My company has been registered to ISO 9001, and previously ISO 9002, for approximately 10 years. Over that period I continuously have customers coming in to perform "their" audits. Many of these audits are based on ISO 9001 and the checklists I'm given in advance paraphrase ISO 9001 requirements. Why should I spend the time and money to be registered when I continually have customer audits covering the same requirements?

While I do belive the ISO 9001 is an effective way to implement a quality system, my registration provides me with less and less value.

The only reason any organization would register to ISO 9001 is so they have access to international markets ... to sell their goods or services.  Other than that registering to any ISO management system is a waste of time and precious resources.  An organization looking to improve will achieve little improvement under the ISO schemes.  Trust me I have operated and audited those schemes for nearly 40 years now and they are all simply a scam for Registrars (auditors), Certification Bodies, and ISO to make money.  

Most countries already have regulatory bodies who require organizations to control key aspects of the business (Environmental, Safety, Financial etc).  What I have found through auditing these systems for decades is that most registered organizations, only work to meet the bare minimums of the ISO standard.   The 9000 series of standards don't even offer organizations the incentive or registration to the (supposed to be much better) ISO 9004.   That should tell one all they need to know about the ISO MSS's. 

I hate to be derogatory about the beloved ISO standards however in truth, I have found that they provide little to any organization and actually cause bureaucracy and an over extension of documentation which becomes so vast and ridiculous that no one within the organization actually reads the documents, much less follows them.  The bridge collapes in Florida (FIU bridge Mar of 2018).... or the disasster A380 aircraft for ISO registered company Airbus, these are just two of a long line of issues related to organizations who are registered to ISO MSS schemes. 

Secondly there is the use of non-business-related terms to define their various functions to which an organization is supposed to register to.  The concepts and terms are so non-standard as to require extensive discussion as to what they actually mean.  Further there is the misconception of what the terms mean and their intent which is driving vast confusion and variation between the registrars, the clients, and the so-called experts.   Attempt to get two people in a room full of ISO experts, to provide a similar answer to the terms “Context of the Organization” or “Risk Based Thinking” or worse “Interested Parties”.    One cannot get a solid or consistent answer on any of these concepts and terms conjured up by the ISO Technical Boards and Committees.

Business has and will operate the same way for hundreds of years.  One will not get the attention of any business executive unless one speaks financial language (P&L or Cash Flow or Balance sheet etc.).   What is amazing to me is that the so called Quality gurus at ISO are completely inept to these concepts, in any of their management system standards.  No business executive is going to respond to “Context of the organization” of that concept is not derived from the business financials… one might as well be speaking in Greek to and audience who only understands English.

Until ISO understands the concept of business, that its bound up in the financial performance of the organization, and the satisfaction of its Customers, they will continue to loose market share and eventually wind up in the dust bin of time (as they so deserve).   ISO would be better off to hire housewives who are the experts at customer expectation and relations and accountants who are the experts of financial performance and put them in a room to construct a valid business management system.  These quality experts that ISO uses today, obviously know nothing of either concept.