ISO 9001
- ISO 9001:2008 is primarily concerned with 'quality' or in simple language, those features of a product or service, which are required by the customer.
- Both ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 require organisations to continually improve their performance in respect of quality and environmental management. This could be described as the way an organisation goes about its work and manages its processes in order to achieve a quality product or service.
- ISO 9001:2008 will therefore ensure that through efficient and effective management of an organisation's processes, that everything has been done to satisfy the customer's quality requirements and achieve customer satisfaction.
In November 2008, ISO 9001:2008 was officially launched.
This is essentially a revision to ISO 9001:2000 but is not an upgrade. The revised
2008 standard clarifies more clearly certain clauses of the 2000 edition but no further clauses have been added. It is also more compatible with the Environmental standard - ISO 14001:2004
From January 2009, companies wishing to be certified to ISO 9001 will be audited against the revised 2008 edition. Companies already certified to ISO 9001:2000 have 2 years from the 'launch date' to become certified to the revised 2008 edition.
ISO 9001:2000 and ISO 9001:2008 have evolved from the previous ISO 9000:1994 standards which in turn, were based on BS 5750:1987. Unlike the previous 1994 edition which separated ISO 9002 (Manufacturing) and ISO 9001 (Design), the current standard has combined these two standards into one.
In order to differentiate, it provides under section 7, permissible exclusions enabling an organisation to justifiably exclude themselves from Design or other requirements as applicable. The standard can be adapted to any size of company large or small, manufacturing or service industry. It is also less proceduralised requiring only 6 mandatory procedures:
- Control of Documents
- Control of Records
- Internal Audits
- Control of Non-Conformance
- Corrective Action
- Preventive Action
Also being more ‘process-based’, it now requires an organisation to identify its key/core processes and their interaction in order to facilitate their measurement, conduct analysis and continually improve them.
In essence, ISO 9001:2008 provides an organisation with a common-sense approach to the management of its business. It ensures consistency and improvement which in turn provides products and services that satisfy customer requirements.
As an International Standard, ISO 9001:2008 is the most commonly used for providing a framework for an effective QMS (Quality Management System).