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Why you Need to get Certified – ISO 9001 Question and Answer

ISO 9001 Question and Answer

“What does this ISO standard do and what is the difference between those two?”…

This might be a common question that you might encounter when looking at all the different ISO standards that exist in today’s virtual world. As your organization gets exposed to further standards, misconceptions might form.

As a Management System Specialist with over 12 years of no-fail service, I have come across multiple questions that clients have had about some certification or another. And today, your thoughts related to the ISO 9001:2015 standard will be answered with the first of many Q and A: ISO 9001 Question and Answer.

ISO 9001 is one of the most popular standards out there. It introduces organizations to the element of continual improvement through the creation of a Quality Management System  (QMS). But for the purpose of this article, it is going to be assumed that readers are knowledgeable about the topic of ISO 9001. It is greatly suggested to have a look here to discover how you can uncover the benefits of ISO 9001 certification for your company and how unearthing success with ISO 9001 management review is not as hard as you might think.

Without further ado, let us kick off the ISO 9001 Question and Answer!

ISO 9001 Question and Answer | The Real Deal

Q | Will ISO 9001:2015 help my organization increase profits?

One of the most common questions that I came across is this one that has to do with profits. As a question, it can be described as a double-barreled question. The short answer is yes, ISO 9001:2015 does help you score higher revenue, but how?

When implementing the ISO 9001, your organization will be redefining and redesigning all processes by mapping them out within the Quality Management System. When employees are trained with this QMS, all company personnel will be effectively pulling one rope in the same direction. This will enable your organization to operate more efficiently, hence reaping better profits.

The QMS also enables companies to work more effectively through its effect based approach that ISO 9001 instills in companies with such certification. Decisions wil no longer be taken based on opinion, but rather the information present within the QMS will drive firms to take the necessary decisions.

Moreover, ISO 9001 certification might help your organization expand your customer base, since suppliers and c;lients might have the requirement of working exclusively with ISO 9001 certified companies. 

So all in all, it is safe to say that ISO 9001 does indeed bring more money in the bank!

Q | What is the current ISO 9001?

As a standard, one may have seen it written as ISO 9001 and ISO 9001:2015. These are practically the same thing, with the latter specifying that it is referring to the ISO 9001 standard issued in 2015. As a matter of fact, ISO 9001:2015 is the latest edition of this standard.

The first version of the standard was launched in 1987 and since then the standard has been updated every eight years or so.

Q | What is the difference between certification and accreditation?

Moving onto one of the most interesting questions in the ISO 9001 Question and Answer series, we must understand the meaning of these two different words. Sadly, these two words are very often (wrongly) used interchangeably. They are fundamentally different and should biso 900e used depending on which ISO certification we are referring to. In terms of ISO 9001, the term certification should be used.

Accreditation on the whole carries more weight, and here’s why. Being certified means that your organization possesses certain qualifications and standards. On the other hand, being accredited means officially recognized by an authorized body. Let us look at the following example to better understand the differences between the two.

When it comes to being certified, you must work with a certification body. These can be based in one country yet provide certification to companies in other countries. For accreditation, if we were to take the example of Malta, where I am based, if a company desires to be achieve accreditation for ISO 17025, there is only one official body (here in Malta) that is capable of doing so.

So if your laboratory is based in America, and you require ISO 9001 certification, I myself, Luke Desira, can be of assistance. But if your laboratory is seeking accreditation for the ISO 17025 standard, then you must get in touch with the relevant competent authorized body.

Q | What does it mean to be ISO Certified?

The phrase ‘ISO Certified’ carries some weight with it – and for good reason as well. Being iso certified signifies that your organization has implemented a management system with high levels of integrity. As a result, no matter who is leading the company, the organization should operate smoothly, like a well-oiled machine with no hiccups whatsoever. This is seen as a highly positive achievement and is more likely to attract high quality clientele for your organization.

Being ISO certified also means that you will have a certification body or an accreditation body visit your company once a year to make sure that you are still following the processes defined in your management system.

Q | Which ISO certification is best?

There is no one ISO standard which is more important than the other, that is the reality. However, it does not mean that all standards have equal significance to every firm. That is because every standard overs something in particular and a food manufacturing firm will not have the same requirements as a medical laboratory.

However, one ought to consider that a number of standards are generic and as a result, multiple industries will benefit from the implementation of such standards. ISO 9001 is one such example, with the standard covering the quality of an organization.

Quality is understanding customer requirements and executing the activities that are needed from the product or service to meet the requirements your clients are seeking. Therefore, since quality relates to the act of understanding customer requirements and meeting customer expectations then that means that ISO 9001 is practically covering all the activities of your organization – depending on the industry that you operate in.

So, sticking to the examples mentioned above, a food manufacturing company might first implement ISO 9001, followed by the ISO 22000 standard, which focuses on food safety. Similarly, a medical laboratory might first implement the ISO 9001 quality standard, followed by the accreditation that comes with ISO 17025, which is all about the testing and equipment calibration that goes on in a laboratory.

it is recommended that you take a look at the Standards’ page as well as the list of ISO standards that are best suited for the different types of industries that exist.

Q | How do I drive improvement through ISO 9001?

ISO 9001 is rich with ideas about improving an organization and its day-to-day operations. These ideas come as a result of two philosophies which we can continuously observe throughout the standard.

Firstly, it is the idea of setting up target objectives, a sort of goal post for us to achieve in the short or long term. As an organization, having a a destination will help in clarifying where the organisarion is currently at, and where it must go. ths will ensure that all employees are puling the same rope in one direction – creating a unified workplace in the process as well (BIG bonus)!

Of course, these objectives do not have to relate solely to quality, you can create quality objectives relating to the operations, purchasing, finance and much more!

The second element which instills improvement is in fact a system which thrives on continual improvement. We are all humans and we all learn by making mistakes. I do understand that making mistakes can make you frustrated – so do I – but fear not, as these mistakes are an excellent source to learn from. Mistakes are only harmful when we keep repeating them over and over again.

ISO 9001 tries and minimise this from occurring through its corrective and oreventive action system. This system enables organisations to understand the type of issues they are facing, identifying the root causes of these issues and laslt,y inpointing solutions that will have an effective outcome.

So, all in all, the short answer for the ISO 9001 Question and Answer series is the following: improvement is driven through the setting up of quality objectives and by learning rom our mistakes and finding solutions to fix the root causes.

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Whether you’re after ISO Certification, internal audits, or results-oriented consultancy, Luke has the plan for you. Reach out to him and start your journey today.
ISO Consultant in Malta

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Q | Does ISO 9001:2015 cover health and safety?

 

The answer to this question is a mixed yes and no, confusing right?

ISO 9001 does cover health and safety since Clause 2 talks about normative references and Clause 4 refers to interested parties and their needs. Moreover, other elements within the quality management system talk about the need for the organization to meet all legal requirements relating to delivering your product and service.

In a nutshell, that means that in order to be compliant with ISO 9001 standard, you must have had health and safety compliance. However,  ISO 45001 is the standards that you are looking for if you want to implement a health and safety management system within your organization

 

Q | Is ISO 9001:2015 a legal requirement for organizations?

 

Although there is no legal requirement which imposes that your organization have to be ISO 9001 certified, a number of firms will require you to have a 9001 certification in order to work with or buy from you

Let’s be honest though, is it worth the risk of losing business over an ISO standard that is surely bound to improve your firm? No, right? So make sure you give me a call to sort this out!

 

Q | Can an individual/freelancer be certified with the ISO 9001:2015 Standard?

 

Up next in the ISO 9001 Question and Answer series is one of the most interesting questions found within this series. One important fact to realise is that an individual can operate through a company and companies  can of course be ISO certified. Therefore, as a freelancer you do have the possibility of getting ISO certified.

However, be aware that getting ISO certified as a freelancer does not mean that you are certified as an individual, but it means that you are certified as a company who operates with just an individual. At the end of the day, the number of employees have nothing to do with the ISO certification – it is just the fact that only companies can get certified and not individuals.

 

Q | Does ISO 9001:2015 apply to software and iGaming organizations?

 

The beauty of ISO 9001 is that it can be applied by any type of organization, irrespective of the industry that it operates in. Having said that there are other standards apart from ISO 9001 that could be beneficial to a software or an igaming organization. Once such standard is the ISO 27001 standard. It is all about information security and the setting up of an information security management system to protect your organization from threats. 

 

Q | Are there any alternatives to ISO 9001:2015?

 

he short answer is yes, there are other quality management systems based on different frameworkstahn that implemented by ISO 9001. There is no arguing about that. However, are the other alternatives as good as the ISO 9001 standard? Well you might ask this and you will be right to do so because the answer is no.

ISO 9001 is the most commonly sought quality management system in the world, in fact it is even requested by some clients and suppliers. In actual fact, over a million companies are ISO 9001 certified worldwide.

In addition to that, although from a technical point of view there might be alternatives to ISO 9001, from a branding or from an adoption point of view ISO 9001 is the best option that your organization can opt for. 

Q | My company wants to get certified; how do we do it?

 

This right here is the most common question – many firms end up being confused and do not know where to start. The ISO 9001 Question and Answer series would not be complete without this question.

I myself am a consultant and trainer and my job is to help companies to implement such a management system within their organizations. If you are just getting started on this journey what I would suggest is that you go through my website and like a sponge, absorb all the information that is available.

I am committed to sharing only factual and accurate information on my website to make sure that you have all the accurate information at your fingertips. If you would like to get more information you can also hire me as a consultant or else you can buy any of my digital products with regards to templates and/or training so that you can further understand the requirements of the standard.

One of the very first things that must be done in order to get certified  is understand the requirements of the standard – be it ISO 9001 or any other. This can be done through many sources but do keep in mind that the medium you choose from which to learn about the standard will affect your understanding of the standard and the way you ultimately implement it.

During the implementation of the standard within your business, the last thing that you would need is to create an overly bureaucratic system. Do keep in mind that if you implement the standard based off things that you purchase online, you might use templates that come with 80 forms. As a result, you will need to keep on updating those 80 forms throughout the period that you maintain your ISO certification. Thus, I greatly suggest that first of all you choose to work with a consultant who appreciates that life is already complicated enough and whose role is to simplify the requirements of the ISO 9001 standard to meet the requirements of your business.

Upon identifying the consultants to help your firm implement the standard, you will need to draft and implement the actual systems, followed by an internal audit. The auditor can be an external individual, such as myself, or he/she can be someone from within your organization – they must be adequate trained for it though. Make sure to look at the training provided from my website

Lastly, to get the certification or accreditation in question,  your organization must get in touch with a certification body, an entity that will provide you with an official certification. Imagine you are learning to drive a car, I myself will be your driving tutor, but in order for you to get your driver’s licence, you must apply through a government entity. This is the exact same situation where I will be teaching you about how to go about implementing the standard, and the certification body will provide you with the official document.

Maintaining the standard is just as important is implementing it correctly in the first place.After you have been certified, once a year you will be required to perform an internal audit alongside an external audit that will be carried ut by the certification body.

 

Q | Is ISO 9001:2015 applicable to manufacturers or some other special groups?

 

ISO 9001 can be used by any organization within any industry employing any number of people. All companies have quality management, but not all companies choose to focus on quality and that is shown by the quality of the products or services provided and by their consistency of products and services.

Consistency is achieved through ISO 9001 – it helps your organization deliver the same quality of goods and services, irrespective of the people who are operating your processes. And mark my words, that is key to a sustainable business.

That is it for the ISO 9001 Question and Answer. If you have any other questions you need answering, please do let me know. This was just one of the many Q and A episodes to come.

 

Want TO discover more about ISO standards?

As an ISO management system consultant, Luke Desira will make it his priority to ensure your company is fully up to standard! While there will be more to this Q and A series, more specifically, ISO 9001 Question and Answer, you can expand your knowledge through the other articles. Discover The Striking Differences Between ISO 15189 and ISO 17025 or the Requirements of ISO 9001 as a Quality Management System.

All management systems based on ISO Standards that are implemented should pertain directly to the organization’s objectives. Take a look at the ISO Certification specialised by Industry to understand which ISO certifications and accreditations your laboratory can benefit from.

Luke offers a variety of ISO certification services that puts him as the leading ISO Certification consultant in Malta. He can efficiently help you achieve ISO accreditation. When ready, just call Luke Desira – he’ll be more than happy to lend a helping hand.

Don’t forget to follow us on our Facebook and LinkedIn profiles, and subscribe to our Youtube Channel for more great content.

 

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