One of the main questions that the society (customer, client) asks about ISO certification is
How Long Does it Take to Get ISO Certified?
This is hard to answer as it depends on many aspects and organisations should ensure they are implementing ISO for the right reasons, as rushing the process can store up problems for later on in the management system’s life cycle.
Here are some factors that can affect how long it takes to achieve ISO Certification:
ISO Standards are designed to be applicable to all types and sizes of organisations. And in accordance with the scope and peculiarities of the enterprise/company, a schedule of work is drawn up for standardization.
The number of locations within your certification scope should be carefully considered. Generally the more locations, the longer the process will take.
It is important to know how much time per week personnel can dedicate to implement a quality management system.
Most consultancy costs are based on the on the length of the process.
Typically, certification bodies check the organization's 3 months of records to show that the management system has been running effectively.
For clarity we offer the variability of the certification process over time considering the number of employees in the organization:
| Number of employees | Duration of certification process (month) |
|
>10 |
>3 |
|
>50 |
3-6 |
|
>200 |
6-10 |
| More than 200 employees |
10-20 |