Speak to one of our WWISE quality consultants about ISO 9001 certification and beyond. We assist clients in preparation for certification, auditing, training and maintenance of their compliance status.
Importance of a Quality Management System
Having a quality management system in place that meets the requirements of the ISO 9001 standard will help your organisation to save money, improve productivity and:
- Increase employee loyalty.
- Increase profits.
- Compete internationally.
- Ensure customer satisfaction.
- Improve your credibility profile.
Why Assistance from a Quality Consultant?
Our quality consultants are well-qualified and experienced in systems development. We have a proven track record of completed projects and we are known for quality training of client personnel to meet the requirements of training as stipulated in the ISO 9001 standard. We provide you with ongoing maintenance programme support and develop management systems that are client relevant, streamlined and cost effective. If you work with a WWISE quality consultant, you have the benefit of working with a person who takes the time to understand your business and has extensive knowledge regarding quality management systems development and integration.
More about ISO 9001
ISO 9001 is an internationally recognised standard for the design, development, implementation and maintenance of quality management systems for the monitoring and managing of quality throughout organisations. It is the leading quality management standard and is used as the benchmark against which to measure your firm’s products and services in terms of quality.
Benefits of Implementing the ISO 9001 QMS in Your Organisation
Our WWISE quality consultant will assist you in realising all the benefits of implementing a QMS to meet the compliance requirements of ISO 9001. Outcomes include improvement in your organisation’s operations, which will lead to more profits and better customer service. With compliance, you also gain the benefit of consistency. Clients know what quality they can expect from your firm and this helps to build trust in your brand.
Note on Revision
The ISO 9001 standard has been revised and you can expect to see the revised edition in operation from the end of 2015. This is another reason for making use of one of our WWISE quality consultants, since we keep up to date with changes in requirements to ensure optimal compliance of our client firms.
Determine the State of Quality Management in your Firm
The first step is to determine what quality management measures you already have in place. You also have to determine what training is needed and how to address non-conformances. Our WWISE quality consultant will meet with you to discuss the various requirements and to get the process started. We understand that no two businesses are the same, and businesses are at different stages in the development of their quality management systems in compliance with ISO 9001. This is the reason why we first meet with you and why we assess your particular business first.
Tips for Successful Implementation of a QMS in Compliance with ISO 9001
- Senior management should commit to implementation.
- Get advice from a quality consultant.
- Ensure that the entire organisation is involved through effective communication.
- Use a GAP analysis audit to determine shortcomings of your current QMS.
- Obtain feedback from role players, suppliers and customers regarding quality.
- Appoint the implementation leaders and their teams.
- Ensure that employees understand what is required from them through training programmes.
- Train internal auditors.
- Outline roles and accountability.
- Once certified, have regular reviews of your QMS to ensure ongoing improvement.
Certification Preparation Process
We will help to streamline the certification process. Once you’ve applied, we appoint a quality consultant that will guide you through the process that entails:
GAP Analysis Audit
The audit helps to determine the strengths and weaknesses of your current quality management system. Our consultant will compare the system with the compliance requirements of the ISO 9001 standard and detail non-conformances. This will help you to identify the areas where improvements must be made to ensure compliance for the formal certification audit. This will also minimise unnecessary resource usage. Many firms prepare more documented procedures than required and with the GAP analysis audit, you can avoid such pitfalls.
Formal Audit
The certification assessment is done by checking preparedness for ISO 9001 and checking which controls, such as record and quality controls, are in place. Where there are gaps in the controls, you have the opportunity to address such and once done, the formal assessment of procedure and control implementation takes place.
After Certification
Ongoing compliance is needed and that’s why you will benefit from quality consultancy services. The certification is only valid for three years, but without monthly maintenance of the controls and procedures, you risk becoming completely non-compliant. Part of the ISO 9001 compliance is to ensure continual improvement and with our WWISE maintenance programme, we help you to meet such requirements.
QMS Integration
Once you have developed an ISO 9001 compliant QMS, you are in the position of improving all areas of business, including your compliance to environment management systems of the ISO 14001 standard. Integration of the management systems will help to streamline the process and minimise duplication in efforts. By combining your systems, you will reduce administrative workloads and ensure consistency throughout your organisation. We help you integrate management systems to ensure the above. We have the right tools, experience and teams in place to help you make the most of management system integration.
We offer you two system formats. The MS-Word based ISO management system is a page linking to the policies, processes, templates, forms and procedures. It is an easy to understand and manage system to apply throughout the organisation. The Web-based ISO management system is a paperless solution for controlling the processes electronically. It includes email notifications links to the performance-based management system. The benefit of the system is that processes can be controlled through the use of a smartphone. There are no monthly licence fees and you can easily identify any non-conformances and improvement opportunities. It is also easy to measure customer satisfaction.
We recommend the paper system for cost-effectiveness and ease of use if you are not familiar with ISO management systems, and the paperless system if you already know how ISO management systems work.
View our full range of systems development, auditing, certification preparation, training and maintenance services, and contact us to have a quality consultant meet with you.