ISO 9001: Quality Management Systems Has Just Passed Its “Warrant of Fitness”
The ISO 9000 Family
ISO 9001 specifies the requirements for a quality management system and is the only standard in the 9000 family that can be certified to (although this is not a requirement). Any organisation, large or small, regardless of its field of activity, can use it. ISO 9001 certification is held by over one million businesses and organisations in over 170 countries.
ISO (International Organisation for Standardisation) is an independent, non-governmental organisation representing the National Standard Institutes of over 150 countries. They develop and publish international standards in response to the needs of the international market and global expert opinions. There are certifiable ISO standards and non-certifiable standards, such as ISO 26000: Social Responsibility.
ISO 9001: Quality Management Systems – Requirements.
The ISO 9001:2015 certification outlines the stages to implementing a quality management system. It’s intended to assist your company in meeting consumer wants and expectations for consistent and high-quality products and services.
ISO 9001 addresses seven key principles of quality management. These are:
- QMP 1 – Customer focus.
- QMP 2 – Leadership.
- QMP 3 – Engagement of people.
- QMP 4 – Process approach.
- QMP 5 – Improvement.
- QMP 6 – Evidence-based decision-making.
- QMP 7 – Relationship management
ISO 9001:2015 Has Passed It’s ” Warrant of Fitness” – What Does This Mean?
ISO 9001, like all ISO standards, is reviewed every five years to see whether it is still current or needs to be updated. This is necessary to ensure that the standard remains globally applicable and serves the needs of its users.
In order to do so, the standard’s subcommittee engaged in a variety of activities, including conversations with committee members and a survey of ISO 9001 users. As a result, there was no need for a revision, and the most recent edition of ISO 9001 continues to give as much benefit to those who implement the standard as it did when it was last revised in 2015.
ISO 9001:2015 Specifies the Requirements for a Quality Management System.
An organisation:
a) Must show that it can consistently deliver products and services that meet consumer and statutory and regulatory criteria, and
b) That it aims to promote customer satisfaction through effective system application, including system improvement processes and verification of system adherence to customer and applicable legislative and regulatory requirements.
ISO 9001 is easily implemented into your integrated management systems, following the shared structure, Annex SL.
The Annex SL structure was created to introduce identical core text and common terms and conditions across all ISO management standards, assisting with:
- Streamlining management standards;
- Encouraging standardisation; and,
- Easing the integration of management systems.
Most ISO standards that have been released or updated since 2011 use Annex SL as the foundation for their structure, this includes:
- ISO 9001: Quality Management Systems;
- ISO 14001: Environmental Management Systems;
- ISO 27001: Information Security; and,
- ISO 45001: Occupational Health and Safety Management.
Certifiable ISO Standards
In Australia, in addition to ISO 9001, other the standards that are most common for certification are:
- ISO 22000 – Food Safety Management;
- ISO 14001 – Environmental Management Systems;
- ISO 45001 – Occupational Health and Safety Management;
- ISO 31000 – Risk Management; and,
- ISO 27001 – Information Security.
Through quality processes, ISO-certified organisations are able to constantly monitor and improve their well-documented and structured processes. These organisations lead the way in terms of quality, efficiency, and productivity.
Each ISO standard has different specific benefits, and together they work to provide a solid and streamlined foundation for a successful organisation. ISO-certified businesses tend to have better customer retention and satisfaction, lower staff turnover, and consistent quality outcomes.
An ISO-certified management system can also help to reduce costs, increase market share and gain access to new markets.
4 Steps to ISO
Get in touch with QSM Group today to discuss your ISO compliance and certification needs.
Our experienced consultants work with you to develop, implement and monitor your management systems. We can also assist with achieving certification to any desired certifiable ISO standards.
