How to Achieve ISO 9001 Certification: A Step-by-Step Guide

Summary
Are you looking for an easy way to achieve ISO 9001 certification? Then, you must go through this article to learn five easy steps that can take you to the certification without any difficulty.

What way would you prefer for getting certified to ISO 9001? You can reach ISO 9001 standard either by hiring a consultant who can take care of everything essential for the implementation or you can engage your in-house resources with the help of numerous tools. The choice is yours! Each method has both advantages and disadvantages. However, if you compare these two different approaches, you will find the hiring a consultant is always a better choice and a wise decision. Whatever be your choice, it is important to be well aware of the entire process. A sound understanding of ISO 9001 will help you take a better decision. In this article, you will learn the essential steps that can lead you to ISO 9001 certification.

Step 1

Preparation

The preparation will start with hiring the ISO consultants. If you are going to utilize the in-house resources, then you should assign an ISO representative manager who must have sufficient authority to change the operational processes. He should be well aware of the ways your business works. This person is going to be responsible for implementing the ISO 9001 processes.

Preparation stage is all about making an effective plan for the implementation of a Quality Management System or QMS. Preparation should include an effective training program as well. You should always remember that this is high time for you to build a strong base. This base will gradually lead you to your ultimate destination (in the present context, it is, of course, gaining certification to ISO 9001). Therefore, you should put your best efforts in this preparation stage.

Step 2

Documentation

We all know that documentation is critical for achieving ISO 9001 and ISO 17025 accreditation. You need to write an effective quality policy including all the procedures. These procedures then will be called the “documented procedures”. As per ISO 9001 standard, an organization must meet all the technical requirements, which most of the companies believe to be difficult to understand and deal with. In this context, it is important to note that you should write the documentation at the beginning of your project for ISO 9001 implementation.

However, there’s good news for you. The latest version of ISO 9001, known as ISO 9001:2015, has made this particular requirement for the documentation a bit easier for the companies that are trying to achieve the certification. Now, you need to provide only the documents, which are relevant to establish the compliance of your businesses.

Step 3

Implementation

Now you need to get ready for the implementation. During this implementation phase, you should introduce and include any new requirement tailored in a way that can help you meet both the business objectives and the ISO 9001 requirements. If you want to make this step successful, you need to make your employees understand the way ISO 9001 standard can benefit the organization as well as the employees. It will help your employees adopt the new requirements quickly. As an outcome, you will be able to finish the process quickly. Implementation should be an exact replica of your plan. Otherwise, you would not be able to reap all the benefits of your planned Quality Management System.

Step 4

Internal Audit

Internal audit is an integral and critical part of ISO 9001 certification. What is an internal audit, by the way? An inspection is designed to ensure that the QMS is developed as per the guidelines of ISO 9001 standard and the organization maintains the system to ensure the consistency and continual improvement. One of your employee or an in-house team can conduct this internal audit. These days, most of the organiza6tions are relying on the external auditors for conducting the internal audit. In most of the cases, the ISO consultants provide internal auditing services as well.

Step 5

The Audit

Now you are only one step away from the certification. Now, you need to get ready for the final audit. An independent third-party certification body will conduct this audit. Before appearing for this audit, you should make sure that everything within your QMS is perfect. Frequent monitoring will help you measure the efficiency of your QMS. At the same time, you will be able to determine the difference between the planned QMS and the QMS that you have implemented in reality.

Endnote
ISO 9001 is a convenient solution for the SMEs, small and mid-sized enterprises. It would be better if you can implement the standard along with the five steps discussed above. Therefore, what are you thinking? Get ready for the Certification process now!