Project management benchmarks for SMEs implementing ISO 9000

ISO 9000 certification is one of the most prevalent quality assurance systems in the world. Despite its popularity, there is considerable confusion and frustration surrounding its implementation in small to medium‐sized enterprises. Major obstacles to ISO 9000 registration are identified and include implementation costs, inadequate resources, and insufficient external assistance. Thus, SMEs require a more cost‐effective and well‐planned ISO implementation process. Based on case study material from ten companies, located in Hong Kong, the activities involved in obtaining ISO 9000 registration were identified. Project management techniques were then applied to develop a generic project network and resource loading profile for ISO 9000 implementation. Using this benchmarking approach SMEs should be able to plan the adoption of ISO 9000 more effectively with the limited resources available to them.