
	ISO 9001 that is simple, practical and flexible	Contact us

ISO 9001Consultant - practical, simple and flexible advice

ISO 9001 - what is it?

While the full title is ISO 9001:2000 Quality management systems - requirements, it's usually just known as 'ISO 9001'. This is the international standard for a quality management system, or 'QMS'.

A QMS aims for systematic and consistent processes with the central focus on satisfying customers. The 9001 Standard is the most widely known and respected model used for a quality mananagement system.

The Standard itself consists of a set of 'requirements': things that must exist or be done. The requirements are set out in 4 broad categories:

management responsibility
resource management
services or products
measurement, analysis and checking.

There are also some general ones that apply throughout. Each requirement is numbered. For example, 6.2 says your people must be competent; clause 7.2.1 says you must establish what customers want. As the examples indicate, the requirements of ISO 9001 are really just good business sense.

ISO 9001 says what you must do, but it does'nt specify how you must do things, or dictate any specific formats. Most standards are very specific technical or product standards, but ISO 9001 is a generic standard. (14001 - Environmental - is another). Generic means the Standard can be applied to any type of organisation, whatever their size - small, medium or big - or their field.

The Standard is used by manufacturers, importers, distributors and service providers such as consulting or real estate companies. But it can also be usefully 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 must undergo an audit: a detailed test and examination of your system to establish if it complies with (or meets) all the requirements of ISO 9001. It's an audit of your system, not finances, and must be performed by a properly accredited certifier.

After the audit, you get a certificate. (Assuming of course you pass - never a problem for our clients.) Finally, you can say you are ISO 9001 certified or registered, which is often, but mistakenly, called 'ISO accredited'.
>> More: How to get ISO 9001 .

What's the catch?

At least one trap: some inside knowledge is required. Another: your quality management system can get a certificate for ISO 9001: 2000. But at the same time, you could also have an intelligent quality management system: one that's simple, practical and flexible.

You'd think that would be obvious, wouldn't you? And that everyone would? Sadly, no. Some end up with complex and bureaucratic systems, overloaded with documents that are hard to comprehend or use. Costly to create and worse to 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:

More business, because you can sell to new markets or it distinguishes you in the marketplace
Easy to respond to tenders or questionnaires asking about your quality system
Better management control and reporting, which means you know how your business is doing quicker and more easily
Improvements in the quality of service or product; fewer failures
Business functions in a disciplined way: you have a systematic way of approaching things and a solid structure for growth; you can anticipate and plan for change readily
Consistent, repeatable processes
People know what to do and how; they don't spend time finding out or 'reinventing the wheel'
Not wasting time or money on the same old problems
If problems or issues arise, you have an effective and systematic method of fixing them.

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 hard

You 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.