Organizations often engage the services of an independent ISO consultant to help plan and implement their quality management system. However, it is entirely possible to learn and implement the requirements of the standard yourself using the browser based training resource provided free by www.iso-9001-checklist.co.uk.
This resource will provide your organization with immediate access to a body of knowledge that could help your organization ensure the effectiveness of its quality management system; in short, it has the potential to save you thousands in unnecessary consultancy fees.
Four Reasons to Hire an ISO Consultant
1. To plan the implementation project.
The efficient implementation of the standard starts with a robust plan, taking into account all variables that you might encounter, omitting the areas that are already in place and by developing an estimate of the duration of each phase.
2. To interpret the standard.
An ISO consultant who understands the requirements of the standard will help your organization avoid wasting time undertaking things the standard does not require, or undertaking things that do not meet the requirements of the standard.
3. To benefit from previous experience.
Employing an ISO consultant to guide your organization towards efficient implementation from the start, without having to learn the ropes on your own which thereby reduces the need to ‘learn as you go’.
4. To manage the implementation programme.
An ISO consultant will liaise with your ISO 9001 implementation team and ensure that work is completed in accordance with the implementation programme.
Why not go it alone?
In order to ensure that your organization has got what it takes to build a compliant quality management system and then to achieve certification might appear to be a very daunting challenge. Seeking the help of an ISO consultant is the most common response to this challenge, yet it is an unnecessary option to take.
Once you have read through our body of knowledge you will begin to understand the requirements more thoroughly. This guidance helps you go through the entire implementation process effortlessly because the training resource divides ISO 9000 into four sections, Plan, Do, Check and Act. The page menu then sub divides each section into Principles, Base Clauses and Requirements for easy comparison.
Summary
Rather than paying an ISO Consultant high consultancy fees, it is possible to purchase quality system templates which are ready to use and which could save you thousands of pounds. We provide easy to edit and fully customizable quality system templates along with free training resources to help your organization achieve a competitive edge.
To learn more about implementation without an ISO consultant, visit ISO 9001 Checklist:
http://www.iso-9001-checklist.co.uk/iso-9001-training.htm.
Showing posts with label ISO 9001. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ISO 9001. Show all posts
Wednesday, 6 October 2010
Wednesday, 21 July 2010
What is ISO 9001?
ISO 9001 contains all of the requirements which an organisation must address within their Quality Management System (QMS) if they wish to be certified against the Standard. The majority of these requirements would be identified by many organisations as 'common sense' topics which they would want to address in order to run their business well e.g. sales, design, purchasing, training, calibration of test equipment, control of records.
ISO 9001 is written by a committee (TC 176) and is designed for use in any type of organisation. This inevitably means that there are compromises in the wording of the Standard and some interpretation is often needed.
There are 8 sections in ISO 9001
1. Scope
2. References
3. Terms and definitions
4. Quality management system
5. Management responsibility
6. Resource management
7. Product realisation
8. Measurement, analysis and improvement
ISO 9001 Keys to Success
It is sections 4, 5, 6, 7 & 8 which contain the Requirements themselves and organisations wishing to be certified against ISO 9001 will need to demonstrate that they have addressed all of these requirements.
There are over 250 individual requirements in ISO 9001 that can be condensed into five key statements.
The organisation shall:
1. Determine the needs and expectations of customers
2. Establish policies, objectives and a work environment necessary to motivate people to satisfy these needs
3. Design, resource and manage a system of inter-related processes to implement the policy and attain the objectives
4. Measure and analyse the effectiveness of each process in fulfilling its objectives
5. Pursue the continual improvement of the system from an objective evaluation of its performance.
ISO 9001:2008 Approval
ISO 9001:2008 registration gives the organisation the benefit of an objectively evaluated and enforced quality management system. It is a tangible expression of a firm's commitment to quality that is internationally understood and accepted.
ISO 9001:2008 registration is carried out by certification bodies (registrars), accredited organisations that review the organisation's quality manual and working practices to ensure that they meet the Standard.
Using ISO 9001:2008
It is important that when an organisation is certified to ISO 9001, it is clear which aspects of the organisation are covered by the certificate. This is addressed through the Scope of Registration, and this must clearly identify what is included so as not to mislead.
It is a requirement that all elements of ISO 9001 must be addressed by the organisation. However, there are specific circumstances under which certain requirements of the Standard can be excluded, yet compliance with ISO 9001 still be claimed:
- Any excluded requirements do not affect the ability of the organisation to meet customer and regulatory requirements
- Any excluded requirements do not affect the ability of the organisation to provide conforming products or services
- Any excluded requirements must only come from section 7 (Product realisation) of ISO 9001. An example may be customer property. Clearly if a company never deals with such property then the requirement would not be applicable
The company's quality manual must also clearly identify why specific requirements of ISO 9001 have been excluded and the justification for that exclusion.
What 9001 is not
ISO 9001 is NOT a product Standard - it contains no product requirements. It is a series of generic requirements for quality management systems. Approval to ISO 9001 does not guarantee product or service quality. Customer focused leadership, not standards produce satisfied customers.
Approval to ISO 9001 demonstrates that you meet the minimum requirements of quality management.
How can we help?
Looking for ISO 9001 advice and interpretation?
Check out our Quality Manual: http://www.iso-9001-checklist.co.uk/iso-9001-quality-manual.htm
ISO 9001 is written by a committee (TC 176) and is designed for use in any type of organisation. This inevitably means that there are compromises in the wording of the Standard and some interpretation is often needed.
There are 8 sections in ISO 9001
1. Scope
2. References
3. Terms and definitions
4. Quality management system
5. Management responsibility
6. Resource management
7. Product realisation
8. Measurement, analysis and improvement
ISO 9001 Keys to Success
It is sections 4, 5, 6, 7 & 8 which contain the Requirements themselves and organisations wishing to be certified against ISO 9001 will need to demonstrate that they have addressed all of these requirements.
There are over 250 individual requirements in ISO 9001 that can be condensed into five key statements.
The organisation shall:
1. Determine the needs and expectations of customers
2. Establish policies, objectives and a work environment necessary to motivate people to satisfy these needs
3. Design, resource and manage a system of inter-related processes to implement the policy and attain the objectives
4. Measure and analyse the effectiveness of each process in fulfilling its objectives
5. Pursue the continual improvement of the system from an objective evaluation of its performance.
ISO 9001:2008 Approval
ISO 9001:2008 registration gives the organisation the benefit of an objectively evaluated and enforced quality management system. It is a tangible expression of a firm's commitment to quality that is internationally understood and accepted.
ISO 9001:2008 registration is carried out by certification bodies (registrars), accredited organisations that review the organisation's quality manual and working practices to ensure that they meet the Standard.
Using ISO 9001:2008
It is important that when an organisation is certified to ISO 9001, it is clear which aspects of the organisation are covered by the certificate. This is addressed through the Scope of Registration, and this must clearly identify what is included so as not to mislead.
It is a requirement that all elements of ISO 9001 must be addressed by the organisation. However, there are specific circumstances under which certain requirements of the Standard can be excluded, yet compliance with ISO 9001 still be claimed:
- Any excluded requirements do not affect the ability of the organisation to meet customer and regulatory requirements
- Any excluded requirements do not affect the ability of the organisation to provide conforming products or services
- Any excluded requirements must only come from section 7 (Product realisation) of ISO 9001. An example may be customer property. Clearly if a company never deals with such property then the requirement would not be applicable
The company's quality manual must also clearly identify why specific requirements of ISO 9001 have been excluded and the justification for that exclusion.
What 9001 is not
ISO 9001 is NOT a product Standard - it contains no product requirements. It is a series of generic requirements for quality management systems. Approval to ISO 9001 does not guarantee product or service quality. Customer focused leadership, not standards produce satisfied customers.
Approval to ISO 9001 demonstrates that you meet the minimum requirements of quality management.
How can we help?
Looking for ISO 9001 advice and interpretation?
Check out our Quality Manual: http://www.iso-9001-checklist.co.uk/iso-9001-quality-manual.htm
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