{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"#252 Wavenet\u2019s On-going Commitment to Best Practice \u2013 Successfully Maintaining Seven ISO Standards","description":" Anyone that has undergone the ambitious task of Implementing an ISO Standard will know how much work goes into creating and maintaining a single ISO certification. Now imagine juggling seven ISO certifications! There\u2019s a key difference between those that simply collect badges and those that see the value each ISO certification can bring, as every Standard has their own requirements and guidance to tackle specific areas of quality, risk and sustainability. When implemented well, they create a solid well-rounded framework that can drive unparalleled continual improvement. In this episode Ian is joined by Damian Edwards, Head of Standards at Wavenet, to dive into how they manage the mammoth task of maintaining seven ISO Standards, the challenges with managing multiple ISO certifications and what benefits they\u2019ve brought to the business since implementation.   You\u2019ll learn \u00b7      Who is Damian Edwards? \u00b7      Who are Wavenet? \u00b7      How did Damian manage integrating management systems during Wavenet\u2019s acquisition of Daisy Corporate Services? \u00b7      What is Damian\u2019s role at Wavenet? \u00b7      How do Wavenet manage their ISO certifications? \u00b7      How has ISO Support helped you over the past year? \u00b7      What has Damian learned while managing ISO Standards? \u00b7      What are the benefits of ISO certification? \u00b7      Damain\u2019s top tip for anyone considering ISO Implementation   Resources \u00b7      Wavenet \u00b7      Wavenet Certifications \u00b7      Blackmores \u2013 ISO Support Service \u00b7      Isologyhub   In this episode, we talk about: [00:30] Episode Summary \u2013 We welcome Damian Edwards back onto the podcast to discuss how he maintains Wavenet\u2019s seven ISO certifications, and the explore the benefits gained from an integrated ISO Management System.   [03:05] Who is Damian Edwards? Damian is the Head of Standards at Wavenet, and has featured on the ISO Show before! One lesser known fact about Damian, is that he a \u2018Dance dad\u2019, supporting his daughter through all of her lessons and competitions. He\u2019s very proud of her latest achievement of qualifying for the World Championship for Irish dancing in her age group. [05:05] Who are Wavenet? Wavenet is an IT provider, providing IT network communications, security and resilience services. They are UK based with 1,600 employees based in their Solihull head office. Wavenet were formed in 2000, but have grown through acquisition, one of which was Damians previous company, Daisy Corporate Services. When Daisy was acquired, both businesses were of a similar size, so the process looked more like a merger in practice. A large part of that was uniting the ISO Standards managed by both businesses, so Damian had his hands full with ISO integration, amending audit schedules and managing extension to scope audits. [06:30] How did Damian manage integrating management systems during Wavenet\u2019s acquisition of Daisy Corporate Services? One of the biggest challenges was the extension to scope that needed to happen due to the increase in sites. Thankfully, as Wavenet were used to acquisitions, they had dedicated acquisition project managers that assist with managing the integration. At the start, there are some teething problems as both businesses will still be using their respective processes for a while. However, once system that helped was a system called \u2018ServiceNow\u2019, which is where issue tickets could be logged, monitored and actioned in one centralised system. [08:15] What is Damian\u2019s role at Wavenet? Damian is the Head of Standards, which includes both ISO Standards and ESG related regulatory compliance. ISO certifications are more often than not a prerequisite or a condition of a bid over a contract, without them, Wavenet wouldn\u2019t win any business. They also create a foundation of trust for Wavenet\u2019s clients in the realms of Information Security, quality and environmental management. Wavenet are currently certified to the following Standards: \u00b7      ISO 9001 Quality Management \u00b7      ISO 20000-1 Service Management \u00b7      ISO 27001 Information Security Management \u00b7      ISO 22301 Business Continuity Management \u00b7      ISO 45001 Health & Safety Management \u00b7      ISO 14001 Environmental Management \u00b7      ISO 50001 Energy Management In addition to maintaining all of these certifications, Damian also strives to utilise them to drive continual improvement within the business.   [10:30] How do Wavenet manage their ISO certifications? Damian is directly responsible for five of those ISO Standards, however there are some where he doesn\u2019t have the expertise to fully manage the requirements. ISO 27001 and ISO 45001 for example require skilled people at the helm, so Wavenet have dedicated managers to handle those areas. One of Damians key responsibilities is juggling all of the audits to make sure each element is covered, and he\u2019s put a lot of work into integrating those audits where possible to get the most out of their time and resources. Though, it\u2019s important to note that you can\u2019t integrate everything, as each standard will have some unique requirements. Areas that you can integrate however include elements such as: \u00b7      Context \u00b7      Audit Programme \u00b7      Corrective Actions When you do have a lot of Standards, some elements can get watered down if you try to integrate everything. Policy for example, if you have five Standards and decide to integrate all related policies into a single document, it will become long and unruly, which will lead to people unwilling to read it. So, you have to take care to ensure focus on certain elements to make those more accessible for the staff that need it. Another aspect that needed additional consideration was Wavenet\u2019s risk profile, with their amount of sites and services, it\u2019s very varied. Too much for a single person to be aware of all the risks, which is where Damian\u2019s subject area experts can provide additional insight to fill the gaps. Damian is also keen to combine external audits where possible to both reduce cost and possible duplication of effort, as many Standard do share common subject areas, this can be done across multiple Standards. Certification Bodies are usually quite happy to work with you on this! Damians key take away is, that there isn\u2019t one solution that fits every business when managing this many Standards. It was a very trial and error process, especially with the ever changing landscape of a business, but Standards are also designed with flexibility in mind, so with the right people in place it\u2019s certainly manageable. [16:05] How has Blackmores\u2019 ISO Support helped? Blackmores has assisted Wavenet with their ISO 45001, ISO 50001 and ISO 41001 (Facilities Management) implementation. ISO 41001 was later dropped as it was no longer applicable for the business. Standards can be quite hard to apply to your own business when looking at them at face value, the requirements sound generic because they\u2019re designed to apply to every type of business. This is where Blackmores experience as a consultancy can help with interpretation and practicalities of how a Standard will apply to your way of working. Blackmores will also assist with internal audits, which help identify non-conformities that may have been missed if it were not for a fresh pair of eyes. As Damian states: \u201cI would rather have them identified before an external audit\u201d as this gives you a chance to resolve issues or put an action plan in place before it gets to that stage. Damain also reminds everyone to not be afraid of your auditor, internal or external. They are not maliciously looking for problems, they simply help to highlight issues which can be resolved sp you can improve as a business. No Management System is perfect, the important thing is that you can recognise when something needs addressing, and how you go about doing so. [19:30] What has Damian learned while managing ISO Standards? Damian has learned to not think of ISO as a tick box exercise, it\u2019s a tool to help businesses improve. He has also learned that you don\u2019t need to reinvent the wheel when Implementing a Management System. You likely already have much of what\u2019s required in place, but not monitored or organised regularly. For example, aspects such as \u2018Management Review\u2019 may already be happening in existing meetings with top management, you simply need to ensure these are minuted, cover what needs to be discussed in regards to the Management System, and make note of any gaps that need to be addressed. Businesses like Wavenet that have been in operation for 26 years know what they\u2019re doing, and are likely already following best practice. You don\u2019t need to restructure your business to meet an ISO Standard, but rather integrate the Standard requirements with how you already operate. If done correctly, it should become a simple part of your day-today tasks. Damian jokingly states: \u201cWhat\u2019s my role? I sometimes say it\u2019s to do as little as possible\u201d, as the more a business is aligned with a Standard, the less you will have to do to upkeep that. [22:55] What benefits have Wavenet experienced as a result of their ISO certifications? As mentioned earlier, a lot of won business is due to ISO certification. Certain certifications are simply a tender or client requirement. Standards such as ISO 50001 tackle their energy consumption. It\u2019s focus on reducing that will inevitably lead to reduced business costs. Since implementing the Standard, Wavenet now have monthly meetings to monitor energy use, which gives them a good basis to make informed decisions on where energy use is concerned. Damian has found that over time, good practice has been so embedded that people are using it in their everyday behaviors without even realising it. He\u2019s heard people in their resolutions team use terminology like \u2018root cause\u2019 without knowing where it came from. He\u2019s seen team making use of skill matrix\u2019s when evaluating the competence of certain teams such as engineering for client visits. So, people within the business are using ISO terminology and techniques to ensure best practice without being explicitly asked to. It simply works as a method to drive the business effectively when implemented correctly. [26:15] Damian\u2019s top tip for aspiring ISO implementors: Apart from approaching a consultancy like Blackmores to help if it\u2019s your first time going through the process, it\u2019s got to be leadership commitment. Top management need to be actively promoting ISO within the business, and they should be involved with the process. You need everyone\u2019s buy-in to make a system work, and that is made much easier if it\u2019s driven from the top down. Another tip is that a Management System should be a team effort. It shouldn\u2019t just be the responsibility of one person, you need input from everyone in the business to ensure you\u2019ve covered all angles and risks that could affect your business. Lastly, look at what you already have in place and try and integrate the Standard into that. Don\u2019t make more work for yourself if you don\u2019t have to, you likely already have the bones in place. [28:20] Damian\u2019s book recommendation: The Thursday Murder Book Club \u2013 by Richard Osmond [29:10] Damian\u2019s favourite quote? \u201cHard work beats talent when talent doesn't beat work hard.\u201d And: \u201cYou miss 100% of the shots you don't take\u201d To learn more about Wavenet, check out their website and keep up-to-date with their latest news via their LinkedIn page. If you\u2019d like any assistance with your ISO Implementation or need any additional ISO Support, contact us, we\u2019d be happy to help. We\u2019d love to hear your views and comments about the ISO Show, here\u2019s how: \u25cf     Share the ISO Show on Twitter or Linkedin \u25cf     Leave an honest review on iTunes or Soundcloud. Your ratings and reviews really help and we read each one. Subscribe to keep up-to-date with our latest episodes: Stitcher | Spotify | YouTube |iTunes | Soundcloud | Mailing List ","author_name":"The ISO Show","author_url":"https:\/\/blackmoresuk.com","html":"