At present time there is still an ongoing argument regarding the effectiveness of certifying for standards that are related to quality management systems which are designed to help companies ensure that the needs of their customers and stockholders are met.
The first ISO 9000 version was created sometime in 1987, where it was strongly influenced by existing standards specifically from the United States, and was very well-suited to manufacturing industries. Conformity with procedures was prioritized first than the whole process of management.
One example of certifications that went through a lot of criticism was the ISO 9000:1994. This version put a lot of emphasis regarding quality assurance through preventive actions instead of just doing thorough checking of the final and finished product. Continued compliance of this version created hundreds to thousands of procedure manuals in which it became a burden to companies that had this standard.
Changes came along the way with the arrival of the iso 9001 certification; this version became known as ISO 9001:2000. This is thought as the better version of the previous certifications due to the radical changes made by putting the concept of process management in the front.
Before trying to go for certification, you must ask your iso 9001 registrar first if your company is qualified for it. This is the first step you need to know if you want the ISO system being implemented to become effective. Next would be to check with your senior management if they are really committed to improve quality of your products and services. There are some that take the low road just to get the certificate while ignoring the problem areas which get discovered during audit.
Effectiveness of your iso 9001 certification will also be dependent on how your auditor uncovers and checks all areas of improvement. Some auditors just rely on submitting out reports that just indicate whether it complies or not, however this is bad since company executives will not be able to understand it. If your auditor can express it clearly and be able to communicate with you, all the areas needing improvement in ways they could easily understand then it allows them to act fast regarding the issue.