ISO (The International Organization for Standardization) published an international standard for Quality Management System (QMS) and it was named as ISO 9001. It is revised and updated regularly according to the requirements of the changing systems. ISO 9001 is updated and revised only when majority of the countries agree so that it emerge as an internationally recognized standard. It was updated recently in 2015 and is recognized as ISO 9001:2015.
Why ISO 9001 is Important
Quality is the first thing that comes in mind when we think about any business or operation. The implementation of a Quality Management System is very important in a company, irrespective of its size, to ensure the quality standards in that company.
- To enhance quality of a product: Some companies get ISO 9001 certification to enhance the quality of their products by improving their whole system. It will not be a wrong statement if we say “Quality is the key to success”.
- To establish a professional ambiance: Hiring ISO 9001 certification consultants will boost up the professionalism among other employees. The consultant assigns activities, design, describe processes and interpret the results in a specialized way which ultimately leads to improved environment and quality. In this way the implementation of QMS is really essential for an organization
- To minimize variations: Implementing a QMS is beneficial in a way that all the processes are organized and systematized in such a way that it produce a product with same properties every time. In this way a customer builds up more trust because of the consistency of the finished product.
- To attenuate waste and enhance efficiency: A well-established Quality Management System helps an organization to improve and enhance their processes to approach perfection. This results in more consistency and thus minimal waste production. Decreased waste production ultimately results in better achievement of targets and objectives.
- To meet client’s stipulation: Some companies implement ISO 9001 just to fulfill the customer’s condition for agreement. Because some customers agree to work only if a company is ISO 9001 certified, such companies hire ISO 9001 certification consultants on a temporary basis to satisfy their buyer’s needs.
When to Use the ISO 9001 Certification Consultants
ISO 9001 certification consultants are essential for an organization in many ways. They are often considered as a medium to transfer expertise and skills to other employees in an organization. Certified consultants have better understanding of the processes and can take better decisions in particular circumstances. There are many needs for which an ISO 9001 certification consultant should be appointed in an organization. These are described below:
For Root Cause Analysis
Sometimes a quality consultant serves as a lifesaver for an organization. Because a company may come across a unique problem that none of the employees have faced in their career and all the employees fail to find the root cause, this is when the need of the consultant arise. A consultant is then hired for root cause analysis because certified consultants have experience of dealing with multiple companies.
For Implementing ISO 9001
Companies may need to hire ISO 9001 certification consultants when they want to implement an ISO 9001 accredited Quality Management system. A company may hire a consultant on temporary basis for implementation of ISO 9001 but if the stakeholders of the organization are not involved during the process it might be difficult to maintain compliance.
For Improving Quality
A company may need an ISO 9001 certification consultant when it fails to improve the quality and efficiency of processes to minimize wastes and risks. A consultant can effectively and efficiently maintain systems and can also train other employees on how to maintain the specifications that he/she designed for better quality of the product.
To Accomplish International Quality Acknowledgement
ISO 9001 is an international standard and is recognized worldwide. A company certified with ISO 9001 is acknowledged in the whole world thus gains recognition in the specific group of organizations that are certified.
For Marketing
An organization having ISO 9001 certification consultants can use this while marketing their firm and it gives them a plus point as customers also prefer such organizations in terms of quality of finished products.