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FAQs --> How to
get ISO 9001
How do we get certification to the ISO 9001 quality standard?
To get the actual certificate itself, you must make a formal application
with a certifier (known as 'registrar' in the USA and UK). But the process
actually begins
much earlier.
Process Overview
- Decide to get ISO 9001. You need commitment and a firm decision from
your top management.
- Appoint someone to manage the project. It is a project, so
you need someone to co-ordinate and manage it as such.
- Allocate resources. Decide whether to
use a consultant, or
do it yourself.
- Find out what is involved. Establish where you are now, against where you need to be to get it
- a
'gap analysis'. You'll
benefit from experienced advice here.
- Make a plan of what to do, including when (a schedule). Use the
results of your gap analysis here to create the plan.
- Now develop your system: fill in all the gaps identified in the analysis,
revising or improving where needed. Development includes
identifying the processes you use, documenting your system, and
all the improvements you need to meet the
requirements of the Standard.
You'll use
the 'PDCA' or
continuous improvement
cycle to do this.
Development
is the biggest step, which takes the most time & effort.
Make sure you involve people throughout, so that they understand and
use the system.
(One good reason they should be involved!)
- Internally audit your own system. Address any issues you
find, including failures or problems, using your formal procedures
for correcting them.
- Choose an auditor -
an accredited
certifier/registrar. Put
in the formal application and fee, and schedule the date of the audit.
- Undergo the external audit.
The certifier audits your quality system against all of the
specific requirements of ISO 9001. It's a rigorous test of the various
aspects of your quality management system.
- Get the certificate and celebrate!
Assuming you are successful, the certifier can award you the coveted certificate.
The certificate usually arrives slightly after the audit: it
usually states the scope of your certification (what it
covers), the Standard (ISO 9001) and that your company complies.
The exact format varies according to your certifier (type of logo,
etc).
Your certifier
also enters you onto the official register of certified
organisations - see Links for more info.
You are now said to be 'registered/certified to ISO 9001' or
to 'have ISO 9001 certification'.
How long and how much?
According to a recent Australian survey, the mean time to implement
ISO 9001 is 8 months. But it can take less or more time than this. Our standard answer: How
long is a piece of string? (Sorry, couldn't resist).
There are two kinds of costs: 1. for certification itself and 2. the cost associated with
getting ready for certification. For # 1, get quotes from certifiers, who will
ask you for information to prepare it. For a small company
with a single location, expect to budget perhaps around $3 - 4K AUD
annually + GST.
The cost of #2 depends on what you choose - do it all yourself? Buy a
kit? Use a consultant? Consider: can you just ask a travel agent, "How much is a holiday?"
They'd need to know things such as: Where do you want to go?
When? Plane, train, bus or
driving? Car hire?
Any stop-overs, or go direct? And so on.
The answer is: it depends. Factors that influence
time and cost most are usually:
- How committed and 'quality aware' your business owner/senior
management are - this is usually the single most important factor
- Why you want it
- What's the size and complexity of your business?
- Where are you now? Do you already have a structured and
disciplined system in place to manage your business now, or not?
Are you close to many requirements, or far away? How many gaps
are there, and how wide?
- Do you have any 'documentation' such as procedures,
flowcharts, checklists, forms, policies or job descriptions?
You don't to 'document everything' but your system must be a
documented one. Is anything documented? What? Is it
current?
- Do your business activities include 'design'
of services/products or not? If so, how complex are your design
activities? (this in turn affects what documentation
you need)
- What resources do you have? What skills, experience and time
available?
- When do you want
certification by?
To assess this with some degree of accuracy, a
gap analysis
is usually required. < -- Back to FAQs
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