Customer case
Zurface: The Journey towards Three ISO Certifications using 2c8 Apps
With a parent company in Denmark and only 15 employees in Sweden, Zurface Sweden saw a golden opportunity to build a management system at an early stage. Their ambitious sustainability goals were a driving force, as they aimed to set a new standard in the industry. The challenge they faced was to create a complete Management System that fulfills ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and ISO 45001. Their ultimate goal was to be certified in all three standards and gain structure and insight into the business to develop over time.
Finding the right software for the job
From the start, they saw the organization’s processes as one of the main building blocks of the Management System. However, the work started with an Excel template where they would describe all processes in columns, in text form. They started by identifying their processes, but it didn’t take long to realize that this was not the best way for them to work.
“We started to notice quite quickly that the way of working was not optimal for our organization, and we needed a better tool to support this large-scale work“, says Vanessa.
That’s when they were introduced to 2c8 Apps – the software to map their processes visually.
Vanessa continues, “When we switched from Excel to 2c8 Apps, it was like seeing color for the first time after seeing everything in black and white before.”
Involving coworkers in the process
Vanessa quickly learned the software and then started mapping the processes they had identified. She sat down in workshops and interviews with her colleagues to map the processes as representatively and realistically as possible.
“I almost had to relearn what a process actually means. Sitting together and mapping the processes opened discussions, and we got to know our organization better. Everyone was engaged in the work”, says Vanessa.
Ultimately, they mapped over 30 processes, including management, main, and support processes. Using ready-made requirement models from the Requirements Package, they could quickly address the requirements based on the three different standards directly related to the processes and activities in which they are concerned. This was done in parallel with the mapping process and effectively integrated the standards into a single management system. During the work, they also linked their documents, such as checklists, policies, and instructions, directly to their models in 2c8 Apps.
Each week, they had different focus areas; for example, they focused on the objectives for one week and the stakeholder requirements for the next. Again, they created models in 2c8 Apps to visualize the objectives, address them based on the requirements, and map their stakeholders and their requirements.
The road to their certification
Before the certification, they had a so-called ‘pre-audit’. Vanessa and her colleagues sent in all the documentation, including job descriptions, procedures, goals, and all documentation supporting the management system. They spent a full day with the auditor, who asked them a series of questions based on the requirements.
“What was so great was that we could always refer to what we had created in 2c8 Apps. If the auditor asked a question, we could simply go into the process it related to, and he could see exactly how the work was performed. We could answer any question with evidence from the mapping. That became the basis for the whole audit”, says Vanessa.
The feedback they received from the auditor was also very positive.
“The auditor was very impressed with the work done, how easy it was to understand, and how the Management System was implemented within our company. In his opinion, it was one of the most comprehensive mappings he had seen”, Vanessa continues.
The pre-audit aimed to identify discrepancies in their work that they could address before the actual audit. Only three minor discrepancies were identified, which was good news for Vanessa and her colleagues.
Continued benefits and the way forward
After the discrepancies were resolved, the auditor made a site visit, during this time, employees were shown their processes, interviewed, and the workplace examined. After this visit, Zurface, led by Vanessa, finally received its three certifications.
In addition to the certification itself, they got much more out of their work. The material they had created was published in the organization and easily accessible to all employees via the intranet. Here, all Zurface employees could see how to work to fulfill the requirements, click into processes to find more detailed information, and also find all the documents they needed. Vanessa believes that the publication also created an understanding among all employees about why the work is done the way it is. You simply understand each other’s work much better.
“There is a commitment to the management system throughout the organization. I hear my colleagues talking about it, referring to it, and using it in their everyday work. It’s also recognized when certain processes feel inefficient, which means we sit down together and improve the existing processes”, Vanessa concludes.
In summary, the quite extensive job became a much more manageable project by bringing everything together in one system—visually described to the recipients. The certification turned out to be part of something much bigger, involving employees and enabling further development.
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