When choosing a body to certify your management system (quality, environment, etc.), there are several aspects to consider.
An organization can implement many standards by simply adopting them as a management system, for example ISO 9001 or ISO 14001, without requiring certification, that is, a process that certifies that the management system that has been designed and that has become the basis of daily work actually reflects the requirements of the reference standards.
The most common reason we can think of for implementing one of these standards is to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of business work. Deciding to undergo an independent audit of the system by calling in the personnel of a specific certification body to confirm that the work done complies with the relevant standard is a decision to be taken in specific cases such as:
- if system certification is a contractual or regulatory requirement requested by one or more customers (in fact, more and more customers are asking for system certification issued by a third party as a guarantee of the work that an organization is able to carry out);
- if it is believed that this may become a market requirement in the future to conquer a new segment of customers;
- if it falls within the context of a reasoned risk management program (working according to a specific management system, among other things, helps us to become fully aware of the real and potential risks that could invest the organization at the least opportune moment and to anticipate any corrective maneuvers to reduce damage);
- if the organization thinks to motivate the staff by setting a clear objective linked to the development of a management system and making the entire mechanism on which the work of each person within the organization is based clearer to everyone;
- if you think you need a reorganization to better address a particularly difficult time, etc.
Given the extremely delicate situation, the criteria to consider for the thoughtful choice of a certification body that takes note of the work done and certifies its completeness include several actions, among which the most important are:
- make contact with various certification bodies to carry out an initial assessment and realize how much a specific body may or may not be suitable to judge your work;
- establish which criteria are most important for you to respect and which you want to find in the body that you will choose, such as, for example, a particular attention to the economic situation in which companies find themselves and an offer calibrated also based on the historical moment that is being experienced, an audit that is in line with the standard performances of this professional category, the issuance of a certificate that is recognized by the customers that are important to the organization, etc.
- find out if the certification body has auditors with experience in the organization's field of activity;
- verify that the certification body is accredited according to ISO / IEC 17021, that is, has been accredited as competent to perform the certification in specific sectors of activity by a national accreditation body (in Italy, for example, there is Accredia).
The accreditation body should be a member of the International Accreditation Forum (www.iaf.nu)