ISO: “We Are Not Entitled” to Answer Questions on Annual Survey Data

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has refused to answer questions regarding perceived irregularities in the recent ISO Survey data on total ISO 9001 certificates worldwide.

In response to the 2013 data report, Oxebridge requested clarifications on the data, asking:

• A few data points are marked with a note “significant increase of certificates have been investigated and verified and are accurate” — what did this investigation consist of and how was the information deemed accurate?
• There is no data on ISO 9001 withdrawals for 2012 or 2013. Why was this left out?
• It appears AC Nielsen was not used for this survey. Is that true?
• The Russian Federation numbers were corrected in 2011 to remove non-IAF certificates. Can we then assume the rest of the  numbers represent only IAF accredited certificates?
• The Executive Summary indicates that the growth in standards is “gradually reaching maturity.” What definition of “maturity” is ISO using? If “maturity” means a statistical saturation of certifications within the potential user base, what data does ISO have to define the total user base, and thus to measure maturity? Or is another definition being used? In short, what is the ceiling that ISO anticipates for ISO 9001, and how was this calculated?

ISO’s point of contact for the Survey at first ignored the request entirely, until it was escalated to ISO Head of Communications Katie Bird. Then, Laurent Charlet wrote back, “We are not entitled to provide more details than is published with the results of the survey.”

Nevertheless, M. Charlet then did respond to select questions:

Regarding the withdrawals we have decided to stop requesting this data since the 2012 survey. As for Nielsen, they are still doing the survey in collaboration with ISO. As indicated in the survey, figures for Russia are the exception, they are the only non-accredited certificates reported in the survey, all the others are from accredited certification bodies. Please note the information provided on the website contains much additional information on the survey.

Oxebridge has argued that for over a decade, ISO has deceptively “spun” the data to present itself in a positive light, and has not implemented proper procedures to ensure accurate data to begin with. In recent years, ISO has consistently explained away ISO 9001’s declining growth rates as ISO 9001 having reached “maturity” but has failed to define how it came to this conclusion.

“What is surprising is how oblivious they are to public perception,” said Oxebridge VP Christopher Paris. “They see no problem with putting in writing their contempt for transparency, and their utter lack of responsibility to ISO 9001 end users and the public.”

ISO does have a responsibility to report accurate data, and then answer questions when the data is irregular, says Paris. “They are collecting money for the sale of their standards, and then claiming on the world stage, in front of the World Trade Organization and the EU, that their products impact on the trade between nations. ISO has both a social and legal responsibility to be fair and accurate in its reporting.”

ISO recently ceased work on what would have been the first international, central database for ISO 9001 certificates, allowing anyone in the world to verify an ISO 9001 certificate’s validity. The project fell apart after ISO bowed down to pressure from certification bodies, who refused to share their data.

“The fact that the CBs refused to share data in an objective, real time reporting system, but agree to provide it to the highly-spun ISO Survey, casts further doubt on the Survey numbers,” Paris said. “It makes it appear that ISO isn’t vetting the Survey data, which may explain the unusual spikes in countries such as the US.”

The result, Paris says, is “as if  McDonalds held a survey of how many people liked their hamburgers, threw out all the data of the people who didn’t like their hamburgers, and then claimed ‘everyone likes our hamburgers.’ It’s not exactly an honest picture.”