The process of getting and maintaining ISO/QS 9000 certification is an expensive process so I did some research to see how most companies can financially justify the additional cost of maintain an ISO certification.This analysis does not include companies that maintain ISO compliance. Companies that are maintaining compliance but are not certified are usually maintaining an ISO quality system to help improving quality.

There are basically market leader and market follower. The market leader usually have great quality program that  support their growth as a market leader. The other 90% of companies are followers and do not know how a great quality reputation will help their business. Since there are 9 followers for every market leader, the statistics are skewed by unsuccessful companies (companies that will always be followers).

Here are the top 5 reasons for getting ISO:

1. My competition has it
2. Required by European customers
3. The ISO logo can be a marketing tool
4. ISO certification helps project a quality image
5. Maintaining an ISO quality system improves quality

What does this mean?

Most companies consider ISO 9000 more of a market-driven requirement and not a quality-driven requirement. Companies are saying " ISO will increase my sales" more than they are saying " ISO will improve my quality". When the drive behind the ISO program is purely marketing, quality takes a back seat.

This philosophy gets the task of implementing ISO off to rough start. If the basis of the project is to use engineering and quality resources to help increase sales, then quality can suffer due to lack of quality emphasis. I have seen this situation at several companies and the results are always the same. The ISO program does not increase sales (long-term) because customers expect high-quality from an ISO 9001 certified company. When they don't get it, they find a company that can deliver quality.  If the product or service quality is not the company's first priotity,it shows in the products and services.

The solution is to turn the requirement upside down and focus on improving quality. Make improving quality the main goal of the project and ISO certification the secondary goal. Regardless of the market, it is the quality leaders that establish the rules and control the market. Smaller companies can find the less profitable niches and survive but it is a long and hard life when your corporate plan is just surviving day-to-day.

Don't be a quality follower, be quality leader.