ISO 9001

ISO 9001: 2008 QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

Advantages of ISO 9001: 2008

Most organisations are faced with an ever increasingly volatile, complex, competitive and demanding business environment. Increasing legal and regulation as well as larger reach of Competitors (whilst Competitors were considered on a country basis, now it is on a regional or worldwide basis), all this adds to the pressures. Additionally Organisations are under pressure to operate with reduced human resources. Over the last 20 years, complete layers of management have been removed. This has resulted in key Managers being responsible for an increasing range of activities. Some of these activities, they will have had little or no formal training.

So that is the Bad News

The Good News is that there are great Opportunities created by these increased pressures for those who are prepared to Work Smarter.

There are many aspects to winning and retaining profitable business. However they can be distilled to:

• Understand what your Customers are prepare to pay for
• Fulfil your Customers' requirements profitably. To do this:
  • Say what you do - Document
  • Do what you say - Train & Implement
  • Monitor - Are the Right things happening? (Do not wait for the financial result)
  • Improve - determine & implement Best Practice

ISO 9001: 2008 helps to achieve these steps. There is the added advantage that your Management System is checked by a trained independent external Assessor at least yearly.

ISO 9001 is not the only way of improving Quality. Over the last 100 years, there have been many different initiatives. Regrettably they have generally suffered from being:

• Internally driven by a few key personnel. Limited access to Best Practice, which is an additional benefit of external Assessors
• Often oriented on Manufacturing. Over 85% of businesses are Service organisations in the Developed economies
• Often oriented large volume activities, which justify major investment to achieve improvements. Most organisation employee less than 20 persons
• Few agreed and documented methods covering all of the activities affecting Customer service
• Lack of numerical monitoring

ISO 9001 addresses each of these limitations.

Organisations, to achieve ISO 900I Accreditation, must be committed to a focused and systematic approach to business. They should be able to demonstrate:

• Commitment to quality
• Customer requirements are fully understand and can be fulfilled
• Their Customers are satisfied with their service
• Processes and working systems are effective
• Applicable laws and regulations are complied with
• Trained, qualified and competent employees
• The necessary facilities and resources are provided
• Problems are identified and corrected
• Important aspect of the business are monitored, reviewed and improved

Additionally any ISO 9001 Quality system needs to be flexible to assist the business to succeed in today's volatile and competitive environment. Your Hosted Model enables immediate online editing to ensure everyone is working from the latest Documents and Forms, whether they are working inside or externally to the Company.

Benefits of ISO 9001: 2008

1. Competitive Advantage
   ISO 9001 gives an externally checked confidence that your business is using a documented system to fulfil Customer requirements as well as being committed to improve. It also provides assurance to Customers that they can depend on consistent Quality of Service.
2. Operational Efficiency
   ISO 9001 provides a systematic and integrated approach to business processes. It provides a clear structure of operating processes, with an emphasis on continual improvement of working systems as well as reducing errors, duplication, complaints and problems.

The evidence is that implementation costs are an investment with the return of cost advantages and other improvements gained by better methods, improved productivity, reduction of waste and better management control. Achieving successful Assessment and Certification also assists in retaining existing Customers and in gaining new Customers.

Why ISO 9001?

1. Improve Efficiency and Effectiveness
2. Required by Customer

Where?

Covers all the processes which affect the Product or Services the Customer receives

How?

Three Format Options for documentation

1. Text - the traditional approach but limits the opportunity for Business Improvement
2. Process Diagrams - assists with clearer understanding of processes and process interaction but often cumbersome to interlink electronically
3. Integrated Business Model - Opportunity for Business Improvement

Why use the Hosted Business?

We emphasise the Business rather than just the Quality part of ISO 9001.