ISO 9001 is just like writing code

When I was first learning to code, my lecturer in college would start us off with a modelling exercise. He asked the class to describe the process of making toast. In front of the class, he would then critique our efforts and point out the steps we had missed. This was to teach us the basic skills of stepwise refinement.

Eventually we learned to break down tasks into their component parts so that they were simple enough to understand and could be atomic enough that their interdependence was not going to create a risk for building the software. We'd then write the code and wait for the compiler to throw errors at us. Eventually we'd persevere and a binary that complied with the compiler would appear. We'd then have to test that binary to check that it did what it was meant to do. If it did, we could move onto the next task. If it didn’t, we would have to repeat the process, fix the problems, and go through the process again. This is startlingly like the Deming Cycle for continuous improvement (or PDCA; Plan, Do, Check, Act). It can't therefore be shocking to learn that ISO 9001 is an agile methodology, designed for iterative improvement.

Following this as a plan means focusing on the harder tasks (the risky tasks) and breaking them down into processes (stepwise refinement) so we can use existing resources better and reach the target through a cyclical process of continuous improvement.

In fact, ISO 9001 provides an iterative meta-plan for the whole process of software development even before the first line of code is written. It includes steps for making sure you know what you're doing before you even look at the detailed requirements specification and it leaves room at the end for improving on what's been delivered. ISO 9001 is not about creating documents for the sake of creation any more than a requirements specification is about writing code that won't be used. It's about figuring out what's needed, putting a plan in place and executing that plan and, when that's done, checking that you've done what you planned to do.

It's short sighted to think that ISO 9001 is just for the management and business functions of your company; it's about the quality of your company top to bottom. It took only a few minutes to apply this PDCA-based approach to software development and would take the same amount of time to apply it to any other business. 

Armour simplifies the inputs and outputs. It shows you what you're missing. It will reveal if you've missed a step, assumed, or fallen into the trap of doing things the way you've always done them. Using Armour means the organisation can benchmark organisational processes against global standards, at your pace and a fraction of the cost. 

Want to see how easy it is to improve your processes and implement ISO 9001 into your organisation? Check out our free trial here.