The State of Management Systems

Since publication of the first ISO quality system standards in 1987, there has been tremendous growth in implementation of management system standards, with corresponding benefits.

"Before there was a credible system of accredited third-party certification to ISO standards, organizations spent excessive time on redundant audits," Conboy said. "Now, companies with ANAB-accredited certification offer customers assurance of independently verified, internationally recognized processes, without the need for numerous customer visits to each facility."

Although the best reason to implement management system standards is to continually improve the organization and its processes, some organizations have pursued management systems certification only to satisfy customer demands. No wonder, then, that there is sometimes stiff competition among certification bodies to offer services at the lowest possible cost and there are occasionally even unscrupulous bad actors offering certificates without so much as an on-site audit.

Perceived threats to accredited management systems certification has been taken seriously enough to warrant action nationally and internationally. The ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board's Accreditation Council formed task groups to focus on ways to improve understanding and credibility. One outcome was "The Certification Client's Bill of Rights and Responsibilities," which identifies what a certified company can expect from its certification body. IAF and ISO have issued joint communiqués on the expected outcomes for accredited certification to ISO 9001 and ISO 14001.

Dougherty, the current chair of IAF, is an advocate at both IAF and ISO of soliciting and responding to feedback from end users - those who rely on accredited certificates - to ensure the credibility of accredited certification.

The ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board has developed close ties with the Independent Association of Accredited Registrars (IAAR), and not just because IAAR represents a good portion of the company's customer base. The organizations also have a shared interest in promoting the value of accredited third-party conformity assessment. Both are working to make more information on the value of accredited certification available online to potential clients.

Although ISO's annual surveys of certification have indicated ongoing growth in the number of management systems certificates worldwide, a relatively small proportion of organizations that could be certified are. Clearly, opportunity abounds.

In serving the needs of its customers, the ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board has benefited from longstanding relationships. Lofgren, the first president of RAB, continues to serve on the board of directors, as does ASQ's Paul Borawski. Barabas and Stratton, who were among the first assessors for RAB, still work as contract assessors for the ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board. Many others have contributed for years to its success.

"We can each be proud of our contributions - each of us met a different set of challenges" Dunbeck said. "The organization has grown much larger, more complex and more respected than we could only have dreamed of attaining."

Comparing organizational maturity to the human lifespan, Knappenberger believes the ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board is now getting close to its chronological age and with success will move into its young adulthood. "The foundation to make this business work is teamwork, transparency, and trust," Knappenberger said. "We have to be fluid, flexible, and nimble - and most of all customer-oriented."

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