Myriad studies have acknowledged that ISO 9001-registered companies outperform non-ISO 9001 registered companies; however, a main finding in many studies has shown that registered companies are performing at the same level regardless of their ISO 9001 registration. While many companies are mandated to be ISO 9001 certified, they are not obtaining the value from it they would like.

At the same time there are tens of thousands of companies worldwide participating in a Lean journey – modeled after the Toyota Production System - to eliminate waste in their processes. One of the biggest problems organizations have with Lean implementation is sustaining the improvements they make. Author Mike Micklewright believes that implementing Lean and ISO 9001 are two complementary forces that when combined can be a powerful force in driving increased profits for any ISO 9001 registered organization. Use this book in leaning out your Quality Management System processes and provide a spark for your ineffective and sedentary system.