Another step forward enhancing the value of the IQNet Peer Review System:
the IQNet Best Practice Evaluation
When IQNet was founded in 1990 all members were very well aware of the importance of an effective Peer Review System active within the network able to assure the consistency of the member's behaviours with the IQNet Multilateral Agreement and the IQNet rules; after 14 years of activities it represents one of the rare examples of Peer Review in the world being a fundamental pillar for the mutual recognition of audit results and certificates among the IQNet partners.
The experience built up in 14 years of activity is enormous and the effectiveness achieved by the relevant audits is really remarkable: a team of 16 top managers coming from 11 IQNet Certification Bodies is involved in this delicate and important activity under the coordination and supervision of a specific Standing Committee named Peer Review and Membership, elected by the General Assembly.
Since 1990, more than 300 audits have been performed - including the initial assessments performed to the applicants - dedicating more than 2000 audit days to this vital activity.
The inputs for our Association are valuable in terms of evidences of conformity with the IQNet way of acting and in terms of opportunities for its improvement. Furthermore, the feedback coming from the audited Certification Bodies are excellent in terms of added value provided to them during the assessments.
IQNet is very proud of its Peer Review System which represents the core of the mutual recognitions achieved within the Association. However, IQNet is convinced that its partners can benefit more from this activity in the future when IQNet starts to also evaluate the partners performances providing a sort of benchmarking among them.
This idea has been discussed during the latest General Assembly in Venezuela and the IQNet Certification Bodies decided to launch an initiative called "IQNet Best Practice Evaluation" which is, for the time being, a voluntary assessment to be combined with the IQNet surveillance audits at the IQNet partner's facilities.
The Best Practice Evaluation concept is focusing on 10 excellence fields:
- Quality of Business planning and control
- Focus on customers and interested parties
- Management of product portfolio
- Qualification of auditors
- Management of business processes
- Use of improvement tools
- Use of partnership (e.g. IQNet)
- Financial Results
- Non-Financial Results
- Promotion and Communication
| Approach | Results | Performance level | Score | Integrated improvement process | Benchmark | Best in class performance | 9-10 | Implemented improvement process | Sustainable improvement trends | Focus on high improvement capacity | 7-8 | Young process & improvement approach | Q-conformity and improvement trends | Sound systematic approach | 5-6 | Corrective approach | Minimum improvement results | Reactive approach | 3-4 | Unsystematic | Poor & not available | No formal approach | 1-2 |
The application of this concept will assist IQNet partners to identify improvement areas in order to set objectives and implement performance measurements, both on a strategic and on an operative level.
The expected effects on the IQNet partners should be the achievement of enhanced results with regard to the following perspectives:
- customers and markets
- technical competence
- human resources
- finances
- enhanced partner satisfaction and commitment
- improvement of the network
- better exchange of knowledge among partners
- enhanced credibility towards the stakeholders
Dr. Fabio Roversi
IQNet President