ISO 9001

ISO 9001 is the key internationally agreed standard for quality management systems. It is used by companies worldwide to become more efficient in the management of their business. ISO 9001 standards have four key elements: Management Responsibility – Ensuring that top level management shows commitment to the quality systems and develops I according to the customers’ needs and the business objective. They must also give other staff the ability to improve and help the standard be effective within a business. Resource Management – Ensuring that all resources such as People, Equipment and money are managed and maintained to ensure they are used to their full effectiveness. Product Realisation – Delivering what customers what, looking at areas such as sales process, product development, purchasing. Improving the processes within a business will help you save money and time which can be used in other aspects of the business to improve it overall. Measurement, Analysis and Improvement – Always checking that you are going about business in the correct way by analysis customer satisfaction and continually measuring performance. This will allow you to continually grow and develop. ISO 9001 Key Advantages can include: • Greater Efficiency and less waste • Constant control of major business processes • Risk Management • Increased Customer Satisfaction • Increased Profits • Increased productivity • Greater consistency and quality in products and services offered. One major benefit of ISO certification is the ability to advance into new business markets and strategies. ISO certifications are a tool the break down trade barriers that may be enforced on your business by foreign trade restrictions. Having an international standard within your business opens up global markets for your business. Customers: When a business or service introduce an ISO standard to their business a customer can see that this business is safe , reliable and of good quality. This has the potential to give you an edge on competitors who lack an ISO certification. ISO standards draw on international expertise and experience and are therefore a vital resource for governments when developing regulations.National governments can make ISO standards a regulatory requirement (remember ISO standards themselves are voluntary). This has a number of benefits: · Expert opinion - ISO standards are developed by experts. By integrating an ISO standard into national regulation, governments can benefit from the opinion of experts without having to call on their services directly. · Opening up world trade - ISO standards are international and adopted by many governments. By integrating ISO standards into national regulation, governments help to ensure that requirements for imports and exports are the same the world over, therefore facilitating the movement of goods, services and technologies from country to country. Potential Disadvantages: For ISO 9001 to be successfully implemented, it requires top-level management involvement, otherwise an incomplete understanding of the process and it's requirement can waste time and effort. To ensure implementation goes smoothly, a representative within the organisation needs to take charge. The decision should not be made lightly, the person should encompass a genuine and passionate commitment to quality and success, knowledge of processes and systems within the company, and power to influence employees at all levels. If all that is missing is knowledge of the standard itself, there are familiarisation training opportunities available. Alternatively, using a consultant with expertise in your organisation's sector can speed up the implementation process, as they will help to write necessary documentation. Of course, being certified costs money. There is also an annual audit to ensure your organisation still conforms to the standard, so you can retain certified status. Despite the implementation costs, ISO 9001 has been proven to actually reduce cost in the long run, by improving quality and efficiency in the long run. The implementation of ISO 9001 ultimately far out weighs any disadvantages. With Jeff Ayres Associates we can give you all the backing and direction that you need to successfully implement an ISO strategy. We provide professional advice backed with over 20 years of experience within the field and can help you overcome any problems that you may face when implementing an ISO strategy. From the start of the strategy we will help you analyse area’s that could benefit from improvement and we will help you understand how this can be done. For more information visit our website: www.jeffayres.co.uk www.ibcn.co.uk