Annually on October 14, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) celebrates the benefits that standards bring to our lives. Whether or not your business uses ISO certified standards, our daily lives are impacted through the many businesses who are certified. Some of the more common standards include food safety management, environmental management, quality management, and information security.
Leaders, take a moment to consider the standards used in your organization for production, systems, processes or people performance. Are they reasonable and appropriate? Are they achieving the desired goal? When was they last time the standards were reviewed? Are the right people providing input? What about the integrity of your tracking mechanisms and reporting processes?
As this year’s winning poster states, standards level the playing field. However, to be effective they must be reviewed, updated, tracked and consistently used to achieve business goals. Otherwise, what’s the point?
