Quality management for microenterprises and start-ups: is the ISO 9001 suitable?

Abstract

Purpose Quality management systems (QMSs) are well established in multinationals and small-and-medium enterprises (SMEs). For establishing and improving these systems, a variety of guidelines have been established. Furthermore, there are software tools allowing a self-assessment of the current state of the implemented systems. However, these approaches are not appropriate for microenterprises and start-ups as their processes are rather informal or not yet specified. Moreover, these companies are often in a phase of strong growth and have only one person in charge; hence, they face the difficulty to decide if and how a QMS should be implemented. The purpose of this study is to report a first guideline for implementation of a QMS for microenterprises and start-ups. Design/methodology/approach The first step comprises a definition of microenterprises and start-ups and an analysis of their specific characteristics. An overview of the DIN EN ISO 9001:2015 and its requirements is given below. Next, the relevant requirements that can be implemented in microenterprises and start-ups are analyzed. Accordingly, a guideline for decision-making is developed to examine if an application of the analyzed standard is useful or necessary for these companies. Moreover, the guideline illustrates how the requirements can be implemented. Findings A literature review, an analysis of the DIN EN ISO 9001:2015, and of microenterprises and start-ups have been carried out. Thus, the need to decide whether to implement a QMS and assistance for the implementation process has been revealed to be essential for the companies that were considered. The literature mostly deals with implementing a quality and/or project management system in multinationals and SMEs but not for very small companies. Furthermore, the practical examples have shown that microenterprises face difficulties when choosing and implementing a QMS; thus, a practical implementation guideline for these companies is lacking. Originality/value Although there is a lot of research dealing with quality management (QM) in SMEs, research about QM in microenterprises and start-ups is scarce. This paper offers a first approach for a guideline of implementing an appropriate QMS and possibly an additional or alternative project management system in microenterprises and start-ups. This should facilitate the process of deciding if and how to implement an adequate management system for such companies.

Operational performance improvement through continuous improvement initiatives in micro-enterprises of Turkey

“…Furthermore, this research demonstrated that even when a filter is applied to the CIIs, there are certain challenges, such as reluctance to give or receive responsibility, that needs to be overcome in micro-enterprises. Some of these challenges were also mentioned in the previous work (Hieu et al, 2021;Klute-Wenig and Refflinghaus, 2020;Inan and Bititci, 2015;Roy and Wheeler, 2006;Deichmann et al, 2004). Common problems experienced by micro-enterprises which were previously highlighted in the literature as low productivity, lack of financial assets, old manufacturing technologies and low-skilled employees (R€ ais€ anen and Tuovinen, 2020; Razak et al, 2018;Achtenhagen, 2017;Inan and Bititci, 2015) were also confirmed in this study.…”

Motivations for ISO 9001 quality management system implementation and certification – mapping the territory with a novel classification proposal

“…Regarding the size of the organization, the answers were given by micro (less than 10 employees), small (between 10 and 49 employees), medium (between 50 and 249) and big organizations (more than 250 employees). For example, authors such as Klute-Wenig and Refflinghaus (2020) claim that it is problematic for microenterprises to implement a QMS due to a lack of resources. A one-way analysis of variance (one-way ANOVA) was carried out to identify potential differences between the companies’ sizes (Table 3).…”

“…Previous research on ISO 9001 certification has addressed contingency factors such as the organization size, the time elapsed since the certification and the organization’s private/public nature. However, the results attained so far are inconclusive: Some authors consider that as SMEs have fewer relevant resources than larger organizations, they have more difficulties implementing ISO 9001 (Gustafsson et al , 2001; Ismyrlis and Moschidis, 2015; Klute-Wenig and Refflinghaus, 2020). Conversely, others consider that size is not relevant because SMEs have a less mature QMS when starting the ISO 9001 adoption and are more flexible and open to change (Terziovski, Power and Sohal, 2003; Briscoe, Fawcett and Todd, 2005; Lee, To and Yu, 2009; Fotopoulos and Psomas, 2010; Castillo-Peces et al , 2017).…”

ISO 9001 certification benefits: Aprincipal component analysis

“…Furthermore, some authors consider that the orga-nization size is a contingency factor for ISO 9001 benefits. Researchers such as Gustafsson et al [25] and Klute-Wenig and Refflinghaus [30] consider that since SME´s have less relevant resources than larger organizations, they have more difficulties benefiting from ISO 9001. Conversely, Terziovski, Power and Sohal [44] and Castillo-Peces et al [11] posit that since SMEs have a lower starting point and are more flexible and open to change, they can achieve more benefits with ISO 9001 adoption.…”