As an accredited ISSA Cleaning Industry Management Standard (CIMS) and CIMS-Green Building (GB) assessor, I am one of the nine individuals responsible for verifying compliance with the requirements of the CIMS/CIMS-GB program. My assignments have included both in-house custodial operations and contract cleaners and have involved visits to facilities of all types and sizes throughout the country, including health care facilities, school districts, universities, and commercial spaces.
Assessment: What's Included
The first step for each assessment involves going through the CIMS and/or CIMS-GB checklist point-by-point to validate that the applicant has the required documentation and processes in place. The next - and most important - step is verifying that the procedures and policies have actually been implemented in the day-to-day operation of the organization. For most applicants, full implementation is the most challenging aspect of the program.
This on-site assessment normally starts with a visit to the applicant's corporate office where documentation is reviewed and interviews are held with key staff members for clarification and to assess everyone's understanding of - and involvement in - the CIMS program. (Applicants are actually requested to send certain documentation for review prior to the on-site visit to ensure baseline compliance with key CIMS elements.) Once my work at the corporate office is complete, the assessment moves to account locations/facilities to verify implementation "in the field." Activities include personal observation of cleaning activities as well as discussions with cleaners, supervisors, customers, and, if appropriate, the cleaning supply distributor.
Once the assessment is complete, I generally meet with key staff members during a debriefing session to discuss observations, areas of noncompliance, and to suggest ideas for possible improvement. If the organization does not meet the minimum requirements for certification, but deficiencies are relatively minor or easily correctable, I may guide the applicant in getting the documents or processes in place so they can be achieve compliance and be recommended for certification without a follow-up visit. If, however, compliance requires considerable work or the nonconformities are major in scope, a revisit must be scheduled. Fortunately, so far, each applicant I have assessed has been prepared for my visit and has met the requirements without necessitating a follow-up visit, although discussions with my fellow assessors have indicated that they have not always been so lucky and have had to recommend that certification not be granted in a couple of cases. Recertification assessments are scheduled every two years to ensure that standards are maintained.
Why Bother Getting Certified?
If I had to sum up the CIMS program in one word, it would be Beneficial—with a capital B. Of course, not all organizations will enjoy the same benefits, and some will find greater value than others. That said, one of the things I like most about the program is the fact that it offers a comprehensive management and operations structure, focusing on six best practices principles that form the foundation of success and business improvement, including:
- Quality Systems
- Service Delivery
- Human Resources
- Health, Safety and Environmental Stewardship
- Management Commitment
- Green/Sustainable Building Cleaning Practices (GB)
I also appreciate that CIMS applies to both in-house custodial departments and cleaning service contractors and to organizations of all sizes. For example, my assignments have included organizations as varied as Crothall Services Group, a nationwide health care services provider - whose assessment included visits to 17 hospitals in 12 cities over a two-week period - to Mr. Clean Maintenance Systems, a local California specialty cleaning contractor that maintains hard floors in grocery stores, to Texas Christian University's facilities services.
Regardless of whether the organizations that pursue certification self-perform services or are third-party contractors, to get the maximum return on investment from the program, they will need to go the extra mile: Preparing compliant documentation and being able to put a plaque on the wall is just a start. It is what the organization does after the assessment that determines whether CIMS will represent one of the best investments an organization has ever made or whether it becomes just another "flash in the plan" idea that offers initial value but is then all-too-soon forgotten.
The Benefits of Embracing CIMS
The benefits I see to those organizations that truly embrace CIMS include:
- CIMS provides a mechanism for taking an organization to higher levels of quality, efficiency, and profit.
- CIMS provides industry-recognized, third-party analysis and validation of an organization's achievement regarding quality and process improvement; CIMS certification goes a long way toward putting a certified firm ahead of its competition in a competitive marketplace.
- Going through the CIMS certification process provides a central rallying point for the organization that results in unexpected cohesion and synergy of all staff members - from the management team to new hires. This is likely to include the breaking down of barriers between departments, locations, and shifts.
- The documentation compiled while preparing for the on-site assessment turns into great marketing and sales tools. When you show a potential customer one of the sections, it often leads to a discussion about other sections as well.
The documentation provides a framework for company- or department-wide standardization, consistency, and management control. It's often the first time the company has organized and put all its operational documents in one place for easy access and revision. This alone often results in improved efficiency and cost savings.
- Being CIMS/CIMS-GB-certified opens up new markets and enables a firm to compete when contract specifications require third-party, green, or management certifications.
- Quality enhancement, along with education and training, go hand-in-hand with the CIMS process.
- CIMS-GB is a comprehensive management certification program that provides a lot more than just a green certification. Stand-alone green certification programs are narrowly focused; an organization can be as green as a cucumber, yet die on the vine because it lacks the management controls to assure operational efficiency, quality assurance, cost control, and staff development.
The principles of success embodied in the CIMS and CIMS-GB program are based on - and provide the foundation for - effective operations and process improvement applicable to any size or type of business, department, or organization. Yet to obtain the maximum return on the CIMS investment, an organization and its management must view successful completion of the assessment process as the start of the journey - the first step in the ongoing process of quality improvement. In short, CIMS must be a living process that is updated and improved on continually.
For more information and a free CIMS standard download and checklist, visit www.issa.com/cims or contact Plamena Todorova at plamena@issa.com; phone, 800-225-4772 (North America) or 847-982-0800.
Preparing for Assessment
- Put together a team or committee to assist in pulling together all the required documents and seeing that processes are in place, have been implemented, and are being used at all levels of the organization.
- Don't try to do this by yourself or rely on one person to do all the work. Preparing for certification should be a team and company-wide effort.
- Allow time to make sure all the required processes and forms are actually being used on the job.
- Orient and train supervisors, managers, leads, and production staff regarding CIMS and why your company is going through the certification process.
- Complete a self-audit using an identical checklist that the assessor will use.
- Gather all documents and proof of compliance for each checklist item in a three-ring binder with tabs numbered to coincide with the elements of CIMS.
- Strongly consider using the services of an independent I.C.E. consultant. They know the process and have access to many of the documents required by CIMS.
- Involve your local distributors in the process. They can provide much of the information needed, especially for the GB requirements.
- Budget time and financial resources to meeting, implementing, and continuing to reap the benefits of CIMS.
- Set an implementation schedule and try to stick to it. If you fall behind in the preparation process, reschedule the assessment visit.
Reprinted with permission from ISSA Today (June 2011). To read the current issue, visit www.issa.com/magazine.
