Black Pearls VC activities now ISO 9001 certified
In January 2015 Black Pearls received an ISO 9001 certificate. This means that internal processes are carried out according to established quality standards and that customer satisfaction comes always first. Responsible for the implementation was our HR Manager Dominika Łobodzińska, who as well is our Quality Management Representative. It was towards her that we directed some questions.
What goals are to be achieved with the implementation of ISO?
We were striving, at first to write down our knowledge and processes of our organization. Because of our dynamic growth came the need of creating procedures that lead to the creation of our activities scheme. Also important, we had the need to model our activities, not thoughts! ISO will ease up and give structure to the work done, however it won’t replace the creative thinking process.
How long did it take before the system got fully implemented ?
It took one year and it ended up with a certification. However, it’s important to notice that acquiring the certificate does not mean it’s the end of further working on the system. Contrarily, now it is time for optimization of processes and procedures as well as creating new ones as the company expands. The system is plastic and it needs to be continuously updated as the need emerges.
Any difficulties faced during the implementation of the system?
Every change generates unwillingness. For this reason it was of utter importance to adapt employees to the new system and clarify to them the goals to be achieved with it. Furthermore, the informative campaign had to be continuous so that employees feel themselves as part of the system and engaged in it’s development. It is a time consuming process and it requires true engagement especially from people responsible for the system implementation.
What benefits come with the implementation of this system?
One of the main benefits is the ability to give shape to certain operative procedures, that consequently bring better organization and accelerate work. In addition, adapting new employees to the company becomes faster, thank’s to the use of modeled procedures, that is introduced to each one of them at the begining. And let’s not forget that having the certificate is also perceived as an element of prestige and remark.
What’s so unique about our system?
Our system emerged from the need to optimize processes in our company. But still it’s not more than a cherry on a huge pie. This fact backed up by the system’s documentation and was also noticed at the certification audit, during which the audit insisted that it is clear that the system not only was created in order to get a certificate, but mostly for process optimization. In summary, the system works, it isn’t just another plaque hanging on the wall.