ISO 9001: Why Is It Important?

The International Organization for Standardization ("ISO"), the world's largest developer of voluntary International Standards, is the leading international organization. The standards provide best practices and solutions that can be used for almost any technology or business. These standards are designed to help businesses and organizations increase their performance, while also protecting the environment and consumers.

These standards were established through consensus at the global level. These standards are intended to reduce international trade barriers. The most well-known standards are ISO 9001 for quality, ISO 14001 for the environment, and ISO 27001 to manage information security.

What Is ISO 9001 2015 All About?

ISO 9001 (Quality Management System) is the most internationally recognized standard.

Its purpose is to make it easier for organizations to meet the needs of their customers and other stakeholders. This is accomplished by creating a framework to ensure consistency in the provision of services of goods and/or products.

The standard is built on 7 Quality Management Principles. It includes strong customer focus, involvement of top management, and a drive towards continuous improvement.

The following seven principles for quality management are:

1 – Customer focus

2 – Leadership

3 – Engagement of people

4 – Process approach

5 – Improvement

6 – Evidence-based decision making

7 – Relationship management

The principles do not rank in order of importance. Each principle's relative significance varies from one organization to another and may change over the course of time.

Why ISO 9001 Certification?

The ISO 9001 certification gives objective proof to your clients, your partners, and your staff that customer satisfaction is at your core business.

ISO 9001: The Key Benefits

Increased revenues: leveraging ISO 9001’s reputation can help increase your chances of winning more contracts and tenders. Customers will also be happier and retain you.

Improve your credibility: When companies are looking to find new suppliers, they often require a Quality Management System (QMS) based on ISO 9001.

Increased customer satisfaction: Understanding your customer's needs, and reducing errors, will help you build customer confidence in the quality of your products and services.

Lower operating costs: by following industry best practices and focusing more on quality, it is possible to reduce costs.

Improved Decision-making – You can quickly spot and address problems early, which allows you to make quick decisions to avoid making the same mistakes again.

Increased employee engagement: by improving your internal communications, you can make sure everyone is working toward the same goals. Participating in process improvements will make employees happier and more productive.

Better process Integration: By looking at the interactions between processes, you can discover efficiency improvements that are more straightforward, reduce errors, and make cost savings.

A culture of continuous improvement: this third principle of ISO 9001. It refers to an organized approach to identifying improvement opportunities and taking advantage of them.

Build better relationships with suppliers: Best-practice processes can help to create more efficient supply chains. Certifications will point you in the right direction.

The ISO 9001 Certification Process

You will need to plan, commit and have the resources necessary to be ISO 9001-certified. QMS recommends that you follow a simple 3-step process.

Gap Analysis

A consultant visited our offices to examine and document our current procedures and processes. The consultant then pointed out any areas that were not in line with the standard.

Implementation

Any necessary changes to existing procedures and processes are made.

Certification

Every year, an auditor visits our offices to make sure that all documentation is being followed. A new certificate is issued once the auditor is satisfied.