Pierre Servan on Driving An Effective Certification Program

I was very excited to talk with Pierre Servan and learn more about how he helps companies meet their quality and management certifications. Three specific keys to driving a certification program that is effective and elevate performance came out of this conversation:

1. Formalize Data Management
2. Update Standards Regularly
3. Do it for the Right Reasons

Formalize Data Management

As Pierre works with mostly medium size companies, he sees a wide spectrum of maturity in managing and tracking data and metrics. He helps companies reach a minimum level of sophistication to be able to measure and improve their performance. 

“Help them recognize that a formalization of their activities may be in order for them to grow their business more. Show them how they need that formality, if you will, for a little bit more structure.”

Update Standards Regularly

Once there is a foundation of tracking metrics, opportunities to improve will become apparent. Then the team will be able to start updating the current standards regularly. These standards need to be rolled out in a way that can be easily absorbed by the individuals in the organizations.

Pierre has seen the best results when “rolling out a little bit of a change at a time to the frontline employees. Where they are introduced to some of the concepts of the new standards, like the quality policy or quality objectives. If you have a good culture already in place, then there will be good communication within the business. That’s something that companies are able to bridge that gap faster.”

Do it for the Right Reasons

Pierre’s most passionate point was around maintaining quality and management process certifications for the right reasons. He has found the companies that see the value of these certifications in driving improved productivity and performance not only have a better experience in going through the certification process, but also have a more positive experience than companies that are looking to ‘check the box.”  

When starting a new project, Pierre spends time with his clients on this issue. “Are you going in with the mindset that I will want to measure these things or get these metrics because I need to check a box? Or are you thinking about this as – there’s some insights in here that are really going to help me drive my performance off the operation and that then it’s very well worth the investment and the technology?”

About Pierre Servan:

Pierre Servan is the principal consultant at Factor Quality. He is an expert in quality, environmental and/or safety matters and has achieved hundreds of successful implementations, hands-on training sessions, regional & national speaking engagements as well as internal audits,  gap analysis & supplier audits. Factor Quality has been almost 9 years in business, and have partnered with consultants that match our philosophy: to help businesses find simple solutions.