What is quality management? I have a simple, straightforward answer to this question. Quality management means meeting the requirements of all parties who have an interest in your business — stakeholders who have invested in your business, your customers, business partners and regulators.

ISO standards are the result of best practices that ISO member states bring together in one place to help others learn from their experience and avoid reinventing the wheel. It's not dedicated to quality management in the manufacturing sector, as many assume. ISO's role is managing knowledge through the flow of best practices already undertaken by its member states. These best practices are available in all sectors, including what I am going to discuss in this article: collaborative business relationships, or ISO 44001.

Related: How to Harness the Strategic Power of Collaboration in Your Business

ISO 44001 is based on best practices that serve as a baseline for forming collaborative business relationships, whether you are an entrepreneur, an SME or a public sector and governmental agency. However, as I said, you need to see it as a baseline, and there is no doubt it should be tailored to the context of your business.

ISO 44001 is a management system. The word "system" needs to be emphasized here. What is a management system or a systematic approach in management? I have another simple, straightforward answer: A systematic approach in management means operating according to predefined processes. In other words, when you have a system implemented in your business, it doesn't matter who, what or when — everyone must follow the predefined processes at all times. You may ask, "What about specific........

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