In the ISOfocus magazine (May/June 2014 edition), you'll learn about how governments can win over voters, clean up bureaucracy and run the public sector like a well-oiled machine.
This is reflected in two newly published ISO documents giving quality guidelines for the public sector: ISO 18091 for local governments, and ISO/TS 17582 for electoral bodies responsible for organizing electoral processes.
So how can ISO 9001 for quality management help government? Precisely in the same way it helps large corporations: management control of diverse operations. It can:
- Allow objectives to be rolled out to front-line units with clear and transparent measures
- Enhance the flow and visibility of information for management, and
- Integrate processes to achieve better service delivery and customer satisfaction
Does this mean governments should be run like a business? Of course not, it simply means that any entity that ignores these realities will eventually "go out of business" – whether or not it's a business.
What else
Read about the increasing use of private security companies in conflict zones such as Iraq and Afghanistan and the criticisms of "privatized war" that ensued, as well as their widespread use in other sectors. This feature goes to the core of the problem and talks about how a new ISO project committee working on an international framework will help the industry adopt good practice and improve accountability. Discover it all here...
