ISO REGISTRATION PROCESSES SET THE MARK FOR QUALITY IN BUSINESSES (DEMO)
The ISO (or International Standards Organization), is a Geneva-based body that created the ISO 9000 Series Standards for Management Quality and Assurance. Such standards were made to ensure that businesses are producing top-notch products and services, by putting an excellent quality management system in place.
The ISO9000 standards do not measure product quality, but the quality of the procedures in place to manufacture a product. It is premised on the logic that any product made through strictly regulated processes is better guaranteed of having exemplary quality.
Such assurance is a feat many businesses actively aim for since ISO9000’s publication in 1987. More than 1 million ISO 9001 certificates have been given as of 2009, according to data from ISO Survey 2009.
Types of Assurances
In its inception in 1987, the ISO 9000 series had three basic models: ISO 9001, which had been developed for companies engaged in design, production, installation, and servicing; ISO 9002 which was similar to ISO 9001 but applied to companies not engaged in new product development; and ISO 9003, which set standards for the inspection and testing of finished products, with no concerns on their manufacture.
In 2000, the three models were integrated into one, which was called ISO 9001. Only companies engaged in making new products were required to have quality systems in place for such processes. This streamlined ISO registration processes, and introduced changes that included the participation of top executives to ensure a thorough integration of quality management practices in all levels of a company’s operations.
Additionally, numeric measurements were put in place to quantify the effectiveness of adopted measures, and more explicit criteria were given for continuous improvement and for monitoring customer satisfaction. Given the encompassing scope of the revised ISO 9001, the services of assessors, such as ISA Registration, have become invaluable in the setting and implementation of procedures that can lead to a certification.
Up and coming businesses are encouraged to undertake ISO 9001 registration procedures, as this can assist managers in determining the system that works best for a company. Registrar companies can aid growing businesses in coming up with a Quality Management System that the company can adhere to at the onset, and which would set the groundwork in any expansion, ensuring that a high level of quality and efficiency is maintained at all times.
Likewise, an ISO 9001 certification provides credibility to a fledgling company, making it more competitive against even established entities. After all, the promise of quality is something everyone looks for in any product or business, and an ISO 9001 provides that promise with better certainty.
(Source: ISO 9000, Reference for Business)