ISO 9000 Journey ongoing

We are making progress in our ISO 9000 quest. 

I purchased a package that provides formats, forms and recommended project plans.  I have background in a national company working with ISO, but this is my first go at getting a small company certified from scratch.

We've made advances in documenting our critical processes, building the quality manual and training the staff in the benefits gained by using repeatable methods.  I've always been a strong proponent of having a strong project plan on IT projects, but it's really been a valuable tool here also.

One lesson already learned, is deciding if it is wise to implement any changes during your investigative step.  DON'T.  We have a invoicing system that has evolved over time with various clients.  I see numerous steps that could be streamlined, but I talked myself out of making them at this time.  The more it is realized that during this certification, right and wrong systems aren't a issue, but having a repeatable process that you can document and repeat is the important factor.  Improvements can come after the certification.