If international standards like ISO 9001, 14001 or 27001 drum up thoughts of big corporations and strict third-party audits, then a new perspective might shine a light on how adopting these standards can transform the way you approach business altogether, even without certification.
The most popular of all the standards, ISO 9001 — a quality management standard — has been serving businesses all over the world for more than 30 years, and its impact is rather undeniable with more than 1 million organisations across 178 countries certified to the standard. A QMS, or Quality Management System, is a system designed to streamline business operations. This is accomplished by establishing and documenting standard practices, processes, procedures, and responsibilities for a business. ISO 9001:2015 is the fifth and latest edition that sets the organisational requirements of a QMS.

A Framework For A Sustainable Business

Researchers agree that the practice of quality management facilitates innovation, raises standards and remains an essential success factor for every organisation, end-user and society at large. Oftentimes, when a new business owner is not sure where to start with organising their operations, I suggest beginning with the foundation of ISO 9001. That might sound counterintuitive to some, but I have observed that the simple act of reviewing the standard tends to generate momentum and ideas for how basic systems and processes should be set up. Furthermore, I have seen that businesses built on a solid foundation of quality principles have an easier time creating sustainable business models.
The ISO 9001 QMS standard is based on seven principles that coincide with critical aspects of a sustainable business model. They are customer focus, leadership, engagement of people, process approach, improvement, evidence-based decision making and relationship management. The first auditable section of the standard, Clause 4, motivates business owners to thoughtfully understand the context of their organization and how it impacts their stakeholders. This exercise alone facilitates conscious leadership, which is an essential tenet of a sustainable business model.

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