ISO 9001 CONSULTANTS
Use the ISO 9001 standard to drive productive and reliable processes, customer satisfaction and continually improve quality performance
Use the ISO 9001 standard to drive productive and reliable processes, customer satisfaction and continually improve quality performance
Productivity is a critical issue in organisations today.
Providing the right structure and resources for your staff and suppliers is crucial to your organisation and its ability to achieve business objectives.
Eliminate and reduce risks that could affect your products or services
Improve your quality performance over time
Engage with your customers to meet their needs, now and in the future
ISO 9001 is the internationally recognised standard for Quality management (QMS). The purpose of the Quality Management System is to enable organisations to:
ISO 9001 is written as a generic standard and provides a management framework for an organisation to manage and improve quality performance. Critically, ISO 9001 focuses the attention of the organisation on the Plan-Do-Check-Act process.
Many organisations will manage some aspects of quality, however, an ISO 9001 Quality management system will drive systemic and sustained improvement on quality performance over time. As a result, quality becomes a key focus for workers right from the point of recruitment.
ISO 9001 puts a great deal of emphasis on leadership and senior management commitment to creating a quality culture.
The standard ensures your also has a focus on the risks and opportunities that face your organisation. Ensure that the bad things don’t happen, and that good opportunities are maximised!
Yes, many organisations will have more than 1 standard in place and the 2015 versions of the Standards are designed to facilitate this.
For example, procedures and instructions can be integrated with safe systems of work, or issues such as Information Security clearly identified and communicated.
Organisations with ISO 14001 environmental management can integrate objectives to maximise opportunities for environmental enhancement or products with greater environmental performance.
Quality Management systems require the use of the PDCA cycle as the basis of continual improvement. Organisations don’t have to be perfect in order to have an effective quality management system, but the expectation of the ISO standard is that you can demonstrate the journey your organisation is taking. Over time, your capabilities and effectiveness will improve if you critique your quality performance in order to improve.
At the 'planning' stage, management teams begin the process of improvement by setting clear quality objectives. ‘Doing’ comprises the process of operating good processes, and ‘checking’ ensures those processes are reviewed for potential improvements.
The final stage of ‘Act’ crystallises the improvement by embedding the improvements in a clear and systematic way.
As with all ISO standards, you can sometimes get lost in the jargon. We've listed some frequently asked questions here.
We know that reading about it isn't the same as a good chat. Speak to us to find out what it means to you and your business.
SPEAK TO USEnhance your business even further with the good practices and requirements in ISO 9001.
The Standard builds on common practices found in every good organisation.
Let Spedan take care of the process for you. Our consultants are based across the UK and ready to talk through your project, simply contact us to discuss your requirements.
How do I get ISO 9001?
The process of developing Quality management system that meets ISO 9001 requirements can take anywhere from 3 to 12 months depending on the level of maturity of the organisation. In some cases, it is simply a case of introducing some new governance processes or developing documentation, whereas in others, an organisation will need to start from scratch.
Getting ISO 9001 is then a process of being certified. UKAS accredited Certification Bodies are the organisations who will carry out a series of audits of the Quality management system against the ISO Standard. As a result of the audit (if the system meets the Standard) the Organisation is then awarded an ISO 9001 Certificate.
How long are audits?
The first phase of the ISO 9001 audit process is a ‘Stage 1’ Audit, which will look at the readiness of the system, and check against the required documentation.
The benefit of the Stage 1 audit is that the organisation can test out its ideas or identify gaps without risking failing. The audit will result in a report that defines the amount of work needed to be complete before the Stage 2 audit is completed.
Usually, there is a gap between the Stage 1 and Stage 2 audits of 4 weeks to 6 months, which allows the organisation to gather more data and increase its capabilities.
How much does ISO 9001 cost?
You will need to set up the system, which will have costs because you will need to introduce new processes. You may use an ISO Consultant, like Spedan to support that process. Spedan Ltd are Associate Consultants to the major ISO Certification Bodies and can help clarify your costs before you commit to one supplier.
Gaining certification requires using an accredited Certification Body. Like any product or service that an organisation buys, it is important to shop around to get the level of service you want, at a price that is acceptable.
UKAS accredited Certification Bodies are subjected to quality standards themselves and UKAS acts as Ombudsmen, which gives you assurance that any issues will be resolved appropriately.
Typically, direct audit costs are charged on a day-rate basis and the number of days will vary according to the size of the business. Companies up to 50 people can expect initial certification costs of approximately £5k, and ongoing costs of up to 2-3k per annum.
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iSHEQ. A premium toolkit for ISO 9001 Managers,
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