know from experience that a ISO Certification auditor cannot simply be won over by sheer volume of words. Our senior consultant worked for a major certification body. Therefore, he will spot a “cheap quick fix” in an instant. Buying masses of templates on-line is no guarantee.

A Re-Think

But does this mean the “template approach” has no value? We’ve changed our mind in recent times.

We’ve worked with some Far Eastern clients. Their budgets have not stretched to cover the cost of a visit. What could we do? Quite early in the relationship, we detected that, although lacking the structures, they had a good understanding of the principles of successful certification. What was our solution?

Document Tool Kits!

Based on their specific requirements, we created an “ISO standards tool kit”. Specific PDF downloadable templates were created. Subsequently, they were “branded” . Quite simply, we created a relevant framework, based on their needs. They provided the content.

Did This Solution Work?

Yes. One of the key favourable points was that they had an existing core of in-house systems. Therefore, smart practice from the client, coupled to some thoughtfully-designed templates resulted in a lean, relevant and impressive management system.

What Standards Do You Cover?

Take a look at our range of toolkits here. We also have a number under preparation. Furthermore, we can also create bespoke ones for less-common standards. Give us a call or send us a mail to find out more.

Questions?

Here are some FAQ:

Will They Fit My Business?

These systems have evolved from our experience with actual clients in practical settings. They are practical and proven, not theoretical.

How Do You Support Them?

Access to staff is via email and Skype. You may even get to speak to the author, who worked as a certification auditor. He is “gamekeeper turned poacher”, and thus knows what is needed for certification success. Our aim is straightforward certification for your company – we are not simply selling some documents!

What Is The Route To Certification?

A national Registered Certification Body (RCB) will conduct an audit in two stages. They will also give costs certification. The documents are designed with the specific aim of successful certification. They avoid excess and irrelevant content often found in the “ISO PDF free download” solution.

Is That All? What Is Required To Maintain Certification?

The RCB carries out a surveillance visit every twelve months.

Some Clear Benefits!

Clients using our PDF templates benefit in two significant ways – from experienced consulting and system design. Furthermore, in time and cost savings.

The Next Stage?

The ISO Template PDF Download approach may indeed be ideal for your organisation? See our shop page and/or get in touch with us!

The Cult of “Sales Judo” There Is A Better Way

This writer was in corporate sales for many years, and has suffered many hours of “death by PowerPoint” at the hands of highly-paid “sales training coaches”, some of which would have made excellent religious cult leaders. We were taught a kind of sales judo, aiming to psychologically manoeuvre our prospect/victim to fall to the floor and sign a purchase order Right There and Then. Battle-hardened road-warriors like us remained unimpressed by this stuff. What we needed above all was some “differentiation” in our toolbox, a posh word for “we are a better company that the others – buy from us”. Enter “ISO Certification as a sales tool”

ISO Certification and Tenders.

This differentiator deserves even less explanation than the last. Lack of certification will disqualify your bid. Another full stop.

ISO Certification and The Sales Process.

A delightful side-benefit of ISO 9001 – your hard-pressed sales support function can benefit from bespoke systems and procedures defined by ISO 9001. Therefore (hopefully!) your sales force can spend more time actually selling than chasing back-office and product support issues.