ISO 9001 is an international standard that is used to define a quality management system. As a result, it clearly stipulates a range of criteria that is used to indicate quality management principles such as optimising leadership or management within an organisation as well as enhancing internal processes and making ongoing improvements.
Known as the International Organization for Standardisation (ISO), it is a standard-setting body that is used internationally. What this means is that the organisation has the responsibility for defining and implementing the required standard that organisations have to meet.
ISO 9001 accreditation is not actually certified by the organisation and so, third party organisations will take care of this.
If you are wondering what the 9001 means, then this is known as the identifier standard. ISO 9001 is one of the most widely-known standards and is used for defining quality management systems and it forms part of the ISO 9000 family, all of which are related to quality management.
The aim of the standard is to support organisations in becoming more efficient while also helping them to meet their customer’s needs.
Certification
Within the ISO 9000 family, ISO 9001 is the only standard that can be certified, and it is not a specific requirement although organisations can still implement certain principles without the need to get certified. However, only organisations can become certified, and this will cover the whole organisation although it will focus on certain facilities or departments, whereby it is shaped to enhance the way in which these specific areas perform.
Achieving Certification
It is important to make it clear that ISO 9001 is a certification that has to be achieved and it makes up part of an auditing process. If you want to become ISO 9001 certified then you will need to build and implement a quality management system that meets all of the main principles of the latest ISO 9001 standard.
Once this has been done, you will then have to undergo a thorough audit by a Certified Body. During the audit, the performance of your quality management system will be assessed against the latest ISO 9001 standard.
Should the audit determine that you are successful, you will achieve certification although you will have to be audited after three years and every three years following this. This is done to ensure that you continue to meet the relevant standards along with any changes.
Why Is It Important?
When an organisation achieves ISO 9001 certification, it is recognised on a global scale, and it is a sign of prestige and quality. Therefore, organisations are seen to have the right systems in place to provide customer satisfaction while also improving consistently.
It also comes with benefits such as improving profiles, saving time because of efficient resource management and the reduction of problems. Additionally, it will enhance brand image and give organisations a greater level of credibility and that is something that goes a long way with customers.
