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put ISO 9001 to work for you |
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FAQs --> How to choose a quality consultant 15 questions to ask before choosing an ISO 9001 consultant
1. May I ask you some questions? It isn’t reasonable to phone up out of the blue and expect a busy consultant (if we're good, we're usually busy) to stop whatever they are doing and take a lot of time answering your questions. Especially if you've never even met or spoken before. That said, we'd be very happy to talk to you, especially once you've read some of the information on our site. 2. How long have you been in the field of quality management? And as a
consultant? 3. What do you see as the most important factors in getting ISO 9001? 4. What do you mean by ‘quality’? Some warning bells: they spout a lot of incomprehensible ‘quality speak’ at this point, and/or quote the official ISO definition to you (rather than using their own words), or perhaps they get very vague and waffle on a lot. If so, watch out; it's often very unlikely that they'll improve on further acquaintance. 5. What would you need from us? What can we do to make this
project go smoothly and minimise the cost or time? Listen for what's important to them - note the criteria they use. If they indicate the job where they earned the most or took the longest, probe further. If their main motivation appears to be fees or income, think twice if not three times! You should feel you're in partnership with a consultant, not that they're out to gouge every last possible dollar. 7. What was your most difficult one? Recruiters love to ask this kind of question. Because the answer usually indicates how someone dealt with difficulties in the past, and thus what their approach is likely to be again in the future. 8. Are your clients mostly in manufacturing or
the services field? If you are in a service field but the consultant only has experience in manufacturing or industrial businesses, I'd be cautious, and more inclined to seek one with experience in service sectors. Conversely, a consultant with experience only in service industries may lack understanding of manufacturing. But don't be put off if they don't have exact experience in your exact field or business niche. One because it may not happen and two because with a good consultant, the skills are transferable. A good consultant without specific experience in a specific field is infinitely better than a poor consultant with specific field experience.
9. Could you show me some samples of your previous work? They probably can't show you a full set (we keep our clients' information confidential, remember), but any reputable consultant should be able to show you some samples. If they can't show you anything at all... why not?
10. Can your give me some references? eg, contact details for previous clients
or written referrals or testimonials Some fine consultants may not have written referrals or testimonials. Not everyone asks for them and many organisations have definite policies about not providing them in these litigation-prone days. But if you cannot obtain any feedback at all from any past clients, I'd be very suspicious. 11. Will you provide a written proposal? 12. If we decide to use you, how will progress be tracked? Getting a quality system in place and achieving certification is a project - you need a consultant who understands at least the basic disciplines of project management. And if you don't want to know and think it's all entirely up to them (after all, that's what you pay them for), then please rethink, preferably right now! If any slippage or holdups occur, you risk not finding out that things are off the rails until too far down the track. Which is usually expensive, among other negative outcomes. 13. Are you willing to do some part of the project first, such as a gap analysis or
a project plan to an agreed price? Unprofessional or bad consultants won't like this suggestion. If they refuse or become agitated, politely say goodbye. Now. 14. Do you guarantee your services? 15. If we use you and don’t get our certification
first time, what will you do? PS: If you get an answer like “Eat my hat”, then engage them, because you've found a consultant who not only has the confidence and experience, but also a sense of humour. And in our opinion that's a wonderful thing to have at any time, not least in quality management. >>More info on our ISO 9001
consultant services <-- More FAQs
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