Author(s)

M. Wilson

Abstract

TickIT and consultants: how to get IT without them M. Wilson University of Leeds Innovations Ltd, Arndale House, Headingley, Leeds, LS6 2UU, UK ABSTRACT The purpose of this paper is to show how a small, independent company's quality management system was successfully certificated to TicklT/ISO 9001, without the use of external management consultants. The TickIT certificate in question covers the entire business scope, including software development and maintenance (both of products and bespoke systems), large research and development contracts, consultancy and IT training. Not only was TickIT implemented successfully: the scheme lived up to its promise and continues to deliver measurable business benefits to the com- pany. The main benefits include shortened lead times, higher productivity and business turnover, and increased market share. At the same time, hu- man resources spent in QA have reduced since certification, and currently stand at around six per cent.

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