There is no shortage of consultants — so how does a business owner choose the right one? Here are 7 key considerations:

Define your goals. Strategic planning? Executive coaching? Leadership training? Be clear on what results you expect.

Look at experience. Great consultants leverage broad exposure across companies and industries to spot patterns and bring proven approaches.

Make sure you connect. The consulting relationship is a close one. Ensure open rapport — you will be on a long road trip together.

Ask for references. Good consultants have a long list of happy clients. Talk with current and past accounts.

Read the fine print. Understand billing structure — hourly, retainer, project-based — so there are no surprises.

Understand their approach. Some use a scripted franchise methodology; others create a customised solution. Make sure their approach fits your culture.

Commit to the time. Regardless of meeting format, commit both to session time and to practising new skills between sessions.

ISO certification under a quality management system offers numerous advantages:

• All processes are evaluated, standardised and communicated to staff
• Training new employees becomes much easier
• Problems are detected faster and solutions improve
• Higher customer satisfaction and better understanding of their needs
• Stronger market perception of your company
• Suppliers become more like partners
• Overall internal and external communication improves
• Better employee participation and morale

Internally, certification forces clear objectives, better-defined processes, reduced nonconformities — sometimes freeing up capacity — and a culture of corrective and preventive action.

There are four essential steps to becoming ISO-certified:

1. Develop your management system — identify core business processes, document them with employee involvement, approve and distribute the documents, and analyse risks and opportunities.
2. Implement your system — ensure procedures match documentation, train employees properly, create reporting systems (inspection, corrective actions, management reviews), and monitor process effectiveness.
3. Verify that your system is effective — conduct internal audits, observe and interview staff, review sample records, and identify strengths and weaknesses. Take corrective or preventive action as needed.
4. Register your system — select an accredited certification body, submit documentation for review, and prepare for an external audit to confirm compliance and effective implementation.

Choosing the right certification body is an essential part of the ISO certification process. Top Consulting assists clients in this selection, ensuring all legal, international, and customer requirements are met.

When choosing a certification body, consider:

• No conflict of interest — neither with your company, the consulting firm, nor any interested party.
• Accreditation — confirm the body is accredited by a recognised accreditation organisation. An unaccredited certificate is not valid for public tenders or auctions. Always request proof of accreditation.
• Scope of accreditation — the body must be accredited specifically in your field of activity to issue a valid certificate. Do not be misled by well-known brand names alone.

The final choice always belongs to the client.

Most international management system standards require a degree of interpretation. Your external auditor should have sufficient experience to make sound judgements.

If you disagree with a finding, ask the auditor to explain by referral to the specific requirements of the standard — not by personal opinion. If you remain unsatisfied after discussion, do not hesitate to escalate. All certification bodies have a formal process for resolving disagreements between auditor and auditee.

Yes — most ISO standards (ISO 9001, 14001, 45001, 13485, AS9100) require internal audits at planned intervals to confirm that the system:

• Meets planned arrangements for product/service realisation
• Meets the requirements of the applicable ISO standard
• Meets the requirements of your own management system

While the standard does not state "every 12 months" explicitly, the industry norm is annual audits. Waiting longer makes it difficult to demonstrate continuous compliance.

Additionally, when planning the audit programme, you must take into account the status and importance of each process — and especially the results of previous audits. Critical processes or those with past findings must be audited more frequently.

Yes. An experienced external auditor can identify improvement opportunities that internal staff might overlook, drawing on broader cross-industry experience.

The trade-off is that relying on external auditors can reduce internal ownership of the management system. A balanced approach — external auditors supplemented by trained internal staff — tends to work best.

No. Any organisation in the food chain can certify to ISO 22000 — from feed producers to restaurants. This includes feed producers, food manufacturers, packers, distributors, retailers, and food-service businesses.

ISO 22000 incorporates all aspects of Codex HACCP and adds the ISO management-system requirements familiar from other standards: management commitment, documentation and records, system management, and continual improvement.

It also introduces requirements not formally defined in Codex HACCP, such as emergency preparedness and Operational Prerequisite Programmes (OPRPs).

OPRPs are determined by the outcome of the hazard analysis for specific production steps and the significant hazards identified for control. Examples from ISO 22000 / FSSC 22000 include:

• Allergen Management Programmes
• Cleaning and Sanitising Programmes
• Measures to prevent cross-contamination
• Staff hygiene controls
• Waste handling procedures

Food safety is everyone's responsibility. The business owner, the Food Safety Supervisor, and all food handlers each have distinct roles. It is not advisable to assign food safety responsibility to a single dedicated person — a shared culture of accountability is far more effective.

Competitive pressure and faster response times leave no room for error. Industrial accidents and downtime disrupt production and supply chains and can lead to order cancellations. An OH&S management system allows organisations to demonstrably reduce accidents through a systematic approach to workplace health and safety.

More than 2 million people die every year from work-related causes according to the ILO, many from occupational cancers — despite the implementation of OHSAS 18001. ISO 45001 was developed to close the gaps in OHSAS 18001 and help organisations more effectively identify and reduce occupational health and safety risks.

ISO 45001 is appropriate for any company in any industry — just as OHSAS 18001 was. If you want to permanently reduce OH&S-related risks for your employees, visitors, suppliers, and service providers, and have your health and safety management certified, ISO 45001 is the right standard.

Due to the many similarities between the two standards, migration is expected to require minimal effort for organisations that are already well-versed in both ISO 9001 and OHSAS 18001.

ISO 45001's high-level structure also makes it easier to integrate with ISO 9001 and ISO 14001, which benefits smaller organisations managing compliance across multiple standards.