QUALITY BOOST: PROMPT ISO 9001 CERTIFICATION BRINGS SOLID BENEFITS (DEMO)
Some companies may hesitate at undergoing a thorough ISO 9001 certification process because of the amount of preparation it takes. However, firms that have received the certification have benefited greatly from being accredited: In a recent survey, 81 percent of responders have claimed that ISO 9001 certification has definitely helped them become more competitive. This comes in the form of getting more contracts, increased internal efficiency, and higher client confidence.
![ISO 9001-It Really Helps]()
For companies seeking to get these benefits and receive their own ISO certification 9001, they will need to pass muster under the eyes of certification bodies like International Standards Authority, Inc. However, to get this accreditation, companies will have to accomplish several steps. First, your company has to understand exactly what ISO 9001 standards require. ISO standards are intended to measure the quality of a company’s processes; ISO 9001 is the most wide-ranging since it covers areas like product design and production. Knowing the standards that you need to meet increases your chances of getting certified.
Second, institute the necessary changes. To meet the ISO 9001 requirements, the processes currently in effect in your company will need to change. With an emphasis towards quality, your firm has to develop a quality management system (QMS) manual, which will determine how your company is supposed to handle quality challenges. Additional procedures that need to be considered should include how your firm assures the quality of its raw materials and the final products. This usually covers auditing processes to ensure that low-quality components and products are immediately traced to their respective sources, and that these are replaced so that the root causes of the slips in quality are resolved.
Third, you’ll need to prepare your employees. An important part of ensuring that your company passes is making your employees intimately familiar with your company’s quality policy. Employees must be trained on the quality processes that you’ve instituted, and they should be able to state the company’s quality policy in their own words. Your people should also keep complete records of their performance, with all the forms filled out properly so that auditors can see how effective your policies are.
Finally, organize everything. ISO 9001 auditors need to see the records and forms regarding your company’s performance. Having these documents easily available makes it easy for the inspectors and shows that you are keeping proper documentation in mind. This is crucial because QMS require detailed record-keeping so that future audits can detect any problems that need to be resolved.
(Source: ISO 9001: ‘It Really Helps’, Quality Digest)
For companies seeking to get these benefits and receive their own ISO certification 9001, they will need to pass muster under the eyes of certification bodies like International Standards Authority, Inc. However, to get this accreditation, companies will have to accomplish several steps. First, your company has to understand exactly what ISO 9001 standards require. ISO standards are intended to measure the quality of a company’s processes; ISO 9001 is the most wide-ranging since it covers areas like product design and production. Knowing the standards that you need to meet increases your chances of getting certified.
Second, institute the necessary changes. To meet the ISO 9001 requirements, the processes currently in effect in your company will need to change. With an emphasis towards quality, your firm has to develop a quality management system (QMS) manual, which will determine how your company is supposed to handle quality challenges. Additional procedures that need to be considered should include how your firm assures the quality of its raw materials and the final products. This usually covers auditing processes to ensure that low-quality components and products are immediately traced to their respective sources, and that these are replaced so that the root causes of the slips in quality are resolved.
Third, you’ll need to prepare your employees. An important part of ensuring that your company passes is making your employees intimately familiar with your company’s quality policy. Employees must be trained on the quality processes that you’ve instituted, and they should be able to state the company’s quality policy in their own words. Your people should also keep complete records of their performance, with all the forms filled out properly so that auditors can see how effective your policies are.
Finally, organize everything. ISO 9001 auditors need to see the records and forms regarding your company’s performance. Having these documents easily available makes it easy for the inspectors and shows that you are keeping proper documentation in mind. This is crucial because QMS require detailed record-keeping so that future audits can detect any problems that need to be resolved.
(Source: ISO 9001: ‘It Really Helps’, Quality Digest)