Individuals from corporations would usually ask: What is ISO 9001 and what is its benefit to this company? The straightforward answer to the first question is that ISO 9001 is the international standard for Quality Management Systems (QMS), published by ISO (the International Organization for Standardization). The standard was most recently updated in 2015, and is referred to as ISO 9001:2015. In order to be released and updated, ISO 9001 had to be agreed upon by a majority of member countries so that it would become an internationally recognized standard, which means it is accepted by a majority of countries worldwide.

There are many benefits (such as increased credibility, improved customer satisfaction, and better people engagement) of ISO 9001 since small to large corporations have used this standard to acquire cost and efficiency savings. This is the reason why SGS ISO 9001 courses in Taiwan are being accessed by many corporations as it has a comprehensive list of topics that pertain to the scope of SGS ISO 9001 such as: Failure Mode and Effect Analysis, Food Safety Management System, and Internal Auditor Training Courses among the few.

What is the true cost of ISO 9001 to your business?

Keeping the benefits of ISO 9001 in mind, there are also costs associated with being certified. There are two (2) main costs, namely:

• Costs for the certification itself

• Costs associated with preparing for ISO 9001 certification

The certification costs will depend on the following factors:

• Size of the business

• The number of employees

• The complexity of the business

• The business sector

• The operational structure

• The breadth and scope of the Quality Management System (QMS) already in place

• The complexity of the audit required

• The requirements of the QMS needed

To know about all the requirements for iso 9001 certification if applying for the first time, you should consider investing in a copy of the ISO 9001 standard manual which can be purchased online. Though the terminology in the manual can be confusing and intimidating, it is salient to refer to the standard throughout implementation to support and inform your application. Some corporations would also hire an external consultant to help in the application process. If you would choose to do so, you also have to consider the consultancy fees as additional cost in preparation for the ISO 9001 certification.

The next step is resource planning or the time invested by your employees to prepare for the certification itself. Your costs will relate to both financial and time investment and will depend on the remit of your certification process and whether you are managing it in-house or hiring a consultant. Both options will require time resources from staff, including those in leadership roles, though it is likely that less input will be needed if you opt for consultant support. If you decide to manage certification internally you should formulate a realistic plan for who needs to be involved and how much time needs to be allocated to each member of staff for training, task completion and document development. You also have to remember to include a provision of resources for maintenance of the QMS.

As a conclusion, since being certified in ISO 9001 has a variety of benefits, most corporations would prefer to go through the painstaking process of being certified as they perceive that the benefits outweigh the cost (in terms of money, time, and manpower resources) for the overall certification process.