This standard is by far the most widely recognised standard by businesses with over a million organisations applying the standard internationally. It provides a framework to manage an organisations processes to ensure customer requirements are consistently achieved. The “Plan, Do, Check, Act” methodology is the theme used across management standards.
ISO 9001 is one of a series of quality management system standards that consists of:
ISO 9000 – Fundamentals and Vocabulary: this provides the concepts behind management systems and defines the terminology used
ISO 9001 – Requirements: this standard defines the criteria to be used
ISO 9004 – Guidelines for performance improvement: this is based on eight quality management principles and provides a link to business excellence
To achieve real benefits in applying the standard it needs to be completed in a practical manner with the expertise of knowing what is really required. If applied properly a company can expect:
More efficient & effective company operations
Greater employee morale gained with ownership of process areas
Improved customer satisfaction
Continual improvement