If you were a baker...ISO 9000 as applied to making cookies

Sometimes to understand the impact ISO 9001 has on a company, it's helpful to think about a simple and common example anyone can relate to.  So let's say you wanted to bake cookies.

ISO 9001 doesn't determine the quality of the cookie, your customers have already determined that they like them.  ISO 9001 just helps you deliver consistent product to your customers. The market decides if they like them soft and chewy or crisp and crunchy, you just choose your recipe and try to repeat it exactly every time so customers can count on the consistency.  Continuous improvement helps ensure that your recipe can adapt with the customers' needs (low fat, etc.)

ISO 9001 DOES enforce these types of items:

• Do you always use the same ingredients?
• Do you always measure them the same way?
• Is your oven always the same temperature?
• Do you calibrate your ovens to ensure this?
• Are employees trained to ensure consistent performance?

ISO 9001 DOESN'T try to tell you:

• Crispy or chewy?
• Oatmeal or Chocolate Chip?
• How should you inspect: 100% or Random Sample?

For a further look at how ISO 9001 would impact a common cookie recipe, please download the attached document.  Download cookies_and_iso_9001.pdf  I have picked apart the entire recipe for a deeper look.  If nothing else, it gives you a good recipe for chocolate chip cookies.

Comments

[Linda Smith]

Thank you for this article and sample. I have never had ISO explained to me in such an understandable way!