How to apply the ISO principles to organise your family life
Morning chaos or loud evening dramas are very common for families with young children. Responsibilities overload, tired kids, overworked parents, and constant lack of time are known to most of us! Have you ever thought about applying the ISO Management Systems principles to improve your family life? It might sound too complicated, and almost not relevant, but how about simplifying the complex ISO processes to suit your everyday needs?
For example, one of the principles of the ISO Quality Standard is to ensure there is effective communication. A great way to adapt this for a family is to set up regular weekly meetings. In doing so, everyone can say what they enjoyed and what was most important for them for the previous week and also, what are their plans or suggestions for the following week. This way you give a voice to your kids. They will feel empowered, and they will love it! You might be quite surprised what you’ll find out during these family catch ups!!
In the current Quality Standard there is no requirement for a quality manager role, so the responsibilities are divided between the relevant roles in the business and everyone is accountable. How about dividing the ordinary household chores in between the family members? For instance, identifying simple tasks the kids could help out with, such as Dressing before 8am or Packing of the school bag, which will take the pressure off the parents! One of our consultants at ISO Certification Experts is using a simple checklist attached to a wall, where her kids tick off the assigned tasks allocated for their morning rituals. And it works! The kids enjoy this simple process, feel proud of their accomplishments and it makes mornings much more peaceful and enjoyable for the whole family!
The ISO Management System principles are used by all types of business across all industries. Using the ISO systems approach for your family can have valuable benefits. Some of the fundamental principles of ISO Management Systems which can be also be applied are:
Engagement of people – rewards chart where the kids are engaged by choosing their own rewards
Continuous improvement – starting up with a simple tasks to form good habits and moving up to more complicated tasks
Relationship management – as mentioned above, the family meetings are an excellent opportunity to give your kids a voice and listen to each other in order to encourage better relationships
Applying the ISO Standards principles can help us to be more organised so that we can better utilise our busy days, not only in the business but also at home. International Organization for Standardization (https://www.iso.org/popular-standards.html) provides all the information you need to know about the ISO Standards. If you are interested in the ISO Certification, you can find the details here or contact us on 1300 614 007.
About the author
Erica is a Certified Trainer, Implementer and Auditor for ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001 and ISO 27001, and heads up the day-to-day operations of the business.
I really like the initiative and using ISO principles for Family live continual improvement. Having dedicated family time at home is something most families have to fight for. Around the dinner table is most ideal to have those chats and bonding time. Games nights add some fun too. For a while just unwinding and eating dinner in front of the TV stole some of the valuable bonding and debrief time for our family.
I enjoyed the short blog. It has a personal relevant touch!