Introduction
The ISO 9001 Standard, which belongs to the family of the ISO 9000 series related to Quality Management, is one of the best known standards in the business and organizational field. It is an international standard applicable to those organizations that need to demonstrate their ability to regularly provide products and services that meet customer and statutory and regulatory requirements while allowing them to increase customer satisfaction and continuous improvement of the quality management system.
ISO 9001 Certification
ISO 9001 is undoubtedly the best known standard of the ISO 9000 series, it has achieved unprecedented global recognition not reached by any other management system standard, the significant number of companies that have decided to obtain certification according to this standard internationally on five continents, is the clearest evidence of the success achieved by ISO 9001.
However, certification by third parties, although it is a transcendental step in companies on their way to quality, is not an objective of the Standard. What is important is to have a quality management system that meets the applicable requirements expressed in ISO 9001 and that can be verified by customers or other relevant stakeholders.
For this reason, once a Quality Management System based on ISO 9001 has been implemented, a further step can be taken in order to certify the implemented quality management system. For this, it is necessary to hire an external certifying company with formal recognition to carry out these tasks.
How to obtain ISO 9001 certification?
To obtain an ISO 9001 certification, it is necessary for companies to undertake a set of tasks and activities that will allow them to achieve this objective, including:
- Have a commitment from Senior Management regarding quality management.
- Know the normative and legal obligations related to quality.
- Make a diagnosis of the organization and its processes to identify deviations, as well as the needs and areas for improvement of the organization.
- Plan the implementation of the quality management system.
- Document the processes in accordance with the provisions of the Standard.
- Implement the developed Quality Management System.
- Train staff, which should be a continuous action throughout the implementation process and after it.
- Monitor the effectiveness and efficiency of the Quality Management System and its processes by obtaining indicators and continuously improve it.
- Programming and execution of internal audits of the Quality Management System.
- Make the necessary adjustments to the implemented quality management system.
- Manage the certification audit.
The certification entities issue the certificate, usually valid for 3 years, but conditional on the holder passing an annual maintenance audit of the quality management system.
It is not only about having evidence that certifies that the organization complies with the requirements, but also that the organization needs to manage the risks to which it is exposed within the framework of the quality management system, establishing the necessary resources to comply with the requirements. of the ISO 9001 standard and to be able to be certified.
Conclusion
Any organization, regardless of its size and the sector to which it belongs, can implement a quality management system and subsequently opt for certification, with obtaining the ISO 9001 certificate constituting a passport to success in today’s competitive and demanding global markets.
References
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