ISO 9001 - Why is it important?
Did you know that there are as many as 22000 International Standards that have been published since the first one released in the year 1951.
What is ISO 9001:2015?
ISO 9001:2015 is an international standard that deals with quality of the organisations, hence it is also named as Quality Management System (QMS). It helps in providing the framework for improving quality and also the vocabulary of understanding for any organization who are looking to provide products and services that will consistently meet the requirements and expectations of customers and other relevant parties who are interested in the most efficient and best manner possible.
The QMS is the aggregate and a very basic standard of all the other standards, processes, resources, assets, and cultural values that will support the goal of customer satisfaction and also improves the organizational efficiency.
First published in the year 1987,
This standard is replaced by ISO 9001:2015, the previous version being ISO 9001:2008
What does this standard DO?
ISO 9001:2015 doesn’t tell what an organization’s objectives should be or how to achieve them. In more simple words, it doesn't tell anyone how to run their business. It is a flexible standard which allows each and every organization to define for itself what its objectives are and what adherence to the standard are ought to be.
ISO 9001:2015 also defines the guiding principles that can be used at the time of creating efficiencies by aligning and streamlining all the processes that is required throughout the organization, in this effort to bring down the costs, create new opportunities, meet the regulatory requirements, this will also help the organizations to expand and enter into a new markets in which clients demand for ISO 9001 certification.
Why a new version?
The ISO will regularly review all the standards to ensure that they are all up-to-date and will also continue to be relevant for the needs of organizations around the world. The last major revision of ISO 9001 was in 2008. Although that might not seem like such a long time ago, due to the exponential increase in the availability of resource in the field of technology, products, and services for consumers, as well as the size and complexity of the global supply chain, all these collectively have meant that ISO needed to make 9001 meet several new requirements.
You should Know these!
ISO 9001:2015 was published in the month of September 2015 and by then, this was already known to be the most widely adopted standard in the history of standards. In order to help the more than 1 million companies that have certified to ISO 9001:2008 that should be moved to the new standard, the ISO had set in place a three-year transition period during which ISO 9001:2008 certification would remain valid. It is also important to note that after 2018, those companies that were certified as ISO 9001:2008 and have not transferred to the new standard i.e., ISO 9001:2015, will lose their ISO 9001 certification until they are re- certified to the new standard.
Just like other companies, ISO also has a mission that they are working towards and that is to provide companies around the world with a common specifications, terms, standards, and units of measurement. ISO does not provide certification or conformity assessment. Instead, it deals with the global trade and innovation which allows every organization in their sector from around the world to have a common language and expectations for everything right from technology and manufacturing to food safety industry, healthcare industry, and agricultural industry.
ISO standards also benefits organizations at the environmental, economical, and societal level that helps them in developing there organization. ISO has till date published more than 22,000 international standards from the time it first published standard in 1951.
Anything and everything should have a base to start, in the same way, ISO's mission was built based on the following:
ISO's main focus is strengthening the links between the standardization and public policy by providing a thought leadership and promoting awareness of best practices.
It is also involved in identifying and building national standardization strategies by applying the best practices/strategies.
Ensuring efficient operation of the organizations while managing financials.
Enables sustainability and reduces the risk.
It ensures participation of, and collaboration with, the key stakeholders in all standardization projects.
ISO helps in increasing adherence to Good Standardization Practices (GSP) among the standards experts in each and every national organization and also evaluates all processes which determines their alignment with the World Trade Organization (WTO) Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Agreement.
Conclusion
ISO 9001:2015 is said to be a global standard for Quality Management Systems and also ensures the companies efficiency for products, services, and international supply chains. Whether or not an organization is starting down the path of a QMS or transitioning to the 2015 standard, ISO 9001:2015 always embodies the best practices of Quality Management and also in quality certification.
The above mentioned are just some of the many other importance/benefits of being ISO 9001 certified companies. to know more about the this certification, we at Infimind Institute are always here to help you. You can contact our team, and we'll be more than happy to assist you.
Comments