ISO is the International Organisation for Standardisation. Volunteer experts, professionals, associations and national standards bodies from around the world discuss, debate and agree the specifications for products, services and good practice to help industry be more effective and efficient.
While for many businesses it is not a requirement to be ISO certified, there are many benefits for raising practices in your organization to the standards set out in ISO specifications. Some benefits include:
Cost savings - standards help to optimise operations and therefore improve the bottom line. Why reinvent the wheel, when others have already worked out the optimal way of doing something.
Enhanced customer satisfaction - by implementing standards, the quality of your product and service improves, which in turn raises customer satisfaction and increases sales.
Access to new markets - offering products and services following international standards, helps you to sell into new markets that follow those standards.
Increased market share - increased customer satisfaction, sales and being able to enter new markets helps you to grow your market share.
Environmental benefits - International standards are concerned with the effects of industry on the environment and aim to reduce negative impacts.
In specific industries there are regulations and standards as defined by governmental bodies and associations that are a requirement to comply with. Even small operators need to comply with these rules such as the electronics, building, food and credit industries.
Way We Do and ISO Standards
Way We Do aims to incorporate standards and best practices into pre-written procedure templates with the intention of making your business more effective and efficient. However, it is your responsibility to ensure that the documented Operations Manual for your business or organization follows any required compliance regulations within your industry.
Australian Standards
To learn more about standards in Australia, visit Standards Australia's publishing arm "SAI Global" for a list of publications available.
International Standards
To learn more about ISO, visit ISO.org.