How to Become an ISO Management Systems Consultant in the UK: A Step-by-Step Guide
- Danny Lee
- Aug 18, 2024
- 10 min read
Are you considering a career as an ISO Management Systems Consultant in the UK?
With businesses increasingly seeking ISO certifications like ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 to boost quality and sustainability, the demand for skilled consultants is growing!
But what does it take to break into this field?
In this blog post, we’ll walk you through the key steps to becoming an ISO Management Systems Consultant in the UK, from building your knowledge to establishing a successful consultancy.
What Does an ISO Management Systems Consultant Do?
Before diving into this career path, it’s essential to understand what the role entails.
ISO Management Systems Consultants help organisations implement and maintain ISO standards.
These standards provide frameworks for improving quality, environmental management, health and safety, and more.
As a consultant, your role will involve assessing current processes, identifying gaps, providing training, and supporting clients through certification.
Get Qualified: Education and Training
To become a credible ISO consultant, you need the right qualifications.
Start by gaining an in-depth understanding of the ISO standards you want to specialise in. Some key steps include:
ISO Training Courses
Enrol in recognised ISO courses such as ISO 9001 Lead Auditor, ISO 14001 Lead Implementer, or ISO 45001 Internal Auditor.
These courses are offered by accredited training providers and are crucial for building your technical expertise.
My top tip is to make sure the training provider is accredited by CQI IRCA.
Certification
Earning certificates like the IRCA (International Register of Certificated Auditors) or CQI (Chartered Quality Institute) will enhance your credibility and demonstrate your commitment to professional development.
Sector-Specific Knowledge
If you plan to consult within a specific industry, understanding sector regulations and requirements is a must.
Gain Practical Experience
Experience is key in this field.
Most ISO consultants start out in roles such as Quality Manager, Environmental Manager, or Compliance Officer, where they develop hands-on experience implementing ISO standards within organisations.
This experience is invaluable for building your consultancy skills and understanding how these standards apply in real-world situations.
Build a Strong Network
Like any consultancy role, networking plays a vital role in your success. Start by joining professional bodies such as:
CQI (Chartered Quality Institute)
A membership can provide access to industry resources, events, and networking opportunities.
IRCA (International Register of Certificated Auditors)
Being part of a recognised auditing body can help you connect with potential clients and other professionals in the field.
Attend conferences, webinars, and industry events where you can meet peers, exchange knowledge, and build relationships with potential clients.
I don't know about you, but I spend far too much time on my phone - mainly on LinkedIn.
LinkedIn is a great way to build a network of like minded people in your chosen field. I use it to connect with other professionals in the industry, share my thoughts, experience & knowledge.
Decide on Your Niche and Specialisation
While general knowledge of ISO standards is important, specialising in a specific standard or industry can set you apart from other consultants.
For instance, you could focus on ISO 9001 (Quality Management) for manufacturing companies or ISO 14001 (Environmental Management) for the construction industry.
Specialising allows you to position yourself as an expert in that area, making your services more appealing to clients.
What happens if you don't have a specialisation? - don't worry too much.
If you are able to adapt fast and think on your feet, you can often gain the experience and knowledge as you go.
The trick here is not to fake it till you make it.
You need to be upfront and honest about the skills and experience you have in any given field. You will be found out very fast if you pretend to have the experience you clearly don't have.
You are there to help the organisation, not sabotage it.
Your clients are looking to you for an information transfer. Steer them in the right direction.
Enjoying This Post?
Consider subscribing for a free weekly update
(Don't worry, It's only once a week)
Develop Your Consultancy Skills
Technical knowledge is only part of the equation. To be a successful consultant, you need strong consultancy skills, including:
Communication
You’ll be working with people at all levels of an organisation, so being able to explain complex concepts in a clear and relatable way is essential.
You need to be able to adapt your language and terminology to the person you are speaking with.
In my experience, the CEO will not be concerned with the formatting of a Quality manual or the structure of the process maps / flow charts.
Being able to explain how the Quality Management System aligns with their strategic direction, and how the Objectives set transfer into tangible outcomes, is far more important to them.
A recent client of mine had employed a new Environmental & Quality Manager. They had the right aptitude for the position but lacked the practical knowledge required to prepare for 3rd Party Certification.
In this case, it's important to spend some extra time outlining how the Environmental & Quality Management System (EQMS) is formed and how all the individual processes interact with it to ensure compliance.
Some people are visual learners and some need to get hands on for the concepts to stick in their mind.
Having an array of communication skills which includes practical, as well as written and oral, can be the difference between the successful and unsuccessful implementation of a Management System.
Project Management
Implementing ISO standards often requires managing timelines, resources, and teams.
Understanding project management principles will help you keep everything on track.
The client is best placed to help you organise your day, the teams you will need to meet with and for you to gain an understanding of who is responsible for each part of the organisation.
Once you have the plan for the day in place, and the teams lined up, it's down to you to make sure the schedule stays on track.
Let's say you're brought in to help an organisation implement a Standard over the course of 5 days. The client will expect that the Management System is in place and fully operational by the end of that 5 day period.
Keep sight of the task at hand, manoeuvre between the interviews, training and document creation to ensure you remain on track.
Problem-Solving
Every client’s needs are different, so being able to analyse situations, identify issues, and propose effective solutions is key.
In order to come up with solutions on the fly, you'll need to draw on previous experiences.
Perhaps you had a similar situation occur in your previous job role?
Perhaps you read something online that resulted in a similar issue?
Speak this through with the client.
Be upfront with how much experience you have with this issue and share a situation that you have encountered recently.
This may help you both to find common ground and better understand a way to move forward with the issue.
Start Your Consultancy Business
For those of you that know me well - this is my favourite part - the business side!
Once you’re confident in your knowledge and skills, it’s time to set up your consultancy.
Here's exactly how I went about it:
Deciding on a name
Once I realised that the consultancy life was for me, I decided it was best to come up with a name that could best encapsulate my ultimate goal.
"We believe the smallest business can produce the same level of quality as the global giants"
One System Mgt Ltd is a place holder for the one and only system you need to successfully Investigate, Implement and Improve your ISO Management System(s).
Building a website
This was straight forward for me.
I had spent years designing websites for different businesses in the past. I simply used that skillset to have my own site up and running within a week.
If you need help setting up your own website, or even help making improvements to it - give me a shout 👇🏼
Sole Trader or Limited Company?
There are lots of different considerations to be made here such as the way in which you're paid, how you receive your money and what risks you're willing to take.
I own my house and have assets that I would not like to be linked with the business, therefore, it was an easy decision for me - become a Limited Company.
There is a lot of information out there regarding the differences between the two.
My only advice on this topic is to speak with an accountant early on in the process of becoming a consultant - there are some decisions that need to be made early on.
Getting this wrong at the beginning can lead to bigger financial problems later on down the road.
Enjoying This Post?
Consider subscribing for a free weekly update
(Don't worry, It's only once a week)
Business Bank Account
This is where it all starts coming together! 🙌🏼
You have the skills, knowledge and unwavering drive to make this consultancy business a success.
But when the money starts rolling in, and it will, where do you put it?
Once you realise your mattress isn't going to cut it, the next logical place to look is the bank... but which one?
Quick note:
The following does not constitute, and should not be considered as, financial advice. This is simply what I did, the decisions I made and the reasons I made them.
Now that's out the way...
How did I do it?
Step one
I spoke with my accountant to decide exactly what considerations I should make before choosing a bank and business product.
I've spoken about how I found my accountant here - https://www.onesystemmgt.com/post/sunday-9-june-2024
Step two
I got dressed in my finest business casual attire and headed into Oxford, OneSystemMgt Ltd business plan in hand, to speak with the major banks and building societies.
Step three
After speaking with various bank managers, discussing their products and aligning my business priorities with their products, I made my decision.
Step four
I passed the bank details and the product I had selected to my accountant to discuss options for tracking business expenses, invoicing, corporation tax and the pot I'd need to keep aside to meet my financial goals and aspirations.
Step five
Follow the bank's steps and open the account.
A few days later and the card arrived.
Seeing the name of my company at the bottom of the card still leaves me in disbelief that this has become a reality.
P.s, if you're the Bank I do business with (the photo below should give it away - though I have removed your logo) then drop me a message - a brand sponsorship deal is always on the table... 😉👇🏼
Insurances
There have been two main insurances I've been asked for:
1 Public Liability Insurance
Public liability insurance covers claims of injury, illness or property damage by a member of the general public against your business. This could include customers, clients, suppliers or passers-by.
2 Professional Indemnity Insurance
Professional indemnity insurance covers for claims made by a client for professional negligence or mistakes made in the work you have done for them.
These may include poor business advice, professional errors, defamation or libel, and sub-standard work.
Both of these are relativity inexpensive - depending on your situation, you could be covered for less than £40 per month.
Your client may request that you hold a certain level of cover for each of these insurances.
Pro tip, check that the Insurance company you are choosing is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority - You can search companies on their checker to make sure you're in safe hands.
Business Cards
Try not to spend too much time on this in the early stages.
Get the key information down - get them printed - get them out there.
Spend the precious time you have strengthening your knowledge of the ISO standards, rather than overthinking the layout of a business card.
You can re-visit it later.
I used Moo.com
Enjoy 25% off your first order with my MOO Referral Code 👉🏼 https://refer.moo.com/s/fqqbbw
(They also personalise notebooks and water bottles!)
Client Acquisition
For me, there are two options at present:
1 Start building a portfolio by working with smaller businesses or offering consultancy to your existing network. Word-of-mouth referrals can be a powerful way to grow your client base.
2 Partner with much larger, well established consultancy companies.
I opted for the second one.
I have partnered with Assent Risk Management and AvISO Consultancy to provide professional consultancy services to their clientele.
I have worked with their clients to conduct ISO Management System Maintenance, Consultancy, Full System Audits, Operational Audits and assisting with closing out the clients' Non-Conformances prior to their Stage 2 Certification Audits.
Each client has varied in both their complexity and their requirements.
The services and products they offer also vary immensely - I could not have ever possibly imaged working with some of the high profile and very well known clients that I have done!
The industry experience I have gained in the last 5 weeks has been nothing short of incredible.
The teams at Assent and AvISO are extremely well organised and are an absolute credit to the industry.
A shout out to Jack for finding Assent in the first place - I wouldn't be where I am right now had it not been for his encouragement and unwavering support <3
Next Steps
Partnering with a 3rd Party Certification Body to conduct Certification Audits on organisations across the UK as a UKAS authorised Certification Auditor.
Developing my own consultancy business to source my own clientele.
Building a series of training videos to help support organisations in their effort to maintain and continuously improve their Management Systems.
Releasing my Podcast episodes to support these blog posts.
A book?!? - Stay tuned for that one!
Stay Updated and Continuously Improve
ISO standards are periodically revised, so it’s important to stay current with any changes.
Keep learning by attending refresher courses, reading industry publications, and engaging with the ISO community.
Continuous improvement is a principle that applies not just to your clients but also to your consultancy practice.
Let's wrap this up
Becoming an ISO Management Systems Consultant in the UK is a rewarding career that offers the opportunity to make a real impact on how businesses operate.
By gaining the right qualifications, building experience, and developing strong consultancy skills, you can establish yourself as a trusted advisor in this growing field.
Thanks for reading!
If you’re interested in more tips and insights on ISO consultancy, be sure to check out our other blog posts and subscribe to The Consultancy Life for the latest updates.
Feel free to rate the post and leave a little comment below 🙌🏼
Consider subscribing for a free weekly update
(Don't worry, It's only once a week)
Find This Useful?
Yes
No
Comments