Numerous small-scale business owners possess the vision to expand their enterprises beyond national boundaries. Expanding your business internationally will not only assist you in generating more revenue but also provide convenience to your customers to access your products or services.
However, you need to have your business certified by a recognized certification body (an independent body that issues ISO certificates to enterprises) to expand operations overseas.
Furthermore, ISO 9001 is the most popular ISO certification that ensures your quality management system (QMS) is according to globally recognized guidelines.
According to the Business Times Journal, the global market size of ISO Certification will be $16.14 billion in 2024 and is expected to generate $66.25 billion of revenue by 2033 with a CAGR of 15.2%. Hence, it shows the interest of enterprise owners in expanding their business globally.
In this article, we will discuss your ISO certification journey step by step.
Unlock International Doors with ISO Certification
To expand your business at the global level, your employees and the whole business have to be efficient, able to meet demand, and maintain quality for a global audience. This is where ISO comes in and provides you with opportunities to make your quality management system (QMS).
Therefore, see these guidelines as an opportunity rather than a hurdle to your business expansion.
Now let’s look at the roadmap of ISO certification for your business.
Carefully read the guidelines.
Understanding any process is the first step before initiating it. Therefore, evaluate the requirements you need to fulfill to get any ISO certificate, like ISO 9001 and AS 9100. To get the standard ISO guideline, you need to visit the official website of ISO.
In addition, seek the help of any friend who has already performed this process or the Internet for industry-specific terminology.
Understanding the rules and guidelines is crucial for the next step, which is planning.
Plan strategically
Once you get a clear understanding of guidelines, the second step of your ISO certification roadmap is to create a clear-cut plan of activities such as weakness analysis, finance, and employee training. Furthermore, take assistance from your team leaders in this regard.
The third step is to prepare all your documents, which have been given below.
Documentation
The most effort-taking step in an ISO certification roadmap is the preparation of documents for getting an ISO certificate. This is because it is not only crucial to prepare the documents according to the technicalities of ISO guidelines but also to implement them in the day-to-day operation of your business.
Here are some of the documents required for ISO certification:
Scope Statement
Forum quality and
Flowcharts (Process Maps)
Quality Policy
Quantity Objectives
Forms
Work Instructions
Procedures
Implementation is the next step after documentation, explained below.
Implementation
After completing the documentation process, you now need to actually implement each and every action on the ground. This is the fourth milestone of your ISO certification roadmap.
This includes improvement, increasing employees' efficiency, reducing costs, and fixing the loopholes and weaknesses of your entire business. This step takes your business to another level if performed with the right approach.
Therefore, you must personally look into each aspect of implementation.
Additionally, you need to perform self-auditing to identify and correct any weaknesses in your business. From product quality
Self Auditing
Once you have implemented each task, find what actions have been successfully implemented and what aspects of your business still need improvement, like operation, packaging, etc.
Furthermore, you should perform this step before seeking an ISO certification consultant. Consequently, reimplementing the action after evaluation assists you in getting one step closer to getting globally approved.
Once you have successfully prepared your business for global expansion, it is beneficial to seek an ISO certification consultant before applying for an ISO certificate.
Hire Consultant
Apart from self-auditing, seeking a consultant from an ISO certificate consultant makes you more rejection-proof from getting an ISO certificate in your ISO certification journey.
This step can save you from investing time, energy, and effort in reapplying for an ISO certificate because these professionals can look at a nuanced aspect of business that you and your team members might be missing till today.
Finally, after completing all these steps, you can apply for an ISO certificate from any recognized certification body in the US.
Choose a recognized certification body.
The next and final step of your ISO certification roadmap is to apply for an ISO certificate from a recognized certification body in the US. Also, it is if you consult with an enterprise owner who has applied for and successfully obtained the desired ISO certificate on the first attempt.
This can make you aware of a fact that you might not be aware of in the present moment.
Conclusion
In conclusion, understanding the ISO certification roadmap is crucial for implementing each step to expand your business globally. Once completed successfully, it provides you room for the next three years to focus on delivering and marketing your product or service to a global audience.
So are you ready to get your business to a global audience? KSQA is one of the top guidance providers to small-scale businesses that has expertise in assisting you in the documentation process for getting ISO 9001 and AS 9100 certificates in the US.
We are known to focus on transparency and credibility and take a holistic approach to enhance your quality management systems (QMS) to the next level. Call us today to expand your business globally!
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