AEM provides hands-on consulting services for ISO 9001 certification as well as software templates for your in-house ISO project.

And that's just about where our similarity with other ISO consultants ends.

You might say we are rebelling against the ISO 9001 establishment and the notion that the path to certification is pages and pages of "ISO speak," none of which makes good business sense.

Our approach is completely different for three reasons:

1. As a successful company, you already have over 80% of the ISO requirements in place. Why not take credit for them?
2. We help you tailor the ISO standard to fit your company, not force you to fit the standard.
3. Our focus is on good system design and operation, with minimal paperwork.

Take a look at Taming the Compliance Beast: Five Ways to Make ISO 9000 Worthwhile for more on our philosphy of making ISO work for you.

Remember, the purpose of the standard is simply to understand, appropriately document, and improve your system and processes. Too often, an ISO system is installed separately rather than being properly integrated with the way a company conducts its business. This always results in extra, non-value-added effort that competes for scarce resources. We believe a company has only one system made up of numerous processes that meet the company's needs first and,only secondarily, the requirements of ISO.

In the Beginning
Our firm, AEM Consulting Group, has been working with organizations on ISO 9001 since the early 1990’s. We specialize in assisting small and midsized companies improve operational performance with proven strategies like ISO, Lean and MRP/ERP.

My experience with ISO goes back even further as I began using the standard in 1988, a year after it was first released. Working at Black & Decker, I needed an outline for a strong quality system and could only find two: The Malcolm Baldrige Award Criteria and ISO 9000.

Since then we have evolved the ISO process into a rapid and straightforward project that has never required additional resources after registration. With over fifty successful ISO 9001, AS9100, QS-9000/TS16949 registrations under our belt, we can help you through the process without the usual "honking binder."

Doing It Yourself
If you are a "do-it-yourselfer," check out these affordable alternatives to get started on an ISO system that makes sense and really adds value (seriously!) All our products carry the guarantee of a full refund if you're not completely satisfied!

• ISO 9001 Survival Guide.
  This best selling little book is a mainstay on Amazon.com and gives you clear instructions in a short and concise format.
• ISO 9001 Survival Software Templates, featuring our Scripted Flowchart Process™.

We've learned three things about procedures:

1. People don't like to write them,
2. They don't like to use and read them and,
3. They don't like to change them!

Templates are a useful aid (especially ours!), but don’t fall in the trap of thinking all that is needed is to search and replace the company name. The templates we offer are not the usual find-and-replace model common in the marketplace today. They provide a strong starting point for designing and documenting your system. Based on the concept of "a picture is worth a thousand words," the templates are built on the venerable flowchart and minimal text. This simple format allows you to simply and clearly document your processes and includes an index of all forms and records. Lastly, if an employee or consultant keeps pushing for more and more paperwork, run for the hills. Good system design, like good product design results in a valuable and straightforward system that people can easily understand and use.

Contact Us for a Free Consultation
If you need an experienced resource to actually help you do the work, we offer a wide range of assistance. Our consulting work also carries the guarantee that if the objectives are not met, we will continue to support the project provided mutually assigned tasks are completed as planned. Contact us and we will provide a free consultation to help guide you in the certification process and to evaluate how AEM can assist you.