The international organization for standardization, or ISO, is an global network of several federal standards bureaus world-wide.
The ISO 9000 standards are developed such that they are applicable to any type of organisation, while it’s a small business or a large corporation, a non-governmental or administrative body, or a product or service based business. In order to have the ability to procure an ISO 9000 certification, an organisation needs to fulfill a set of clearly stated criteria, related to quality management systems.
These criteria have been globally adopted and while they are not accepted everywhere, they are the most widely accepted international criteria for quality assurance. There are quite a few advantages to adopting ISO 9000 standards. An ISO qualified company is likely to inspire greater confidence than one which isn’t, which is the reason more and more businesses are investing in a certification.
Adoption of a standardised system not only makes a business more suitable in the worldwide marketplace, but it also helps improve performance, increase efficiency and generates new business. For example, when it comes to tenders and contracts, companies with an ISO certification have a tendency to have a far superior standing that those which do not. Also, investors are most likely to feel more assured about a business that is ISO certified than one which is not.
Even though ISO develops the actual standards, certification isn’t supplied by ISO itself. There are local certifying agencies that manage software, for a fee. National accreditation bodies are often set up to make sure certifying agencies are capable to do the job. In the UK, this figure is called UKAS, or the United Kingdom Accreditation Service. UKAS ensures the trustworthiness of certifying agencies. It’s always a good idea to make an application for an ISO certificate through an agency that is UKAS accredited. This ensures impartial and authentic support from the certifying body.
The practice of certification comprises of audits. All these are made to appraise the performance of QMS within a company and include inspection of all aspects of a company. Upon making an application, there’s normally an initial audit to gather data about current standards. Following this, if needed, there is a gap analysis. This is a report on differences between prescribed standards and current standards, and the systemic changes required to fill them. Audits are performed until the company meets all the essential standards.
In order to continue the ISO certification, it’s obviously important to maintain the exact same or higher standards within the company. Continuing certification is accessed by way of an annual audit.
ISO standards are a great way of meeting a globally accepted benchmark of quality. This applies to companies and organizations of any kind. The advantages of having ISO 9000 recognition are varied and many, including growth in sales, growth in business, in addition to improved internal efficiency and economies.