ISO 9001 certification means the customer at the center. Not just words, but by following the necessary procedures. This is the heart of the ISO standard for quality management. Therefore, the regulation is a strategic tool and not a mere formal fulfillment.
ISO 9001: what it is
ISO 9001 certification is an international standard reference. This means that it can be applied to every organization/company, independently of the belonging field or their public or private nature. It’s a company’s strategic choice thanks to which the business activity is focused on the customers needs. By applying it, we tend to constantly improve the company performance. Consequently, the possibility of ensuring a high quality of its services or products increases.
ISO 9001:2015
In addition to aiming the business performance improvement, the standard has improved itself. On September 23rd, in 2015, the new edition was published. However, it wasn’t an isolated change. It’s part of the shifts that have involved the ISO rules’ group (International Organization for Standardization) on management systems. A new structure has been introduced, in jargon language HLS, that means High level structure. Why this new structure? To adapt the rules to the PDCA approach, an acronym for Plan-do-check-act also known as the Shewhart or Deming cycle (method for the control and products and processes’ continuous improvement).
Quality certification, here are the benefits
We have already written: the ISO 9001 standard is a strategic tool through which to obtain:
- contexts analysis: internal and external;
- processes’effectiveness and efficiency growth;
- staff involvement;
- risk analysis;
- costs control;
- reduction of waste.
These steps have as their aim:
a) the satisfaction of the customer’s expectations,
b) to minimise the risk of not fulfilling the promises and
c) to keep under control the processes that lead to the service/product realization .
But there’s more: among the rule’s goals there’s that of involving human resources as much as possible. Which means: a greater skills valorisation, but also an exact definition of the responsibilities.
The ISO 9001 certification offers, then, an organizational model that isn’t closed. In fact, it could provide as basis for integration or finalisation with all other regulations such as ISO 27001 related to the security information, ISO 14001 for environmental management and ISO 45001 related to the health management and workplace safety.
To own a ISO 9001 certification means to enhance competitiveness and expanding its trade in the international field too, being able to demonstrate an objective quality organization. And again: it’s possible to win both national and international tender calls. It also benefits the brand building, given that the certification attests that the organization/company offers «products that satisfy the customer coherently», while it isn’t implying the service/product superiority.
In other words, ISO 9001 offers a strategic vision that helps organizations/companies to find new opportunities in an increasingly global and rapidly changing business, due to the introduction of new technologies. Opportunities related to ongoing customer focus, human resources, business processes and context analysis.