Hybrid ISO 9001 Implementation

12 October 2022

You probably know already that ISO 9001 certification can be achieved in-house with a DIY kit, or with minimal effort by hiring a consultant. But did you know that a hybrid approach sometimes offers the ideal solution? We'll show you how to combine the advantages of DIY implementation with external consultancy to get certified on your terms.

The Best of Two Worlds

During the early years of the ISO 9001 standard, virtually all companies resorted to specialized consultants to achieve certification. Witnessing the downsides that this approach had for many companies, 9001Simplified introduced the first Do-It-Yourself kit in the early 2000s.

While our in-house approach solves the cost barrier of certification and generally results in efficient and business-friendly ISO systems, it isn't the ideal solution for every business. Our new hybrid approach confronts the problem by combining the advantages of inexpensive in-house implementation and convenient consultancy.

Pros and Cons of Full-Service Consultancy

Our full-service consultancy is the perfect solution for companies that require quick certification without allocating much staff time. It's also the approach that guarantees successful certification. And in contrast to many consultants, our ISO 9001 Certification Service gets you efficient ISO processes that fit your business needs, plus a comprehensive handover that enables your company to manage ISO 9001 without further involvement from us.

The only downside for this convenience and peace of mind is the necessary budget.

Pros and Cons of the DIY Approach

Our Do-It-Yourself approach is the solution for companies that seek to minimize the cost of accreditation. Other than many other DIY kits that have since come to market, our ISO 9001 Certification Toolkit excels through ease of use and business-friendly ISO processes that perfectly fit your company and its culture.

Implementing the quality management system in-house, though, requires staff time, the ability and willingness to learn, staff motivation and executive support, and a corporate culture that's open to change.

Custom Hybrid Approach

The hybrid approach can be different for every organization. The idea is to identify any challenges posed by the Do-It-Yourself approach to your specific company, and then address the issues through targeted consultancy. Possible scenarios include:

Business Experts

"We'd rather focus on our business than become experts in ISO 9001 implementation. But our budget won't allow for full-service consultancy."

You don't need to learn the ins and outs of ISO 9001 implementation – and we don't need to become experts in your business. The solution is the team approach. You contribute your knowledge of your organization and its processes, and we provide the expertise on documentation development and compliance with the standard. Please contact us with a description of your company and we'll develop a custom team approach for you.

Optimized Solution

"Getting certified in-house with the ISO 9001 Certification Kit won't be a problem. But we want to gain the most from our efforts and make sure our ISO system will be perfect."

In this scenario you should start by having us perform a comprehensive review of your procedures. Do this before you implement them and we'll highlight any risks as well as opportunities for improvement. Then, once your ISO processes are in place, we'll conduct the required internal audit. We'll identify all issues and guarantee you'll pass your certification audit. We'll also include plenty of advice on best practices.

Certification Deadline

"We'll implement ISO 9001 in-house but we have a deadline for certification that we must not miss."

Our ISO 9001 Certification Toolkit includes a detailed project guide that should enable you to achieve your goal. But if time is limited, let us develop an efficient implementation plan that focuses on the important activities. We'll combine this with expert project management to ensure you stay on track even in the face of unexpected or difficult situations; please contact us first so that we can determine how much remote "ad-hoc" consulting is needed.

Lastly, you should have us perform a full internal audit. With this service we guarantee you'll pass your certification audit.

Can Do Most

"I am confident I can get us certified using the DIY approach. Except there is this one area in our company that I don't want to deal with."

There are various reasons to avoid certain departments. Sometimes it's too difficult or time-consuming to tackle certain operational processes or communicate with the people involved. Some implementers lack the confidence to introduce new requirements to executives, while others want to avoid a perceived conflict of interest.

Whatever your situation, we can develop a plan to make sure your project moves forward. Please contact us with a detailed description of your situation.

Limited Scope

"We urgently need to tackle operational issues in our XYZ department so we want to implement ISO 9001 there first. Maybe later we'll expand to the rest of the company and seek certification."

Limiting the scope poses several challenges at the interface between included and excluded departments. Situations like this require some finesse. We recommend you contact us with a detailed description of your situation and we'll develop a custom hybrid approach for you.

The Startup Problem

"I am motivated to get ISO started, management is on board, but I don't know how to make a start and get the momentum going."

This is a common problem for which we already prepared a solution: have an experienced consultant analyze your company's processes and develop a custom implementation plan that you can execute immediately. Simply add the Gap Analysis & Implementation Plan to our ISO 9001 Certification Toolkit.

The Lone Warrior

"I really want to get our company certified. I'm convinced it would be the best for us and solve our operational problems. But I can't win over our executives, and our staff are very stuck in their ways."

Executive support and employee participation are crucial factors for the success of your ISO 9001 project. Don't try to start without having resolved both issues. The ideal solutions are our custom employee and custom executive training conducted prior to using our DIY kit. Our experienced instructors specialize in tailoring their courses to your individual needs and will set the foundation for successful ISO 9001 certification.

Lack of Cooperation

"The XYZ department manager is doing everything she can to derail my efforts. Since my primary job isn't related to quality, she doesn't even take me seriously."

Broad support for ISO 9001 is essential for success. The best way to deal with uncooperative managers is to bring in outside authority. The status and credibility of a senior consultant combined with their experience to identify and address the root cause will resolve the problem. We recommend you purchase a half day of remote "ad-hoc" consulting to solve this or similar issues as needed.

We Got Busy

"We started the DIY approach and are in the midst of the implementation phase. All worked well but we suddenly got really busy and now we don't have the manpower to complete the project."

Limited resources are always an issue. It's important to allocate them where they achieve the highest return. If your employees' time is better used in production, it makes financial sense to have a consultant complete the project. We recommend you contact us with a detailed description of your situation and we'll develop a proposal for you.

Guaranteed Certification

"We're on a tight budget and want to do the implementation in-house, but we also want to be sure that we'll pass the certification audit."

Since you are doing all the work yourself, there is usually no guarantee that everybody involved does a perfect job. However, there is a solution that allows us to guarantee you'll pass your certification audit: simply add our audit service to your DIY kit and have us conduct the required internal audit prior to certification.

Note that these aren't distinct, stand-alone scenarios. Any combination is possible. As we stated earlier, your custom hybrid implementation approach depends on your individual circumstances. It's meant to be your personalized implementation solution. So, consider your situation and add the services you need to the ISO 9001 Certification Toolkit – or ask us to design a solution for you.

Conclusion

Many companies don't know what kind of hybrid approach they need until they are in the midst of their in-house ISO 9001 implementation. That's fine. The beauty of the hybrid approach lies in its flexibility.

Whenever you need hands-on assistance to supplement your in-house implementation, our consultants are ready to help. And because we are not only experienced ISO 9001 experts but also know our DIY tools inside out, our consultancy is easy on your time and budget.