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Implementing QMS in a consultancy firm

Implementing a quality management system (QMS) for a consulting firm implies being very pragmatic and knowledgeable about ISO 9001:2015. Now the standard is less and less bureaucratic, it is up to each organization the task to design, develop and implement its QMS.

Setup a project sponsor, a project manager and a project team. Determine the scope of the QMS. Your organization may provide consultancy services in several areas, but only want to certify one or two services. Ensure top management support, get training and as a first step perform a Gap analysis, to determine the amount of work to be done - comparing what your organization already has in place versus ISO 9001:2015 requirements. From that GAP Analysis you can develop your Project Plan, listing what needs to be done, by whom, until when.

Then, an important step is to design a model of how your organization work as a set of interrelated processes. For example:

Decide how to describe and monitor those processes.

From there it is implementation in order to close the gaps found. Then, perform an internal audit and the management review. There you can decide if your organization is ready for a certification audit.

This is a very short description of the journey but below you can find more detailed information:

• Free Gap Analysis Tool - https://advisera.com/9001academy/iso-9001-gap-analysis-tool/
• Should you use a gap analysis in your ISO 9001 implementation? -https://advisera.com/9001academy/17/use-gap-analysis-iso-9001-implementation/
• Checklist of ISO 9001 implementation & certification steps - https://advisera.com/9001academy/knowledgebase/checklist-of-iso-9001-implementation-certification-steps/
• ISO 9001 Implementation diagram - https://info.advisera.com/9001academy/free-download/iso-9001-implementation-diagram
• Free webinar on demand - Overview of ISO 9001 implementation steps - https://advisera.com/9001academy/webinar/overview-of-iso-9001-implementation-steps-free-webinar-on-demand/
• Free online training ISO 9001:2015 Foundations Course – https://advisera.com/training/iso-9001-foundations-course/
• Book - Discover ISO 9001:2015 Through Practical Examples - https://advisera.com/books/discover-iso-9001-2015-through-practical-examples/
   

Diagrama de tortuga

Para definir los procesos en ISO 14001 debe de tener en cuenta las etapas del ciclo de vida de sus productos o servicios, tanto aquellos que puede controlar como aquellos en los que puede influir, para poder identificar todos los aspectos ambientales asociados a los procesos y establecer los controles operacionales necesarios. 

El diagrama de tortuga por un lado emplea el caparazón para nombrar el proceso, y por otro,  utiliza las cuatro patas de la tortuga para representar cuatro preguntas sobre un proceso: con quién, con qué, cómo, con qué criterios (los indicadores de desempeño que indican el éxito o fracaso del proceso), y la cabeza y la cola para representar las preguntas sobre las entradas del proceso y las salidasdel proceso. 

Para más información de cómo identificar los procesos en el diagrama de tortuga vea los siguientes materiales: 

- The importance of the process approach: https://advisera.com/9001academy/blog/2015/12/01/iso-9001-the-importance-of-the-process-approach/

- Curso fundamentos de la norma ISO 9001:2015: https://advisera.com/es/formacion/curso-fundamentos-iso-9001/

- Libro - Discover ISO 9001:2015 through practical examples: https://advisera.com/books/discover-iso-9001-2015-through-practical-examples/

Enquiry on implementation on Engineering projects

You asked

"I will like to know how to set up a project applying the said standard

The starting point is to purchase the standard from ISO or your national Standards publishing organisation. Then to assist with implementation and applying for accreditation, look to reputable assistance such as the Advisera ISO 17025 Academy. The home page is at https://advisera.com/17025academy/

Have a look at the free resources at https://advisera.com/17025academy/free-downloads/ and download the Diagram of ISO 17025 Implementation Process  as well as the Project Plan for ISO/IEC 17025 implementation shown on that page.

Thereafter look at the benefits of using the toolkit, where various options are offered at https://advisera.com/17025academy/comparison/ and the available previews of the entire kit at https://advisera.com/17025academy/iso-17025-documentation-toolkit/

You also asked  

and the effects of ISO 17025 on projects

The following articles will give you some information on the importance of the ISO 17025 standard and it how can help your company and clients.

What is ISO 17025? at https://advisera.com/17025academy/what-is-iso-17025/
Six key benefits of ISO 17025 implementation at https://advisera.com/17025academy/blog/2019/10/18/six-key-benefits-of-iso-17025-implementation/
More and more academic laboratories and companies running various development projects which include testing, are seeing the benefits of ISO 17025 accreditation.

Thirdly, you asked

and how I can obtain a certification for the same ISO. To show competence on potential employers."

Laboratories achieve accreditation to ISO 17025, not certification. It is also not possible for a person to be certified to ISO 17025. What is possible is to show the technical competency and operational competency of personnel who work effectively within an ISO 17025 managed laboratory system. This is done through objective evidence during training and monitoring.

If you are not working in an ISO 17025 accredited laboratory, you could develop your knowledge by working through the standard and toolkit, and attending training on the system and implementation requirements of ISO 17025.  Thereafter you can develop your skills and competency by applying the knowledge and contributing to the success of a laboratory in implementing and/or maintaining accreditation. Internal auditing, risk assessments; as well as method validation and measurement uncertainty are examples of areas where you can attend courses and obtain training certificates. Once applied in the laboratory, you can demonstrate your competency and obtain a competency declaration from management. Furthermore if you are responsible for the validity of results, as a technical signatory for your laboratory, you will also be assessed by the accreditation body. Your name may then appear on the laboratory’s accreditation certificates.

Besides the Advisera ISO 17025 toolkit at https://advisera.com/17025academy/iso-17025-documentation-toolkit/, you may also be interested in the ISO 17025 Academy webinars at https://advisera.com/17025academy/webinars/

ISO 9001 How to make it interesting?

Working with organizations I try to do that by showing top management the pain from the present: Defects, costs, complaints, delays, lost customers, loss, and their consequences for the organization. It is what can push them to change.

Other alternative is to try to pull them to change by showing how a quality management system can help in improving performance.

For both situations I invest a lot in aligning the quality management system with the strategic orientation.

You can find more information below:

• Six Key Benefits of ISO 9001 Implementation - https://advisera.com/9001academy/knowledgebase/six-key-benefits-of-iso-9001-implementation/
• Enroll for free course - ISO 9001:2015 Foundations Course - https://advisera.com/training/iso-9001-foundations-course/
• Book - Discover ISO 9001:2015 Through Practical Examples - https://advisera.com/books/discover-iso-9001-2015-through-practical-examples/

ISO 9001 Consultant

There are no formal qualifications needed to become consultant or trainer, at least not in most countries. This basically means anyone can become a consultant or trainer, with no qualifications whatsoever.

Your challenge is to be able to win customers. Winning customers mean conveying trust through evidencing experience and qualifications obtained. So, they are not mandatory, but they are important to evidence competence.

You can find more information below:

• How to choose the most appropriate training - https://advisera.com/training/compare/
• How to become an ISO 9001 consultant - https://advisera.com/9001academy/blog/2016/11/15/how-to-become-an-iso-9001-consultant/
• How to choose an ISO 9001 consultant - https://advisera.com/9001academy/blog/2019/11/12/iso-9001-consultant-how-to-hire-the-right-one/
• How to sell your ISO 9001 consulting services - https://advisera.com/9001academy/blog/2017/06/20/how-to-sell-your-iso-9001-consulting-services/
• Free webinar on demand – How to sell ISO consulting services - https://advisera.com/9001academy/webinar/how-to-sell-iso-consulting-services-free-webinar-on-demand/
• Enroll for free course - ISO 9001:2015 Lead Implementer Course - https://advisera.com/training/iso-9001-lead-implementer-course/
• Book - Discover ISO 9001:2015 Through Practical Examples - https://advisera.com/books/discover-iso-9001-2015-through-practical-examples/
   

ISO 14001 Aspect and Impact analysis process

If your focus is the environmental assessment of a corporate office, I recommend that you consider two levels:

• The office level; and
• The office decisions that influence other units 

About a) consider the typical office aspects like energy and water consumption, waste generation.

About b) consider for example decisions about business travel, supplier and investment selection, with an environmental component like CO2 emissions.

Please check this information below with more detailed answers:

• Environmental aspect identification and classification - https://advisera.com/14001academy/blog/2019/08/27/key-iso-14001-benefits-to-customers/nowledgebase/environmental-aspect-identification-and-classification/
• Catalogue of environmental aspects - https://advisera.com/14001academy/blog/2019/08/27/key-iso-14001-benefits-to-customers/nowledgebase/catalogue-of-environmental-aspects/
• Free webinar - ISO 14001: Identification and evaluation of environmental aspects - https://advisera.com/14001academy/webinar/iso-14001-identification-and-evaluation-of-environmental-aspects-free-webinar-on-demand/
• ISO 14001 document template: Procedure for Identification and Evaluation of Environmental Aspects and Risks - https://advisera.com/14001academy/documentation/procedure-for-identification-and-evaluation-of-environmental-aspects/
• Enroll for free in this course – ISO 14001:2015 Lead Auditor Course - https://advisera.com/training/iso-14001-lead-auditor-course/
• Book – The ISO 14001:2015 Companion - https://advisera.com/books/the-iso-14001-2015-companion/

Considering ISO 28000 for outsourcing hosting of their software products

ISO 27001 does not require any specific standard to be followed so unless your client has a legal requirement (e.g., law, regulation or contract) demanding the implementation of ISO 28000 (Specification for security management systems for the supply chain), or it considers a good practice worthy to be implemented, there is no need to implement ISO 28000 to fulfill ISO 27001 requirements.

For further information, see:

• How to identify ISMS requirements of interested parties in ISO 27001 https://advisera.com/27001academy/blog/2017/02/06/how-to-identify-isms-requirements-of-interested-parties-in-iso-27001/

Root causes

Finding root cause(s) it is not a theoretical exercise. One must look and investigate the particular situation of each organization. I may say that the root cause is lack of training in ISO 9001:2015

You can find more information below:

• How to use root cause analysis to support corrective actions in your QMS - https://advisera.com/9001academy/blog/2016/03/01/how-to-use-root-cause-analysis-to-support-corrective-actions-in-your-qms/
• Free online training ISO 9001:2015 Foundations Course - https://advisera.com/training/iso-9001-foundations-course/
• Book - Managing ISO Documentation: A Plain English Guide - https://advisera.com/books/managing-iso-documentation-plain-english-guide/

Responsibility of scheduling Surveillance audits

The certification body contacts the certified organization with a proposal for the date of the surveillance audit.

You can find more information below:

• What is an ISO 9001 surveillance audit? - https://advisera.com/9001academy/blog/2016/10/18/what-is-an-iso-9001-surveillance-audit/
• Surveillance visits vs. certification audits - https://advisera.com/27001academy/knowledgebase/surveillance-visits-vs-certification-audits/
• ISO 9001:2015 Lead Auditor Training Course - https://advisera.com/training/iso-9001-lead-auditor-course/
• Discover ISO 9001:2015 Through Practical Examples - https://advisera.com/books/discover-iso-9001-2015-through-practical-examples/

Money resource

In my point of view money is all over clause 7.1 of ISO 9001:2015. What does a management system do with money?

• Hires people and provide them training and experience to be competent.
• Buys and maintains the needed infrastructure.
• Provides and maintains the right environment for the operation of processes.
• Provides and maintains the monitoring and measuring resources needed.

You can find more information below:

• Understanding Resource Management in ISO 9001 - https://advisera.com/9001academy/blog/2014/02/11/understanding-resource-management-iso-9001/
• ISO 9001:2015 Lead Auditor Training Course - https://advisera.com/training/iso-9001-lead-auditor-course/
• Discover ISO 9001:2015 Through Practical Examples - https://advisera.com/books/discover-iso-9001-2015-through-practical-examples/