Important News: SPIA’s Certified Management Consultants are now ISO 17024 Certified – Why should this be important to my company?

Failure to use ISO Certified advisory professionals can mean a serious reduction in your company’s competiveness – domestically and offshore

Effective April 1, 2010, all CMC’s (Certified Management Consultants) certified by the Institute of Management Consultants (Washington, DC) AND by the International Organization for Standardization (Geneva, Switzerland).

How might this impact a US company’s competitiveness.

Today US as well as foreign companies seeking business in the European Community (EC) are expected to be ISO certified.  From ISO9000 to the broad spectrum of other Standardizations, the necessity for becoming “certified” becomes critical if(?) a company wishes to do business with any company that sells to European governments.

Why is it critical?  The EC through the ISO has tried to standardize all company organizational, operational and professional standards so that they conform to the highest possible level of competency.  They do not demand that companies adhere.  NO – they make it almost impossible for companies “not to”!!!!!!

Companies that are not certified – or work with companies that are certified – put their own European (and many Asian) companies at risk for losing any competitive project bid with governmental or companies that do business with governmental agencies in Europe.  For Americans, that could include any manufacturer, service provider, etc. e.g. Raytheon, Bank of America/Chase, Avery Dennison, GE – large and small companies alike.

Imagine if you would being an US company seeking to sell a school system in Germany.  The ISO standards would be expected from that vendor.  If they are not ISO certified, a company that “is” certified would have a significant competitive advantage over that US company.

Why is it important for a professional service company such as Strategic Planning & Implementation to achieve the ISO certification?

Answer:  To ensure that any client company that uses their services don’t lose their competitiveness to do business with any company – especially those who do business with other American companies with overseas offices.

Thus the ISO in all its forms has become a critical standard to measure a company’s competency to do business in Europe.  That is the position of the European Community.

Today the Institute of Management Consultants is the US certifying body for management consultants.  Whether your company has historically used another consulting firm – even companies as large as the Boston Consulting Group, Coopers, etc., the power of the ISO to reward or compromise a company’s competitiveness and ability to do business will continue to become more and more important.

Don’t “shoot yourself in the foot” by using a consulting firm who does not contain Certified Management Consultants.

About ISO

ISO (International Organization for Standardization) is the world’s largest developer and publisher of International Standards.

ISO is a network of the national standards institutes of 163 countries, one member per country, with a Central Secretariat in Geneva, Switzerland, that coordinates the system.

ISO is a non-governmental organization that forms a bridge between the public and private sectors. On the one hand, many of its member institutes are part of the governmental structure of their countries, or are mandated by their government. On the other hand, other members have their roots uniquely in the private sector, having been set up by national partnerships of industry associations. Therefore, ISO enables a consensus to be reached on solutions that meet both the requirements of business and the broader needs of society