The ISO 9001:2015 standard comprises of a set of general requirements governing the Quality Management System (QMS) of an organisation. A quality management system is a collection of documented policies, responsibilities and procedures that have been organised into a structured framework to assist organisations in realising their quality vision, goals and objectives. ISO 9001 certification will provide your organisation with the required quality systems to build a foundation for better customer satisfaction, continued improvement and staff motivation. It is suitable for all sizes and types of organisations, and it helps organisations remain competitive as well as open up for avenues of new business opportunities. In this article, we will discuss the benefits of ISO 9001 certification in Australia, ISO 9001 certification procedure and why you should hire an ISO 9001 consultant.
Benefits of ISO 9001 certification in Australia; Certified quality system
The ISO 9001 meaning is about building credible quality management systems in your organisation, helping you to enhance customer satisfaction, improve your chances of winning contracts, reduce product or service problems and have better management. Let us quickly glance through each of these benefits:
- Enhanced customer satisfaction: One of the key aspects of the ISO 9001 standard is tracking customer satisfaction and responding to any issues raised. Organisations that seek and maintain ISO 9001 certification are able to create products that are a perfect fit for their customers, helping to enhance customer satisfaction.
- Improved chances of winning contracts: Acquiring ISO 9001 certification can go a long way in helping a business to secure partnerships with both the private and public sectors. With public sector tenders, certification is a strong signal that an organisation is well run, credible and removes the need for extensive due diligence. Additionally, many pre-qualification questionnaires ask for the certification in Australia.
- Reduced product or service problems: Acquiring ISO 9001 certification help businesses better prepare for unexpected events. Additionally, the standard integrates industry specific best-practises into the daily operations, leading to enhanced quality and reduced issues.
- Better management: Transparency, visibility and management is enhanced in an organisation that acquires ISO 9001 certification, as appropriate analysis is a key component of the QMS.
ISO 9001 certification cost; QMS procedure
To begin your certification procedure, start allocating resources for the certification. Getting ISO 9001 certification requires commitment from the top management and the correct allocation of resources to support the upcoming changes in the organisation. You should get sufficient information about ISO 9001 certification cost.
After committing to begin the certification process, it is beneficial to conduct a gap analysis. Gap analysis is beneficial in understanding your baseline status. Essentially, a gap analysis is an objective evaluation of your organisation’s current arrangements against the requirements stipulated in the ISO 9001 standard.
After identifying where your current system lacks, it is necessary to develop and internally audit the system. This means that you have to develop new processes, new quality controls and new organisational policies in accordance to the ISO 9001 standard. Moreover, before letting a third-party audit your system, you have to make sure that it fulfils ISO 9001 certification requirements, and this is why, internal auditing is an important step before applying for the certification.
ISO 9001 certification registry by choosing a accredited auditor
The internal audit is also helpful in identifying skill gaps that exist within your organisation. Hence, formal training on ISO 9001 may prove to be fruitful. After ensuring that your system is running as per the recommendations outlined in ISO 9001, it is time to choose an accredited auditor.
The accredited auditor will go through your documentation and QMS processes to ensure that there are no non-conformances that exist in your system, going on to suggest corrective and preventive activities to mitigate them.
Role of an ISO 9001 consultant
The task of implementing the ISO 9001 standard’s recommendations into your organisation may be overwhelming. This is where ISO consultants play a big role. The ISO 9001 consultant helps in the QMS standard interpretation. The ISO 9001 standard can be a very hard document to understand, as it is written in a quasi-legal language and points out requirements in very general terms. This type of language is written deliberately, so that it can become applicable to all types of businesses. An ISO consultant will be able to interpret and customise the recommendations as per your organisation’s unique needs.
How to get ISO 9001 certification for my company in australia
Moreover, before applying the ISO 9001 standard to your business, you need to understand what is missing between your existing business practice and the controls that are relative to ISO 9001. An ISO consultant can review your current management system practises, controls and documentation to establish the extent to which you conform to ISO 9001 requirements. Additionally, the consultant will give you a detailed audit report indicating the gaps in your company’s QMS, along with their recommendations to achieve full conformity.
Edara Systems; The best ISO certification consultants in Australia
In this article we explained How to get iso 9001 certification for my company in Australia. ISO 9001 provides the requirements for creating a quality management system that helps organisations enhance their operational efficiency. As the standard creates a higher focus on quality, organisations are able to reap benefits such as increased customer satisfaction, winning more contracts, reduced product/service problems and better management. ISO 9001 certification procedure in Australia begins by allocating your resources, going on to conduct a gap analysis to develop a management system in accordance to the recommendations outlined in the standard. Internal audit helps to identify non-conformances. If any organisation is unable to interpret the standard appropriately, ISO consultants help to identify what is missing between your existing business practice and the controls that are relative to ISO 9001.
