Quality management systems have become necessities for organisations as they help individual organisations improve their current states. This international standard is accepted in more than 178 countries. So far, records are strongly in favour of ISO 9001 Quality Management Standard. But, how does it affect you and your organisation?
No matter what industry- medical device, IT training, etc-an ideal quality management system or QMS will improve your business. The concept of QMS is associated with ISO 9001 requirements, which is all about making organisations better.
Continuous improvement depends on multiple aspects, such as proper training providing management support. To ensure continuous improvement, identify and manage the defects, nonconformities, audits, training, and documentation properly. These all are included in ISO 9001 requirements. Therefore, whenever these requirements are met to gain certification, they will ultimately improve the organisational operations and management system.
According to the International Organisation for Standardisation or ISO,
“ISO 9001:2015 allows an organisation flexibility in the way it chooses to document its Quality Management System (QMS). This enables each individual organisation to determine the correct amount of documented information needed in order to demonstrate the effective planning, operation, and control of its processes and the implementation and continual improvement of the effectiveness of its QMS.”
From this statement, it is clear that ISO allows organisations to implement requirements in their own way. ISO’s main goal is to help organisations gather and document correct information to show the efficiency of the planning, organisational operations, and controls of the organisational processes.
Apart from ISO 9001 Certification, there are many other ISO certifications which demand continuous improvement. These certifications include ISO 14001 Certification, ISO 55001 Certification, ISO 13485 Certification, etc.
To gain ISO 9001 certification, analyze its existing QMS, evaluate its performance, and based on observation, determine how if the organisation is prepared for certification. It will help you understand what kind of preparation is needed for the certification process.
When moving forward with certification, take these three key facts into account:
1. Employee Training
Employees are a great asset of an organisation. The Quality Leadership 100 Survey revealed that companies that provide employees with proper training have made better progress in the field of continuous improvement, internal quality programs, and registration to numerous standards including ISO 9001 Standard.
2. Corrective and Preventive Action
Before starting the certification process, resolve all of your organisation’s Corrective and Preventive Actions (CAPA). This can be daunting, and many organisations struggle with this challenge. By following right CAPA, you will be able to maintain a good Quality Management System.
3. Audits
Audits are important for gaining any ISO certification. There are two types of audit- internal and external audit. Internal audits are conducted by in-house employees or by third-party internal audit services. This audit program is important, and it ensures everything within the system is prepared for the external audit. The external audit is commonly called certification audit/ An authorised certification body will analyze your QMS to determine the organisation’s level of quality.
A Final Takeaway
The ultimate goal of ISO 9001is to improve the current state of your organization, and maintain that ongoing improvement.
Damon Anderson is a renowned ISO consultant. He has been associated with a leading ISO 9001 certification consultancy for years, and is experienced with numerous requirements of Quality Management System. He helps number of companies gain ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and ISO 5001 certification on a regular basis.