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Find Out More About ISO Standards
Frequently Asked Questions
There are no daft questions! I'm here to answer any you may have and I love talking about ISO. Quality and AI in particular! So...
Frequently Asked Questions
What are ISO standards?
ISO standards are a set of specifications that establish best practices for completing specific tasks.
Most standards provide guidelines or frameworks for how products, parts or services are made and delivered. You can follow these frameworks to generate consistency and guarantee uniformity throughout your industry and business.
What is an ISO Consultant and What does an ISO Consultant do?
In simple terms, I’m here to make your life easier!
Consultants know the standards inside out and have worked in many different industries and businesses. So you are benefiting from many years in other companies and also our hard earned expertise.
We translate the standards into simple terms.
If the ISO system is a vehicle for improvement, we are the mechanics and the driving instructors.
You will hopefully be the very accomplished drivers.. once you have received our standard awareness and audit training!
What is the difference between Certification and Accreditation?
Organisations that implement an ISO management system standard can receive formal recognition through certification. A third-party Certification Body (CB)
Only certification bodies can refer to themselves as ‘accredited’, whereas the organisations successfully audited by certification bodies hold ‘certification’. If the certification body has been accredited by UKAS to audit that particular activity, then organisations successfully audited by that certification body hold ‘accredited certification’.
TLN can assist to acquire 3 quotes for the external certification at the start of your project.
It is recommended that you only use reputable accredited certification bodies, recognised by the Cown and tick logo, (you may have seen this at the bottom of emails and on the back of vans.)
What does the External Assessment involve?
The external audit for UKAS standards initial certification is conducted in two stages. The first stage is a preliminary assessment to review your company’s documentation and readiness for the stage two audit. This includes evaluating your organisation’s understanding of the requirements of the relevant standard/s and the scope. It ensures that the organisation has effectively implemented the standard within its processes. The second stage is the actual certification audit, where the auditor will verify that the system is being fully practised and that all ISO requirements are met. The auditor observes operations, interviews employees, and reviews documented evidence to confirm the system’s effectiveness and identify any non-conformities. If the audit is successful, the UKAS certification is issued, demonstrating that the organisation meets the requirements.
The system is then audited every 3 years, with annual surveillance visits to keep you on track.
How long will it take to acquire the standards?
On average, most companies complete 9001 within 3-6 months.
The other standards may take up to 12 months, as they require more input, training and risk analysis from the client and ideally employee participation.
It really depends how much time and resource you have available.
The procedures, policies (system) can be written relatively quickly. If you already have documentation in place, this will reduce the time spent on the project.
How much does ISO cost?
TLN can provide a management system and internal auditing, everything you need to assist you to the point of your external certification audit. We charge a day rate plus possible travel costs.
As an example ISO 9001 can be completed in 7-8 days.
Other standards would require a site visit and more in depth conversation/proposal.
Certification costs can be estimated at the start of the project. We normally acquire 3 separate quotes.
See Individual pages for more information regarding the ISO standards – plus ready to download checklists.
What is the benefit of a gap analysis?
Starting an ISO project with a gap analysis is essential because it gives you a clear, structured picture of where your current systems fall short against ISO requirements, helping you avoid surprises during audits, prioritise resources, and build a realistic action plan for certification success. It’s essentially a “practice audit” that highlights risks, inefficiencies, and compliance gaps before external auditors do.
Please call if you have any other questions! 07795 802982
Customer Comments
‘Trudie recently guided us through the process to achieving ISO 9001, with zero non-compliances for
our first attempt, I would highly recommend, and look forward to working with Trudie again in the
future.’
Chris Whitmore -International Fire Protection
Let's chat about your ISO Certification requirements
- TLN Consulting
- Brierley Holt (Accountants) Ltd
- 78 Borough Road
- Altrincham
- Cheshire
- WA15 9EJ
- trudie@tlnconsulting.co.uk
- Tel: 07795 802 982
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