Why is it that many companies aim for ISO 9001 certification? The reason is that it is a recognizable standard that proves to clients, customers, partners and suppliers that you live up to the standards of quality that you set in your organization. For manufacturing companies this includes proving that everything you provide to your clients has been quality tested – for more serviced-based businesses, it infers that you have processes in place to deliver high quality services. Processes can include sign-offs and approvals,
ISO 9001 is the international standard for quality management, set by the International Organization for Standardization, which works alongside national standards organizations to ensure a homogeneous standard across countries, industries and sectors. When a company becomes ISO 9001 certified, they are assessed in full and their procedures for quality maintenance are recorded in a company manual. Where there are gaps, recommendations are given to meet the standards and once proven, the company will be awarded ISO 9001. The certification is then audited on an annual basis.
ISO 9001 is compatible with a number of other international standards, including ISO 14001 for environmental management and ISO 27001 for information management. This means that companies for which these are relevant can acquire a number of certifications to prove their standards in other areas in addition to quality.
The value of being ISO 9001 certified is multi-fold. It acts as a ‘seal of approval’, showing your customers and partners that you maintain standards for quality. In addition to being an external tool, ISO 9001 certification can be used internally to cement your processes for quality management. If a business is planning to grow it can be an exceptionally good way of outlining how you will maintain quality as your company expands – avoiding the all-too-typical potholes of loss of customer satisfaction as your company outgrows your current service provision mechanisms. At the same time the ISO 9001 company manual can be used as a staff handbook, for both existing staff and for new recruits. Staff inductions can include a checklist of reviewing quality management processes, so that you know everyone has been fully informed of your expectations. And finally, the certification process can also offer incredible valuable insight into areas of you business that might need attention.