We are committed to maintaining a set of standards that help support our vital work in the public and private sectors.
We also run a management consultancy – Ellenbrooke – that helps businesses across the UK achieve and maintain certifications to a range of standards to aid their growth.
In today’s world, businesses operate in a VUCA landscape: Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous. Against this backdrop, it’s the responsibility of all businesses to ensure they operate in the most effective way possible, maximising their growth potential whilst ensuring the wellbeing of staff, customers, and the environment.
International standards provide a framework for businesses on “the best way of doing something” according to the International Organisation of Standardization (ISO).
There is a standard for most core business practices, including (but not limited to):
- Quality Management: how to drive continuous improvement in your business
- Information Security: how to protect information from being inappropriately accessed or lost
- Health and Safety: how to protect employees and reduce accidents in the workplace
- Environmental Management: how to reduce your business’ impact on the environment
Businesses across the economy, from manufacturers and service providers to scientific and technical fields, can all benefit from standards. Each standard is constructed to apply to any business type, regardless of sector or specialism.
Businesses that decide to certify to a standard are telling potential customers, supply chains, and their own workforce that they are committed to implementing processes that make themselves more effective, sustainable, and competitive.
How Ellenbrooke supports businesses
Ellenbrooke has been helping businesses embed international standards for over 30 years.
For many businesses, trying to implement and be certified to standards themselves is no mean feat, and can yield many questions. What standards do I need to operate successfully? Am I legally compliant? When should they be updated? How much work will it take?
This is where Ellenbrooke’s consultants come in. They identify which standards a client requires, provides them with a process to implement them, and will act as a ‘critical friend’ to ensure the business is on track. They can also notify clients when certain standards are due a major update, as well as recommend new standards that complement the client’s direction of travel.
Our consultants are known for their personable approach, with many clients maintaining a 1-2-1 relationship with the same consultant for many years. Not only does this ensure a smooth implementation of standards for a client, but using an external consultant minimises the need for using extra internal staffing and resource.
By making it easier to implement standards, clients can enjoy the benefits of being certified to specific standards. They can:
- Demonstrate more efficient use of their resources (such as time, money, raw materials)
- Enter new supply chains that demand a specific standard as the price of admission
- Ensure appropriate safety and risk management of staff, customers, and environment
- Communicate a mutual understanding of product/service quality between supplier and buyer
- Deliver improved services and products consistently in the long-term
Learning & Development provider OnTrack International has been a client of Ellenbrooke for 15 years. They have enjoyed many advantages of maintaining the ISO9001 Quality Management standard.
“My clients increasingly wanted us to achieve the ISO9001 Quality Management Standard in order to keep working with us,” explains Angela Andrews, Head of Client Success, OnTrack International.
“We’ve also used the standard to strengthen our relationships with existing clients, demonstrating that we can take care of their data and provide the best possible service in our area.
“Ellenbrooke has been our partner in ensuring we provide the best experience to our clients. They have ensured our processes remain consistent but also are adaptable to the bespoke nature of our work.”
Exemplas: demonstrating excellence in public and private sector delivery
At Exemplas, we maintain an Integrated Management System that provides us with reliable and consistent systems and processes to help us to comply with the requirements of our organisations, and all other applicable mandatory and voluntary compliance obligations.
Our organisation adheres to the following international standards:
ISO9001 Quality Management Systems Standard: based on 7 quality management principles including a strong customer focus, leadership, the process approach and continual improvement, helping us to demonstrate our ability to consistently provide products and services that meet customer and regulatory requirements.
IASME Gold: aims to improve an organisation’s overall approach to information and cyber security, protecting an organisation’s data assets and safeguarding against digital (or cyber) threats. The framework is risk based and includes key aspects of security, such as incident management, staff training, planning, and operations.
In meeting the requirements of these standards, our public and private sector partners recognise the integrity in which our business operates. This helps us to drive continual improvement through a tailored management system that ensures we meet our stakeholders’ requirements.
“My role within Exemplas is to help the organisation to evidence its compliance to stakeholder requirements and drive continual improvement,” explains Vicki Brown, Business Improvement Manager, Exemplas.
“The standards we have chosen allow us to integrate recognised industry best practice, lawful, contractor and customer needs, and obligations, in order to maintain high levels of customer satisfaction.
“It is vitally important, especially given the public sector contracts we manage, that our Integrated Management System reflects how we are working and is embedded into daily practices. The excellence standards we adopt allow us to translate complex requirements into operational processes and practices, providing consistent and high-quality service provision for all our customers.
Vicki continues “Our ongoing certification to ISO9001 Quality Management systems and IASME Gold standards have definitely had a positive impact on the reputation of our organisation as they provide assurance to our clients, supply chain, and our workforce that we uphold the highest of standards and that we strive for continual improvement.”
Each year, World Standards Day offers the opportunity to increase understanding of the importance of standardisation. We are proud to utilise standards to ensure the quality of our public and private sector advisory services and help businesses across the UK meet their business objectives through standards.
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Find out more about the public sector contracts we deliver here.
Ellenbrooke
Innovate. Comply. Grow. Helping businesses achieve and maintain certifications to ISO standards for over 30 years.