ISO9001 – The Quality Management Standard

ISO9001 is the internationally recognised standard for quality. It indicates that an organisation’s Quality Management System meets the requirements laid down by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

A Quality Management System (QMS) is a system that documents your organisation’s policies, processes and procedures relating to quality (i.e. meeting your customers’ needs).

ISO9001, like many of the standards, follows the principles of Plan, Do, Check, Act (PDCA). While this may sound complicated, it simply means that you plan what you are going to do, do what you planned and then check that you did what you planned. It requires that you understand any risks that there may be in delivering to customers and clients and you resolve and identify the root cause of any problems.  

ISO9001 signals that your organisation is committed to meeting the needs of its stakeholders. It also helps you improve efficiency, cut costs, increase employee engagement and protect your reputation. It’s also a key part of many supply chain questionnaires so can help you break into new markets.

Many clients find that it supports their growing businesses by enabling more stable growth and allowing them to identify and exploit new opportunities.

ISO9001 is suitable for any organisation which recognises that meeting customers’ needs is vital for ongoing success. The latest version of the standard, issued in 2015, has shrugged off its old image of being focused solely on manufacturing and being very heavy on paperwork. Now, it’s very relevant to all sizes and sectors, including professional services organisations. 

From a business perspective, you can expect to increase efficiency, improve productivity and maximise profits. This is because ISO9001 enables you to:

• Reduce wastage by getting things right first time
• Understand your customers’ needs and develop products/services which meet their future requirements
• Increase customer retention
• Identify time saving processes
• Meet requirements outlined within tenders (especially public sector)

ISO9001 is recognised globally.

ISO9001 ensures that the ‘way that things are done’ is documented. As businesses grow, we are often so busy ‘doing’ that we fail to commit our processes and procedures to paper. By helping you document these, we’ll make it easier for any new employees to become productive and ensure that colleagues can step in if a key member of the team leaves.

ISO9001 makes life easier for your team by ensuring they have the training and skills needed to do their jobs. This reduces customer dissatisfaction and boosts morale. Many businesses note a decrease in staff turnover after achieving ISO9001. 

ISO9001 also enables growing businesses to make the most of opportunities and maximise growth through recommendation. Find out how preparing for ISO9001 certification helped Transcription City identify a new income stream during COVID lockdown.

ISO9001 is a great foundation for other standards such as ISO27001 (Information Security) and ISO45001 (Health & Safety) and because they all use a structure called Annex SL, there are a number of common components which allow your business to integrate the standards. After all, you don’t run your business in silos, so why would you run management systems separately? Find out how our Integrated Management System has helped us grow in our case studies on ISO9001 and ISO27001/ISO27701. 

The cost depends on the size and complexity of your organisation and how much time you can devote to the project. We’ll put together a package that meets your needs, including flexible payment terms, if required. 

The last update was in 2015, so we’re not expecting another update for another few years. However, if there are any changes, we let our clients know so we can help them make a smooth transition in the allowed timeframe (this is normally three years). If you’re not a client, please register for our newsletter, which includes the latest ISO news.

To achieve ISO9001, your systems will need to be audited against the requirements of the standard. The audit will be carried out by a third party. We’ll help you prepare your systems in readiness so you can be confident of success. Find out about our tried-and-tested ISO certification process.

You will normally receive your ISO9001 certificate within two weeks of a successful external audit (the last stage in the ISO certification process). As well as a certificate, you will be entitled to use an ISO certification logo on your website and other marketing materials. We’ll provide you with a Promotion Power Pack to help your marketing team make the most of this.

We’re very proud of our reputation for making ISO certification quicker, simpler and jargon-free. Our experienced ISO consultants will create a bespoke step-by-step plan to help you achieve compliance. Unlike other consultants, we’re certified to ISO9001 ourselves, so we know and understand the benefits of running a Quality Management System and will share our experiences with you.

ISO9001 can easily be integrated with ISO14001 (Environmental), ISO27001(Information Security) and ISO45001 (Health & Safety). The four are designed to work together as an Integrated Management System.

ISO27001 is increasingly popular due to the threat that cybercrime poses to every business.  

You will need to be recertified every year. We’ll remind you before the audit is due, arrange the audit itself and provide any support you may need. 

We can help you maintain compliance throughout the year by assisting or leading your internal audits and management reviews. We can also provide telephone and email support via our Compliance as a Service. This is a cost-effective way to access expert knowledge from someone who understands your business. 

If you’re interested in improving your health & safety, please contact us today for a free, no obligation chat.