ISO 9001
The internationally recognized quality management system standard, and the preferred solution for over ONE million organizations in 159 countries.
What is ISO 9001?
The ISO 9000 family of standards represents an international consensus on good quality management practices. It consists of standards and guidelines relating to quality management systems and related supporting standards.
ISO 9001:2008 is the standard that provides a set of standardized requirements for a quality management system, regardless of what the user organization does, its size, or whether it is in the private, or public sector. It is the only standard in the family against which organizations can be certified – although certification is not a compulsory requirement of the standard.
The other standards in the family cover specific aspects such as fundamentals and vocabulary, performance improvements, documentation, training, and financial and economic aspects.
ISO stands for International Organization of Standardization. In complying with ISO 9001 standards, each company must say what it does through documentation and processes, do what it says through action, and prove it to an independent, objective third part
ISO 9001:2008 is based on eight management principles. These are:
- Customer focus
- Leadership
- Involvement of people
- Process approach
- System approach to management
- Continual improvement
- Factual approach to decision making
- Mutually beneficial supplier relationships
Who can use ISO 9001?
One of the major strengths of ISO 9001 is its wider appeal for all types of organisation. Because it focuses on processes and customer satisfaction rather than procedures, it is equally applicable to service providers as well as manufacturers.
Benefits of ISO 9001
- it gives you improved product, process and service quality.
- it can increase customer satisfaction levels.
- it can lead to improved productivity and less waste.
- it may provide competitive advantage.
- it gives a clear demonstration of your commitment to quality.
- it enables you to work with the many organisations where it is a contractual obligation or expectation.
