7 Things Your ISO 9001 QMS Should Do For Your Business

A QMS or quality management system documents and develops of a process for how things are done in your organization to achieve intended results aligned to your goals. It covers the structure of processes you integrate and want closely followed, the people and machines that help execute the work, and any other resources that help you achieve your quality goals. The ISO 9001:2015 certification is known internationally as the standard for quality management systems across all industries.

ISO 9001 certification is an achievement earned by organizations to help showcase the quality of their work but also perform consistent quality control. A consistent output helps create satisfied customers and partners while setting a foundation to work off that enables organizations to continually improve.

Does your company need ISO 9001:2015 certification?

If you’re noticing your customers or partners are looking for a guarantee of quality or you believe that they would be more likely to do more business with your and refer new business with you with such a guarantee, then ISO 9001 certification should benefit your business. If your customers are looking for definitive assurance that what they purchased has gone through quality management best practices then the ISO 9001 model is the way to go.

If you are new to ISO certification or specifically the ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management Systems certification let us make a quick intro. You receive your certificate by working with an ISO registrar to review your processes and documentation to ensure the quality management system you’ve installed for your specific business meets the ISO 9001:2015 standards. If it does, you can earn your ISO 9001:2015 certification that qualifies the quality management system you’ve set in place.

Often ISO registrars will conduct on-site audits of your system prior to granting certification, however some registrars and auditors are adopting more virtual solutions as the world migrates to a more technology driven cloud-based approach to business.

7 things your ISO 9001 QMS should do for your business

If your QMS is not doing these things you may want to look into making adjustments so that it does.

1. Focus on the customer – the goal of your quality management system is to meet and exceed the expectations of your customers. They are the lifeline to your business so it’s likely not a surprise that the system should benefit them the most. If your QMS is working for you correctly, you should see more repeat business and customer loyalty. If you’re in the process of getting certified for the first time or looking to improve your current system focus on a system that helps you better satisfy your customer quality requirements.
2. Unify your leadership – As a business leader it’s your responsibility to make sure everyone is working toward a unified goal of growth. All leaders need to be on the same page and prioritizing accordingly to do this effectively. An ISO 9001:2015 QMS certification helps take the weight of leadership by creating specific processes for workers to follow. If you’re leadership is unified and on board with your Quality Management System there will be a trickle-down effect that drives efficiency across all levels of the company.
3. Engage your workforce – By having a documented process set in place, employees can have more freedom and independence to do their work while giving management a clear way to measure the productivity and success of each employee without needing to micromanage. This empowers leaders to reward their employees appropriately and empowers employees to produce in quality work that meets or exceeds everyone’s expectations.
4. Remove the silos – It’s easy to feel isolated in an individual department or project and lose sight of the overall company mission. A quality management system helps expose all employees to the value each department and team member brings as an organization strives for a single quality goal. Once siloed individuals can better understand how they work within the bigger picture of the company, improve cross-departmental collaboration, and expose themselves to career growth opportunities.
5. Always be improving – You can’t measure what isn’t documented. By creating a quality management system, you document what is required to meet a specific standard of quality. Now that you know what it takes to meet or exceed this standard consistently you can easily review you processes for opportunities for improvement. These improvements can help keep your competitors at bay, identify ways to save cost, and increase your sales by generating more happy customers. All great outputs that justify always trying to improve your business processes.
6. Evidence based growth – Few things deflate an employee’s moral like subjective reasoning behind a big change. With the quality management system in place and being followed, leaders can base the reason for change based on evidence. The consistency of the system allows data to be collected that is accurate, reliable, and secure. This is critical when trying to make data-driven decisions.
7. Create new partnerships – All businesses can be improved with the right partnership. A relevant supplier, reseller, investor, employee, customer, or community can take a business to the next level and make it easier to achieve their growth goal. Most partners need to feel that they can trust your service or product before making a deal. A great way to do that is inform them of the focus your organization puts towards the quality of your output. An ISO 9001:2015 certification represents just that and is an international symbol for a trustworthy quality standard.

Understanding the value of the ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System and what it should bring to your business is a great first step in determining if it’s right for your organization. If your QMS is not driving the value mentioned above perhaps it’s time to rethink your processes to improve upon them. Keep in mind, change is okay. A QMS is a living system that should change and improve overtime where it makes business sense toward your unified quality goal.

Don’t wait any longer, take the first step towards ISO 9001:2015 certification and make your business stand out. Contact us now to learn more about our Virtual Certification ASRP Program and start the process towards a better tomorrow for your organization.”