Frequently Asked Questions

ISO 9001:2015 is the recent of the ISO 9001 fro Quality Management System Standard. It’s Replacing the ISO 9001:2008 as of September 2018. 

Organizations use the standard to demonstrate the ability to consistently provide products and services that meet customer and regulatory requirements. It is the most popular standard in the ISO 9000 series and the only standard in the series to which organizations can certify.

A quality management system is a tool with which an organisation can determine how it can meet the requirements of its customers and the other interested parties that are involved in its activities.

• An ISO 9001 quality management system:

• Shows that you provide products and services of consistent quality

• Shows that you provide products and services that meet the customer’s requirements, comply with the law and legislation, and meet the organisation’s own requirements

• It can help you streamline your business processes and continuously improve them.

There are two additional benefits:

• ISO 9001 helps you increase customer satisfaction.

• ISO 9001 is positive for your image which is you show that you comply with internationally-recognized quality standards. This is often a requirement for customers and suppliers to do business with you

ISO 9001 states the requirements for your Quality Management System (QMS). There are 10 sections (clauses) in ISO 9001, with additional subclauses related to the Plan-Do-Check-Act system. However, only sections 4-10 contain requirements that are auditable. To successfully implement ISO 9001:2015 within your organization, you must satisfy the requirements within clauses 4-10 along with meeting customer and applicable statutory and regulatory requirements.

• Context of the organisation

• Leadership

• Planning 

• Support

• Operation

• Performance Evaluation 

• Improvement

An ISO 9001 certification provides objective proof to your staff, partners, clients and the outside world that customer satisfaction is at the core of your business.

Key benefits of ISO 9001

1. Increased revenue – capitalize the reputation of ISO 9001 can help you to win more tenders and contracts whilst increasing efficiency aids customer satisfaction and retention.

2. Improvement of your credibility – when organisations are looking for new suppliers, it is often required to have a QMS based on ISO 9001, particularly for those in the public sector

3. Improved customer satisfaction – by understanding your customers’ needs and reducing errors, you increase customer confidence in your ability to deliver products and services.

4. Higher operating efficiency – you can reduce costs by following industry best practices and focusing on quality.

5. Improved decision-making – you can detect and identify problems in good time, which means that you can quickly take steps to avoid the same mistakes in the future.

6. Greater employee engagement – you can ensure everyone works toward one agenda by improving internal communications. Involving employees in designing process improvements makes them happier and more productive.

Even if you run a small business, you can benefit from implementing the ISO 9001 quality standard.

ISO International Standards help businesses of any size and sector reduce costs, increase productivity and access new markets. 

For small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs), standards can help to: Build customer confidence that your products are safe and reliable. Meet regulation requirements, at a lower cost.

There are a few ways you can go about implementing ISO 9001 in your business:

1. In-House Implementation – People within your company set up ISO 9001 as it best fits your organization.

2. Hire a Consultant – Someone from the outside comes in to help set up ISO 9001. The cost is higher and because they don’t know your business inside and out sometimes the resulting processes aren’t the best fit.

3. Template or Certification Kit – A pre-made kit that helps those within your company more easily and efficiently implement ISO 9001.
   The most popular approach by far is to implement ISO 9001 in-house.

1- learn about ISO 9001:2015 through Awareness Training
2- Prepare your teams : Top Management Training Should Include
3- Make a Plan : Construct an ISO 9001 Project Plan. You should create a time-line for implementation with set dates and deadlines to get things done
A gap analysis is a good way to see how the system you already have in place compares to the ISO 9001 standard
4- Get Your Documents in Order : You will be required to have a control system in place for your documentation that shows records of approval, updates, and revisions of documents.
5- Implement the New System : During the implementation process, you will need to conduct a number of management reviews
6- Conduct Internal Audit : These audits are performed by one or more members of your own staff who have been trained to do so.
7- Prepare for Your Registration Audit
8- Maintain Success and Continue to Improve

Congratulations on Your ISO 9001 Certification !