In the competitive marketplace, organizations must continuously demonstrate their ability to meet customer requirements and adhere to the utmost quality standards. The customer-centric market chooses to prefer those companies that have the potential to amplify their quality management processes and deliver high-quality products/services. Thus, both large and small enterprises should consider opting for ISO 9001 certification. ISO 9001 is a crucial Quality Management Systems (QMS) standard with international recognition. It identifies best practices and requirements to satisfy the QMS. Millions of organizations of all industries and sizes globally, in over 170 countries, follow this standard to deliver quality products and services that meet customer requirements consistently.
The latest revised version, released in the year 2015, is ISO 9001:2015. The ISO 9001 standard is a part of the ISO 9000 standards group (or “family”). The other 9000 standards provide supporting information and guidelines, and ISO 9001 is the only standard organizations can certify. Individuals can only get certified to become an ISO 9001 Certified Lead Auditor. Once they become certified, they can audit other organizations.
Companies should opt for ISO 9001 certification to achieve social credibility, improve brand recognition, and build trust and loyalty. The certification helps align the business processes, optimize management systems, internal communications, supply chain, logistics, and more. It requires organizations to adopt a Plan-do-check-act (PDCA) approach that supports risk-based thinking, clarified documentation requirements, and leadership participation.
Seven quality management principles under ISO 9001
- Customer focus
- Leadership
- Engagement of people
- Process approach
- Improvement
- Evidence-based decision making
- Relationship management
How can organizations get ISO 9001 certified?
According to the latest ISO 9001 standard principles, organizations must implement a QMS. The Certified Body (CB or Registrar) audits to gauge the QMS performance. Once the third-party assessor approves it, they become eligible for certification. Companies must actively demonstrate their potential to follow the ISO 9001 standard guidelines closely. They should be able to actively meet customer requirements, along with statutory and regulatory protocols.
- The first stage of the audit includes document review. The registrar will use the available documentation to review the QMS structure.
- The second stage certification audit covers all aspects of the QMS. Registrars may sample records to gain objective evidence about QMS efficiency. They will conduct audits on-site.
On obtaining certification, it has validity for three years. Thus, enterprises must recertify themselves every three years to remain certified. Individuals can undergo a five-day training course to become certified auditors.
What is ISO 9001 Structure?
ISO 9001 follows Annex SL that brings a common structure and language across the multiple standards. The structure helps in easily integrating ISO 9001 with other standards. ISO 9001 standard has 11 clauses:
- Clauses 0 to 3: Introduction, Scope, References, Terms, and Definitions
- Clause 4: Context of the organization
- Clause 5: Leadership and commitment
- Clause 6: Planning for the QMS
- Clause 7: Support & resource management
- Clause 8: Operational planning and control
- Clause 9: Performance evaluation
- Clause 10: Improvement actions
To Conclude:
Companies that are ISO 9001 certified have high-quality management systems and practice risk aversion strategies and standardized business practices. They adopt consistent rules and efficient procedures to maximize business profits and boost customer satisfaction.
