How to ensure your business operations are efficient at all times

Running a successful business can be challenging and businesses which are dependent on their staff team can often put their success and reputation at risk, should these employees become sick or leave. So what can you do to ensure optimal operational at all times and drive continual improvement?

Consider implementing an ISO 9001:2015 Management System.

Top 10 Failings

Here are the top 10 process failings we help businesses to overcome on a daily basis, through the implementation of ISO 9001:

1. A documented system – if you are not documenting all recordable processes and procedures within your organisation, you will limit your ability to step back and take a good look at your day to day operations. This stops you from ironing out unwanted issues and improving efficiency throughout the product/service life-cycle.
2. An error log – Errors could be repeatedly happening, but no one is bringing this to the attention of management because they don’t see it as their job to do so. Logging non-conformities helps you to review and control them, stopping those little issues escalating into unhappy customers and lost business.
3. A process for seeking customer feedback – having customers is essential for the success of every business. Their needs should be important to you. It is easy to presume what our customers want, but with trends changing every day, knowing if these needs are being met will help you to improve your products/services, increasing repeat business, reducing errors and giving you a competitive advantage.
4. A staff training register – staff training is important for any business, it increases staff morale, provides you with a skilled workforce that are more competent at their jobs and a register can provide evidence of education and qualifications when required.
5. A final inspection procedure – knowing what you deliver and how you deliver it is valuable for any business. Carrying out inspections of the processes and procedures relating to the delivery of your services/products, at the end of the journey, can help you to spot things that you might want to do differently in future, helping you to streamline processes and reduce future costs.
6. Regular process checks – As well as final inspections, it is good practice for management to carry out regular checks during the service/product delivery process, making sure that everything is running efficiently and noting anything, for review, that could be preventing you from achieving the desired outcome/goal.
7. A documented procedure for design and development – companies that are not responsible for design can claim exemption in this area. However for those that are affected; it is important that you map out how design is undertaken, showing the stages of client involvement because this helps to ensure a consistent delivery of service.
8. Traceability in design and development records – while mapping out how design is undertaken is valuable, it is important to ensure this the steps that are being taken are logged along the way. Providing you with traceable records, should anything be questioned at a later stage.
9. A procedure for calibration – It is important that, where fine measurements and calibration are required, a procedure is in place to ensure this is carried out correctly. You should consider whether this is carried out in accordance with manufacturer’s guidelines and any legal requirements which may apply, helping you to protect your reputation and avoid unnecessary fines.
10. Staff induction records – poorly trained staff can quickly lead to poorly delivered serviced/products. It is therefore vital that staff undergo a suitable induction process that will ensure your processes are adequately followed and the expected level of services maintained. It can also prove very useful should you be challenged on a staff dismissal, following staff incompetency.

If you are interested ISO 9001 certification or would like to find out how to implement an ISO 9001 Management System, you can contact one of our experienced Certification Development Consultants by calling 0333 344 3646 or by emailing [email protected].