WHAT IS ISO

ISO originated from the union of two organizations the ISO (International Federation of the
National Standardizing Associations) and the UNSCC (United Nations Standard Coordinating
Committee).

According to ISO, "ISO" is not an abbreviation. It is a word, derived from the Greek isos, meaning
"equal", which is the root for the prefix "iso-" that occurs in a host of terms, such as "isometric"
(of equal measure or dimensions) and "isonomy" (equality of laws, or of people before the law).
The name ISO is used around the world to denote the organization, thus avoiding the assortment
of abbreviations that would result from the translation of "International Organization for
Standardization" into the different national languages of members. Whatever the country, the
short form of the organization's name is always ISO

In 1946 over 25 countries met at the Institute of Civil Engineers in London to create a new
international organization, where the objective was to facilitate the international coordination
and unification of industrial standards From this the new organization ISO began operations in
February 1947. The word ISO is derived from the Greek ISOS meaning equal.
As the International Organization for Standardization would translate differently across different
languages it was decided that the short form name for the organization would be ISO.
Today the ISO has grown to a confederation of delegates representing over 150 countries and has
published over 16,500 international standards. They meet on a regular basis to further develop
new and existing management standards.

BENEFITS OF CERTIFICATION
Each standard supports its own benefits within every industry, however the common benefits
across the certifications include: widened market potential, compliance to procurement tenders,
improved efficiency and cost savings, higher level of customer service, and therefore satisfaction,
and heightened staff moral and motivation.
By having a recognized management standard it tells your customers that you are serious about
their needs.
WHY OBTAIN ISO CERTIFICATION?
There are three main reasons why companies adopt an ISO management system:

To increase success on public and private tenders

To improve internal efficiency and reduce costs

Subliminal marketing by showing our logo on your marketing you prove to your prospective
clients you are credible.
IS ISO CERTIFICATION RIGHT FOR OUR COMPANY?

Are there any areas of your business you would like to improve?

Would you like to save time and money on recurring problems by resolving them
permanently first time round?

Would you like to tender for contracts within your sector?

Would you like better utilization of your time though improved resource management?

Would you like to enhance the customer/supplier relationship by responding pro-actively to

customer feedback?
 Would you like to see an improvement in your internal efficiency?

Would you like to potentially reduce company on-going permit and insurance fees?
If you can answer yes to any of the above questions ISO Certification may be for you.

SIX CORE PRINCIPLES OF ISO CERTIFICATION

Document Control
Issuing a document with a reference and version number to ensure that the right document,
is in the right place, at the right time.
Record Control
A record is a completed document (see above). Record control is an efficient method of
finding individual records. It can also refer to how you file, remove, archive and destroy
individual records.
Internal Review
An in-depth review of your management system, to ensure you is on track for your end of
year validation audit. This also ensures the company satisfies internal audit requirements
laid out in the standard.
Non-Conformance
A non-conformance is when something happens within the business that wasnt planned.
This could be: Internal E.g. Out of date process / procedure, human error etc. External E.g.
Customer complaints, supplier issues etc.
Corrective Action
A plan created by management to rectify a non-conformance (see above), and to prevent it
from recurring
Preventative Action
An action to clarify and address potential risks to the business, with a view to reduce
future non-conformances.
About ISO

ISO is an independent, non-governmental international organization with a membership of

162 national standards bodies.
Through its members, it brings together experts to share knowledge and develop voluntary,
consensus-based, market relevant International Standards that support innovation and provide
solutions to global challenges.

ISO 9000 - Quality management

The ISO 9000 family addresses various aspects of quality management and contains some of
ISOs best known standards. The standards provide guidance and tools for companies and
organizations who want to ensure that their products and services consistently meet customers
requirements, and that quality is consistently improved.

ISO 9001:2015
ISO 9001:2015 sets out the criteria for a quality management system and is the only standard in
the family that can be certified to (although this is not a requirement). It can be used by any
organization, large or small, regardless of its field of activity. In fact, there are over one million
companies and organizations in over 170 countries certified to ISO 9001.
This standard is based on a number of quality management principles including a strong customer
focus, the motivation and implication of top management, the process approach and continual
improvement. Using ISO 9001:2015 helps ensure that customers get consistent, good quality
products and services, which in turn brings many business benefits.

Sector-specific applications of ISO 9001

ISO has a range of standards for quality management systems that are based on ISO 9001 and
adapted to specific sectors and industries. These include:
ISO/TS 29001 Petroleum, petrochemical and natural gas industries
ISO 13485 Medical devices
ISO/IEC 90003 Software engineering
ISO 17582 Electoral organizations at all levels of government
ISO 18091 - Local government

What does the ISO 9001 standard specify?

The most recent ISO 9001:2015 standard is constructed around seven quality management
principles:
1. customer focus;
2. leadership;
3. engagement of people;
4. process approach;
5. improvement;
6. evidence-based decision making;
7. Relationship management.

ISO 9001:2015 describes for each part which requirements your products, services and
organisation have to meet in order to enjoy the above benefits.
Who determines checks and manages ISO 9001?

ISO 9001 is managed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in Geneva,
Switzerland. ISO is an independent membership organization and the worlds largest developer of
voluntary international standards. ISO 9001:2015 was developed by the ISO / TC 176 / SC 2
Quality Systems Technical Committee.

However, ISO does not provide certification or conformity assessment. This is performed by
accredited certification bodies. These are establishments that evaluate an organizations
management system and certify them with respect to the published standards.
I understand that the previous version of ISO 9001 dates from 2008 and that there is now a new
version?

Thats right. A new version of ISO 9001 appears about every seven years.

It was first issued in 1987: at that time, you had to describe in detail what your business did. What
applied in the 1994 version was say what you do and do what you say. In the 2000 version, you
had to focus on proper processes in order to continually improve and thereby increase your
customer satisfaction. There was nothing added in 2008, but it was more precise about the
interpretation of the standard. ISO 9001:2015 was published on 23 September 2015.
Do organizations have to move over from ISO 9001:2008 to ISO 9001:2015 immediately?

No. There is a transitional period of three years after the publication of each new version of ISO
9001, during which organizations can adapt their quality management to match the latest version.
Organizations must therefore implement the new ISO 9001:2015 standard before 23 September
2018 in order to continue complying with ISO 9001.
What are the main differences between ISO 9001:2008 and ISO 9001:2015?
ISO 9001:2015 HAS TEN CLAUSES INSTEAD OF EIGHT

ISO 9001:2015 has ten clauses instead of eight. The following table shows the relationship of the
ISO 9001:2008 clauses to those in the new ISO 9001:2015.

ISO 9001:2008 I S O 9 0 0 1: 2 015

0. Introduction 0. Introduction

1. Scope 1. Scope

2. Normative reference 2. Normative reference

3. Terms and definitions 3. Terms and definitions

4. Quality management system 4. Context of the organization

5. Leadership
5. Management responsibility
6. Planning

6. Resource management 7. Support

7. Product realisation 8. Operation

9. Performance evaluation
8. Measurement, analysis and improvement
10. Improvement

ISO 9001:2015
Quality management systems -- Requirements
ISO 9001:2015 specifies requirements for a quality management system when an organization:
 a) needs to demonstrate its ability to consistently provide products and services that meet
customer and applicable statutory and regulatory requirements, and
b) aims to enhance customer satisfaction through the effective application of the system,
including processes for improvement of the system and the assurance of conformity to customer
and applicable statutory and regulatory requirements.
All the requirements of ISO 9001:2015 are generic and are intended to be applicable to any
organization, regardless of its type or size, or the products and services it provides

What is a Quality Management System?

A quality management system (QMS) is a set of policies, procedures required for planning and

execution (production/development/service) in the core business area of an organization. (i.e.

areas that can impact the organizations ability to meet customer requirements.) ISO 9001 is an

example of a Quality Management System.

Some people generically refer to the group of documents as a QMS, but specifically it refers to the

entire system the documents just describe it.

This demo will show you what a documented ISO 9001 Quality Management System (QMS) looks

like and how the documents all flow together.

A QMS integrates the various internal processes within the organization and intends to provide

a process approach for project execution. A process based QMS enables the organizations to

identify, measure, control and improve the various core business processes that will ultimately

lead to improved business performance.

A complete ISO 9001 Quality Management System must address all the requirements of ISO 9001,

including the ISO 9001 documentation requirements.

The Concept of Quality Management

A Quality Management System in its basic concept is quite simple. It seeks to,
Recognize interested party requirements including Licenses to Trade, guidelines, customer
requirements, and the chosen management system standard(s).
Ensure that all requirements have been met.
Confirm that employees receive applicable training in the quality system requirements.
Determine processes, their interaction, inputs and outputs.
Produce records or evidence that system requirements have been met.
Measure, monitor and report the performance of the QMS.
Plan changes to the QMS and take actions to address risks and opportunities as a result of
changes.
Perform internal audit to analyze the QMS and correct nonconformities.
Continually improve the QMS.