The ISO 9000 family of standards was developed to support organisations in maintaining workflows and operational practices that sustain the quality of products and services. This family of standards relate to the development, implementation, and ongoing improvement of Quality Management Systems, with the requirements for an ISO compliant QMS being outlined in the globally recognised and renowned ISO 9001:2015 Standard.
But how do the other standards within the ISO 9000 family relate to a Quality Management System? Our ISO consultants and S&J Auditing & Consulting will be answering this question today by diving deeper into the ISO 9000 family of standards and how each of these documents support the efficacy and longevity of Quality Management Systems.
Meet the ISO 9000 Family of Standards
The ISO 9000 family includes the following ISO Standards:
ISO 9000:2015: Quality management systems – Fundamentals and vocabulary
ISO 9000:2015 was developed to explain the fundamentals of Quality Management Systems as well as provide definitions for all terminology used across the other three standards within the ISO 9000 family.
ISO 9000:2015 also outlines the seven quality management principles as well as outlining the value of maintaining a process-based approach for facilitating continuous improvements.
ISO 9001:2015: Quality management systems – Requirements
Recognised as the main standard of the ISO 9000 family of standards and the only standard that organisations can be certified for, the ISO 9001:2015 standard specifies the requirements for a fully compliant Quality Management System.
ISO 9001:2015 outlines 10 clauses within its QMS framework, these being:
- Clause 1 – Scope
- Clause 2 – Normative references
- Clause 3 – Terms and definitions
- Clause 4 – Context of the organisation
- Clause 5 – Leadership
- Clause 6 – Planning
- Clause 7 – Support
- Clause 8 – Operation
- Clause 9 – Performance Evaluation
- Clause 10 – Improvement
At S&J Auditing & Consulting, we also use a 10-step process to support our clients in achieving ISO 9001:2015 certification. Our process is designed to address all the requirements outlined in the ISO 9001:2015 framework to ensure the strongest possible chances of achieving certification for your organisation.
ISO/TS 9002:2016: Quality management systems – Guidelines for the application of ISO 9001:2015
A Technical Specification (TS), ISO/TS 9002:2016 was designed to provide guidance on the intent behind all of the requirements as outlined in ISO 9001:2015.
By providing this additional context, ISO/TS 9002:2016 aids decision makers in embarking on potential steps towards fulfilling all the requirements of ISO 9001:2015, successfully implementing a QMS, and ultimately achieving ISO 9001:2015 certification.
ISO 9004:2018: Quality management – Quality of an organisation – Guidance to achieve sustained success
ISO 9004:2018 provides guidance for maintaining a QMS post-certification. This standard was designed to ‘go beyond’ the frameworks of ISO 9001:2015, providing a wider scope outlining the facilitation of systemic improvements relating to your QMS.
ISO 9004:2018 covers key areas for supporting continuous improvements, including leadership commitment, resource consumption, risk assessments, performance monitoring processes, and internal audit and management review processes for improvement strategising.
Whilst the family consists of 4 standards, only ISO 9001:2015 is used for certification and contractual purposes, as it provides a framework for the implementation and maintenance of a Quality Management System (or QMS).
The Benefits of ISO 9001 Certification
Certification to ISO 9001:2015 provides a range of financial, operational and customer-related benefits, supporting holistic growth for your organisation.
Financial Performance and Cost Efficiency
Quality Management Systems are intrinsically designed to:
- Implement effective quality control measures for products and services
- Optimise resource consumption to boost productivity gains and reduce waste
- Establish monitoring processes to measure ongoing operational performance
- Standardise internal process improvement measures to ensure sustainable continuous improvement
- Establish an organisational culture that champions innovation
By providing a foundation for not only maintaining but also improving quality, ISO 9001:2015 certification and a strong understanding of the other ISO 9000 standards can help business owners improve their financial performance in a number of ways. This includes improving customer retention, reducing costs, and effectively making your organisation more agile without sacrificing productivity or output.
Process Efficiency and Continual Improvement
The ISO family of standards encourages a process-based approach to ensure continual process improvements. Similarly, the frameworks outlined in ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 9004:2018 also support risk-based thinking for identifying and addressing areas of improvement within an organisation.
With this two-pronged approach, organisations that have achieved ISO 9001:2015 certification are equipped to integrate ongoing process improvements into the workflows that make up their QMS. This integrated approach to internal process improvements makes quality management more accessible to organisations of all sizes.
Customer Focus and Satisfaction
ISO 9001:2015 certification is a potent trust signal in B2B markets, but having an ISO 9001 conformance badge on your website may even be valuable to conscious consumers. This is because implementing and maintaining a QMS requires ongoing commitment across your organisation, not just in maintaining the quality of your products or services but also in maintaining the efficiency of your operations, including customer service.
In this way, ISO 9001:2015 certification aids in aligning your products and services with customer expectations, and reassures customers and clients that your company offerings will only improve over the long term.
The ISO 9001:2015 Certification Process
Achieving ISO 9001:2015 certification involves a meticulous, multi-step approach that includes documentation, correction actions, and multiple ISO audits (i.e. internal audits and external audits, these being certification audits and surveillance audits).
Steps for ISO 9001:2015 Certification
Our ISO consultants at S&J Auditing & Consulting have distilled the process of how to get ISO 9001:2015 certification into an easy step-by-step breakdown. We’ve used the below methodology to support hundreds of our clients both on their certification journey and to help grow their understanding and competence of the ISO 9000 family of standards.
Step 1: Customise your quality management documentation to suit your organisation.
Step 2: Assess your company’s risk landscape and growth prospects to build a tailored quality management framework.
Step 3: Craft processes, policies, and procedures that align with ISO 9001 quality standards.
Step 4: Work through each phase of the ISO 9001 Standards to ensure documentation conformance.
Step 5: Train your team to implement and maintain your new quality processes.
Step 6: Implement your ISO 9001 QMS and conduct verifications to ensure full conformance.
Step 7: Identify and resolve any potential non-conformities.
Step 8: Conduct documentation reviews and preparatory Internal Audits.
Step 9: Make final changes to prepare for your Certification Audit.
Step 10: Develop a plan for ongoing maintenance and continual improvements for your QMS to ensure sustained compliance.
You can learn more about all the components of these steps to ISO 9001:2015 certification and how they relate to the ISO guidelines in our step-by-step guide. Our ISO consultants can also provide strategic guidance through all 10 of these steps, ensuring your organisation can achieve ISO 9001 Certification swiftly and efficiently.
The 7 Quality Management Principles
There are seven quality management principles that underpin the ISO 9000 family. These seven principles are introduced in ISO 9000:2015 and referenced consistently across the wider family of standards.
The Seven Principles
1. Customer focus
This involves managing customer relationships and monitoring customer satisfaction. Your QMS can also aid in improving customer-centric processes, like customer service or sales experiences.
2. Leadership
Leadership commitment is an essential component for not only achieving ISO 9001:2015 certification, but for achieving all other forms of ISO certification. Effective leadership aids in aligning your organisational goals and focuses, ensuring cohesive commitment and participation in certification strategies as well as ongoing improvement processes.
3. Engagement of people
Tying into the value of leadership commitment to motivate teams during the certification process, this third principle touches on the value of ‘competent, empowered, and engaged people’ in improving the implementation and maintenance of a QMS.
4. Process approach
Using the PDCA cycle, the process approach that underpins ISO certification acts as a framework for systemic continual improvements. Using a cyclic approach to improvement strategising, the process approach empowers organisations to sustainably integrate changemaking into its operational processes. This principle sets organisations up with the infrastructure they need to facilitate internal ongoing improvements.
5. Improvement
All organisations must naturally evolve to stay competitive. Using the process approach, organisations can develop a culture driven by improvements, rather than a culture that’s resistant to change. This future-oriented approach is essential to implementing and maintaining a robust QMS and retaining ISO 9001:2015 certification over the long term.
6. Evidence-based decision making
By establishing performance monitoring processes as a foundation of your QMS, the ISO 9000 family of standards promotes the use of evidence-based decision making to drive process improvements. Using data collected from performance monitoring measures, organisations can make informed decisions to strengthen process improvement strategising.
7. Relationship management
Whilst the first principle focuses on maintaining relationships with customers, this final principle relates specifically to managing relationships with staff, suppliers, and stakeholders. Investing in relationship management can aid in maintaining positive associations with staff, resulting in reduced turnover rates for your enterprise.
Similarly, your QMS can also account for supplier relationship management. Small measures like maintaining proactive communications, paying invoices on time, and other processes that are covered within your QMS, can aid in cultivating stronger supplier relationships that then provide a positive impact to the health and efficiency of your supply chain.
Invest in Quality Management for your Business with the ISO 9000 Family of Standards
Implementing a Quality Management System can provide interrelated benefits for your organisation. From helping you qualify for government tenders and other high-profile contracts, to reducing operational waste, to bolstering the quality and value of your products and services, a tailored QMS can elevate your enterprise in surprising ways.
If you’d like to learn more about the benefits of securing ISO 9001:2015 certification for your organisation, our consultants at S&J Auditing & Consulting can aid you in reaching conformance of all 9001 guidelines as well as attaining other ISO Certification that may be beneficial for your business.
Enquire now to speak with one of our consultants today and to get started on your journey to ISO 9001 certification.
