Halloween specialThe ISO 9001 horror story – or: “When good intentions become ghost processes”
The scary monster: Once upon a time, there was a medium-sized company that knew:
We want ISO 900 certification – well, actually. The management wants it.
The tension: who can do it, who should be responsible? The process should also cost as little as possible – after all, certification is expensive enough. After all, we are an agile organization, it will work itself out. Everyone waits and sees. Nothing happens.
After all: After a quarter of a year, they sought advice, had an offer made…
…and then bravely decided: We can do it on our own.
And so it began – the long six months of open trials.
Folders were created, checklists drawn up, to-do lists maintained, meetings held – but certification was out of the question.
Months passed, motivation sank, frustration rose.
At some point, the realization haunted the corridors: Maybe… we should seek help after all?
The twist: O.K., they called the consultant again. From that moment on, there was less horror, more structure.
The solution: We began to clearly define, document and, above all, live the processes. Suddenly everything was tangible. Responsibilities, processes, interfaces – no more spook, but a system. And lo and behold: certification? Passed with flying colors.
The moral of the story:
The real horror is not the audit date, but months of chaos without a common thread. External energy and expertise bring light into the darkness and a common thread into unclear situations.
The secret is leadership and structure kills the process zombie.
Change management is not rocket science – but sometimes you need someone who knows where the magic wand is.
Happy Halloween – and remember:
Don’t rely on magic when you can have structure! Consult with F&P and get an interim manager
