“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.
