ISO 9001 - Reduce risk and optimize operations
What is ISO 9001?
ISO 9001 is an international quality management system that can be seen as a tool for top management in companies and organizations to create order and order in the business and ensure quality. According to ISO 9001 is proof to customers and suppliers that the company or organization maintains the quality they require. In some areas, it is even a requirement that companies are certified to participate in procurements. In 2015, the fifth version was published, which has the same structure as other management system standards. Today, there are over a million certified companies worldwide.
The Seven Quality Management Principles
ISO 9001 is based on seven quality management principles essential for achieving high performance and continual improvement:
- Customer Focus: Understand and meet customer needs to enhance customer satisfaction.
- Leadership: Leadership should create unity of purpose and direction for the organization.
- Engagement of People: Engaged and competent employees are crucial for creating value.
- Process Approach: Understanding and managing activities as interconnected processes contribute to efficiency.
- Improvement: Continual improvement should be a permanent goal for the organization.
- Evidence-Based Decision Making: Decisions should be based on the analysis of data and information.
- Relationship Management: Manage relationships with stakeholders to optimize their impact on business performance.
Implementation and Certification
Implementing ISO 9001 involves developing and documenting policies, processes, and procedures that meet the standard's requirements. Certification means an accredited certification body reviews and approves that the QMS meets ISO 9001:2015 requirements. This can enhance customer trust and open new markets.
The standard links quality work to the company's strategy
The standard highlights the importance of quality work being linked to a business's business strategies. The quality work must be included in the daily grind and sometimes just once. The business processes must be reviewed and ranked according to their importance for quality. It is about constantly improving and changing the business to meet customers' requirements and needs.
In ISO 9001, it is considered essential to carry out external monitoring and identify the stakeholders who have and can influence the quality. The customer is a central stakeholder as the customer is the key to success. It is crucial to shaping the management system based on reality by identifying the risks and opportunities.
It is also becoming more and more important to look at how the business affects its surroundings, and today the customer sees, for example, environmental and work environment aspects as part of the quality. Requirements such as not using, for example, child labor or releasing hazardous substances into nature must be included in the quality work in order to have a holistic perspective.
Future analysis is also an important part of ISO 9001 as it is not certain that what the customer wants today is what the customer wants in the future and it is important to follow developments so as not to lose market share.