Quality Management
ISO 9001 certifications are awarded to organizations that meet thorough criteria for assuring quality and continuous improvement. Many of the quality management principles these organizations use are rooted in lean manufacturing or Six Sigma philosophies.
In short, the more times you touch something the greater chances there are for error. Conversely, reducing waste or redundant steps can make your processes more efficient, accurate and cost-effective.
Facility managers can benefit from adopting aspects of ISO certification into their own operations to improve processes and efficiency. Here are three ways in particular:
Document the entire process –
Create a process map by choosing one specific time-consuming task within your responsibility. Document in detail every action/step completed by an individual or machine in the exact order in which it’s done to complete the task.[/asvc_list_item][asvc_list_item icon_align=”left” icon_fontawesome=”fa fa-search” icon_color=”#256193″ icon_size=”40px” icon_spacing=”60px”]
Critically analyze each step –
Evaluate each step. Dissect every part of a procedure and trim out the wasted steps. What kind of documentation is completed? What can be automated? What can be thrown out because of a duplication of efforts?[/asvc_list_item][asvc_list_item icon_align=”left” icon_fontawesome=”fa fa-line-chart” icon_color=”#256193″ icon_size=”40px” icon_spacing=”60px”]
Embrace improvement –
Quality management is not a one-time fix. As issues and problems arise throughout the year, capture them as “opportunities for improvement,” or OFI, and go back and study what went wrong and why.[/asvc_list_item]
“ISO certification changes your mindset,” said Alex Oles, ISO manager with Simon Roofing. “It is geared toward minimizing risk to the customer, and involves documentation, reviewing processes, eliminating waste and ensuring quality. It’s essentially a framework for how a successful organization runs.”
Simon Roofing holds ISO 9001:2015 certification for its entire business operations, a rarity in the commercial roofing industry. Last year it earned a 3-year renewal of its certification, which covers manufacturing of roofing and surfacing materials, product installation, customer service, research and development, sales, and all other management and administration facets of the business.
