|
|
||
|
|
simple, practical and flexible ISO 9001 quality management | |
|
|
|||||
|
|
ISO 9001Consultant - practical, simple and flexible adviceISO 9001 - what is it?The international standard for a quality management system, and one of the mostly widely known standards. The full title is ISO 9001 Quality management systems - requirements, but it's usually just called 'ISO 9001'. It puts the focus on consistent quality of services (or products) and satisfaction for customers. How do you do this? By having a system to manage quality. A quality management system that uses the model from the 9001 Standard is one that is based on an internationally known and respected model for a quality management system. Most of the Standard is made up of a set of requirements. These are things you are 'required' (must) do. They are set out in 5 main groups:
The requirements aren't unusual: they are really just sheer good sense. For example, 6.2 says your people must be competent; clause 7.2.1 says you must establish what your customers want. (See what I mean?) More on the requirements of ISO 9001. It's important to understand that SO 9001 says what you must do, but not how. For example, it says you have to plan the processes you need, and you have to know what processes you have, and control them. But it doesn't dictate any specific methods, formats or ways to do this. (In contrast, the vast majority of standards are very specific technical standards.) ISO 9001 is one exception; Environmental Management ISO 14001 is another. Both are 'generic' Standards, because you can apply them to any type of organisation, whether small, medium or big, and in any field. Many people only think of the 9001 Standard in connection with manufacturing, but it is also successfully used by service businesses such as consulting or real estate companies, and non-manufacturing businesses such as importers, distributors and retailers. It can also be applied in non-commercial organisations, including schools and colleges, statutory authorities, charities, even churches and missions. >> ISO 9001 FAQs How do you get ISO 9001?Your quality management system must meet all of the requirements of the Standard. To do this, you undergo an audit: a detailed test and examination to establish if the management system your organisation uses complies with (meets) all the requirements of ISO 9001. It's an audit of your system (not your financials) and must be done by a properly accredited certifier or registrar. If successful, you get a certificate. (Assuming of course you pass
- never a problem for our
clients.) Then you can say you are ISO 9001 certified
or registered. (Often mistakenly called being 'ISO accredited'.( What's the catch?One trap: you do need inside knowledge. There are some distinct traps for the ignorant or unwary. Another: you could allow yourself to have a difficult and bureaucratic system imposed on you, usually because you believe it 'has to be like that' to get the certificate for ISO 9001: 2008. But that is not true. You can do it but with an intelligent quality management system: a simple, practical and flexible system. Doesn't everyone do that? Unfortunately, no. Some suffer under complex and bureaucratic systems, overloaded with documents that are hard to comprehend or use. Expensive to create and even worse to try and work with. How does it happen? Often through a lack of understanding or experience: you can avoid this by reading our report on the most common mistakes with ISO 9001. Why settle for less than a simple, practical and flexible quality management system, when you can use the power of ISO 9001 to achieve real, measurable business improvement? What are the benefits of ISO 9001?How will you feel when you have an ISO 9001 certified quality management system? Some of the benefits of ISO 9001 most often reported are:
Are you wondering how you can do that? If you'd have to change everything you do. Worse, 'document everything'? Perhaps you've heard doing ISO is really hard? The only time those things are true is usually when it isn't done intelligently. ISO 9001 doesn't have to be hardYou see, we don't do 'quality systems' with huge, horrible and wordy ISO 9001 quality manuals, laden with bureaucracy and forms. (I'm sure we all have better things to do with our time.) Those kinds of over-complicated systems are rarely well received. They don't often work well and frequently aren't followed. Except perhaps by whoever put it in place. But the very last thing you need is a system that only one or two people understand! Doesn't it make sense to have a simple and practical quality system? Flexible enough to work for you today, as well as cope with changes when they come up? Find out how. Back to Top
How we can help -
What clients say -
Contact us
|
|
|||
Home 
