This depends on a number of things.  How much time do you have?  How much in personnel resources do you want to devote to ISO 9001:2015 implementation and training?  How many people are at your company?  Do you have any customers breathing down your neck to get certified as quickly as possible? 

Large companies with large budgets will probably hire experienced people to write and implement their ISO quality system.  Whether it be full time employees or temporary consultants, if you’ve got the budget, hiring knowledgeable people is certainly the most expedient way to get ISO certified.

The quality manual and quality documentation available on this website are aimed at small to mid-size companies who are thinking of implementing an ISO quality system on their own.  Can you do it yourself?  If you are reasonably intelligent and have a bit of time, then the answer is definitely yes.

Downloading the quality manual template, quality system procedures, and sample forms from this website is a good way to get started.  We also recommend reading a good book about the ISO quality standard.   A very good one is “ISO 9001:2008 Explained" by Charles A. Cianfrani

Even if you later decide to hire a consultant, by downloading our documentation and picking up a book, you will have an excellent start in your ISO 9001:2015 implementation process.  We encourage you to try implementing a quality system yourself before you hire an expensive auditor.  It’s a small investment, and could save you thousands of dollars down the road.

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