The ISO14001:2015 checklist is a self-assessment questionnaire that businesses can go through to evaluate if they fulfil the requirements to acquire the certification. The checklist contains six major components:

•   The general requirements
•   Environmental policy
•   Planning
•   Implementation and operation
•   Training requirements
•   Corrective action recommendations
•   A review for management

Small businesses can respond to the questions and self-score their responses. Kristensen, Mosgaard and Remmen, (2021) state that the benefits of ISO 14001 include reduced cost of regulation, better competitive advantage, enhanced access to investment, better profitability and enhanced brand image.

1-    ISO 14001certification; Environmental statutes

The first section of the checklist asks organisations or small businesses to investigate whether they comprehend the need to comply with environmental regulations to reduce pollution. This section talks about accidental emissions released into soil, water or air during the product creation cycle, which may have harmful effects on different receptors, including vegetation, people or animals. So, businesses that have already established or maintained an environmental management system (EMS) that conforms with the requirements outlined with ISO 14001 certification can respond positively in the section.

2-    ISO 14001 checklist for smal businesses; ecological courses accessible for all the members

The second section talks about environmental policy. The first assessment question that small businesses must check is if their top management has a definite, pre-defined and clear ecological policy. The following questions ask small businesses to further investigate the appropriateness of the environmental policy. For example, small businesses are asked to measure the suitability of environmental policy concerning the environmental impact based on the scale and nature. Companies are also asked if the environmental policy has a different commitment for continuous improvement to environment preservation and prevention of pollution. Hence, businesses are asked to investigate if their ecological policies have a monitoring and evaluation phase. The benefits of ISO 14001 for business are highly noteworthy; Because it understands that many businesses may state that they are committed to continual improvement but may still unconsciously or unknowingly create adverse environmental impacts. So, it makes it easier for small businesses by asking if their ecological policies are relevant to the regulations and legislations of appropriate organisations. It asks companies to investigate if there is a provision of a framework that can periodically review the organisation’s targets and objectives. Lastly, the ISO14001 checklist asks small businesses if their environmental policy is appropriately documented, implemented and communicated to all employees And if it is available for the public.

3-    ISO 14001:2015; Planning and invoronmental phenomenon

The third section talks about planning. Here, planning is categorised into subcategories such as environmental aspects, legal requirements, objectives and targets and environmental management programs. The environmental aspects recommends small businesses to investigate their past, to identify if any of their products, activities or services have significantly impacted the environment and what corrective steps were taken. The legal requirement section suggests small organisations to measure if they comply with the regulatory bodies’ obligations. The subsection of objectives and targets asks small businesses to review whether technological, operational, and financial alternatives were considered during environmental policies. This subsection aims to understand if the small businesses’ objectives are consistent with minimising pollution. The last subsection, which outlines the requirements for an environmental management program, inquires if companies have specific programmes, people or activities designated for achieving their environmental commitments.

4-   ISO 14001 requirements checklist; Specifing the causes and describing the regulations

The fourth section talks about implementation and operation. The checklist begins by asking small businesses to define the exact resources that have been designed to meet their environmental commitments, including financial resources, technology, specialised skills and human resources. The next section asks small businesses to identify the exact training needs necessary to meet these predefined environmental commitments. It includes defining the roles and responsibilities and emergency preparedness. Successful managers of organisations agreed that ISO 14001 cost is totally worth it; Because this certification also covers the topic of communication in the section where small businesses are asked if internal communication between various levels is transparent and how external communication is recorded. It also includes questions on document control, including the location, the framework for periodical review, competency skills of individuals reviewing the documents, document clearing method for obsolete  documents and modification techniques.

5-    ISO 14001 internal audit checklist; Reformative moves and prohibitive plans

The fifth section of the ISO14001 certification checklist talks about corrective action. The list begins by asking small businesses to investigate the critical characteristics of their operations, monitoring and evaluation procedures. Small businesses are also asked to reflect upon their non-conformance and preventive action plans. It includes reflecting upon what actions have to be taken to mitigate any potential impacts, what corrective actions should be taken to eliminate the causes, and how should these changes be documented. This section also covers the small businesses audit program, including results of previous audits, schedules, frequency, methodology and past concerns.

6-    ISO 14001 checklist; How to adjust to situations changes

The last section focuses on the review of small business management. It talks about the documentation, effectiveness and sustainability of management reviews. It also asks small businesses to question its commitment to improvement in the light of changing circumstances. You can get a proffesional ISO 14001 consultancy to do it on your behalf.

Outsourcing is now extremely popular in IT. Learn how it works and take a look at models here.

IT outsourcing: in detail

More and more companies that want to optimize costs are using outsourcing or Team Leasing. The delegation of part of the processes to an external company not only enables savings but also the efficiency and quality of the IT service is improved, and significant risks are avoided. How does IT outsourcing work, and what are its advantages and disadvantages?

How does IT outsourcing work?

In short, IT outsourcing consists of delegating some tasks to an external company that specializes in a certain type of services and processes. Organizations take this step for a variety of reasons. Most often, there is a lack of sufficient resources and your own IT infrastructure, as well as the desire to avoid high recruitment costs. Outsourcing can include various activities, such as server administration, computer network administration, troubleshooting, or device maintenance. Outsourcing problematic tasks to a properly selected partner usually help to solve them faster, cheaper, and more efficiently.

However, it is noteworthy that the cooperation with an outsourcer is not to commission tasks ad hoc but is long-term. Companies that use outsourcing usually decide to delegate selected processes permanently or for a predetermined but always long period of time.

Outsourcing models

There are various models and methods for classifying IT outsourcing – advantages and disadvantages also result from the right adaptation to the organization. However, the choice of the right solution always depends on the individual needs of a company: the type and number of processes it wants to delegate, its human and material resources, and the goals the company wants to achieve with it.

IT outsourcing can be divided into complete and selective outsourcing. In the first case, the entire IT infrastructure and its service will be moved to the headquarters of the outsourcer. In the second (and most common) process, specific processes for outsourcing are selected. As a rule, these are not essential tasks for the functioning and development of a company but tasks that require a lot of time and resources and can easily be taken over by others.

The second classification method is the division into employee outsourcing and body leasing. In the first case, it is the outsourcer who builds the customer’s team at the headquarters. In the second case, the company hires specialists with specific competencies to work on a specific project. This solution means that the organization does not have to carry out costly recruitment and then terminate the contracts with the employee after the end of the project. This also reduces the risk of hiring a person with inconsistent competencies, which is often the case with less technologically savvy companies. All formalities then remain with the sending company, and employment in such a model offers great flexibility.

When outsourcing, the location of the company headquarters is also important. This is what makes nearshoring and offshoring stand out. Nearshoring consists of delegating tasks to a place that is relatively close to the customer’s location. In offshoring, the outsourcer’s premises are usually located in a remote place such as India or the Philippines. This option allows companies significant savings, although the geographical and linguistic barriers carry greater risks.

How much does IT outsourcing cost?

It is difficult to clearly define how high the IT outsourcing costs are – the advantages and disadvantages also apply to the costs and their determination. It depends on many factors, such as the chosen model and scope of cooperation, the type of service, the equipment required for its implementation, and the number of employees. As a rule, they are billed on an hourly or part-time basis. Sometimes certain tasks and services are also appreciated. All financial and technical agreements are defined in the form of an SLA document (Service Level Agreement).

However, it should not be forgotten that the most common reason for using outsourcing is cost optimization. Delegating tasks is usually significantly cheaper than recruiting, buying hardware and software, and organizing employee training. It is also necessary to provide workplace and work equipment, a company telephone, a laptop, wage-based services, and the organization of representation in the event of an employee’s temporary absence. Both the skills of team members and the IT infrastructure require constant updating and continuous improvement of performance, which typically takes a significant part of the budget.

Building your own IT team is, therefore, very complex, requires a lot of skills and thus is also risky. According to a precise calculation, it often turns out that significantly better results can be achieved thanks to outsourcing. The tasks are then completed faster, more cost-effectively, and efficiently and the risks of unsuccessful recruitment or the purchase of incorrect devices are reduced to a minimum.

However, in order for IT outsourcing to work efficiently and bring tangible benefits, it is important to carefully select a partner. If you still have not decided to work with a specific outsourcer, contact several professionals: they will help you analyze your needs and suggest which outsourcing model you should choose and what type of company you work with.

Understandably, our article does not completely exhaust the topic, but we believe that it has given you an idea of how to prepare well to use this service in your organization.