Project: Team alignment thanks to the ISO certificate!
In 2003 I joined Miguel Torres as an organization consultant after having worked for them at Accenture. My surprise was that my first project was to achieve ISO 9001 certification in just under 3 months for all departments, from the technician (oenology) to the factory, including marketing, sales, finance…. we needed team alignment!
The peculiarity of the then new ISO 9001 was that it was necessary to demonstrate that the work was carried out by processes, that is, linking the work of the departments, defining and maintaining work indicators… But transversality is not easy when the work has been done for years in a certain way, without being aware of the need for each step, and without questioning the why of each task. So… how can we get each area to “put itself in the other’s shoes”, to talk beyond the necessary bureaucracy, to detect complementary synergies that the slightest need for collaboration and, above all, to work together to eliminate unnecessary steps and to collaborate with each other with information, ideas and teamwork?
Services
Project Management, Consulting, Facilitator (internal Organization Manager)
Client
Miguel Torres S.A.
Year
2003 – 2003
Challenge
Target
The main objective was to obtain ISO 9001 certification on the schedule. This implied establishing new ways of working, always thinking in processes and not in watertight departments, aligning all those involved, establishing monitoring bodies and writing documents agreed upon by all, the basis of the transversal responsibility of each process.
What did we do?
ISO 9001 was the excuse to review processes, talk with and among professionals, agree on new ways of working and design new collaborative work spaces. We held joint meetings with the managers of the areas that worked together, exposing the need to think about processes and all their implications. We asked employees to work collaboratively, establishing processes in work meetings that ended with everyone’s consent.
What was my mission?
As Organization Consultant but with no prior knowledge, I…
- Studied what ISO 9001 was and the certification needs for the company. I summarizes the objective of ISO for the Top Management, the planning to have Miguel Torres ready in less than 3 months and the needs for success (availability of the Management and team of each area for work meetings and alignment towards the new way of thinking and working).
- Coordinated the work sessions and the necessary results, achieving agreement among the different responsible parties on what they should generate, and drafted all the documentation required for certification.
- Designed, prepared and executed all the necessary training for all personnel, which in some cases involved temporary cessation of activity. Such was the importance of the aligment of all.
- Conducted internal testing audits in each process (various areas) to prepare for certification and was responsible for the final approval process.
10
aligned departments
3
months, no more!
1
roll-out to Torres Chile
Useful outputs, any time
Process map of Miguel Torres S.A., process procedures for all departments, new knowledge to establish follow-up meetings, transversal teamwork.
Recognition
ISO 9001 quality certificate obtained on the first attempt without non-conformities. Upon obtaining the certification I also obtained the position of Head of Organization.
More info?
(Rational Sparks is my consulting firm. Visit rationalsparks.com!)
If it suits you better, just send me your questions through this form. I will contact you as soon as I can!
How can I help? 🙂
rational sparks, s.p.a.r.k.s. method and activities by arantxa acosta is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
