Management Systems International, LLC

Unless you have in-house experts who can devote two to three days a week to determine the scope of the project, to focus on implementing and managing the required upfront development, as well as to understand how to apply the generic requirements to your operations, you will need to hire a professional ISO consultant. https://msi-international.com/iso-topics/iso-certification-faqs/

When determining whether to have your company become ISO certified consider three of the most important benefits you will achieve. First, you will establish a foundation for continuous improvement thereby increasing your competitive market position. Second, you will ensure that your company’s processes are being performed to your expectations. Third, you will improve your employees’ quality of life at the workplace by establishing universal standardized methods to carrying out their day-to-day activities. All of these can increase your profitability and decrees your liability. It should be considered a capital expenditure that will increase the value of your business. https://msi-international.com/iso-topics/iso-certification-faqs/

To be certified, your company needs to define and develop procedures that follow the International Standards Organization requirements. Whether you choose ISO 9001 or another standard you are required to address such issues as: •Planning: •Who are your interested parties and what are their needs and expectations •Define the scope of the management system and establish the company policy. •Determine and plan how the management system objectives will be met. •Identifying and providing the resources needed to ensure that operations are conducted in accordance to the management system requirements. •Identification of risks and how they are controlled •Identification of key processes and how they are monitored and measured •Do: •Development and implementation of processes and procedures to ensure planned results are achieved, the objectives are achieved, and the management system requirements are achieved. •Performing operations in accordance to the ISO requirements and your organizations requirements. •Maintaining documented information to support the implementation of the management system. •Check: •Monitor and measure key performance indicators for the established processes and for the needs and expectations of interested parties. •Monitor and measure the extent to which the management system objectives have been met. •Conduct internal audits of the management system to the ISO requirements and requirements of the organization. •Conduct management reviews to ensure the continued adequacy, suitability, and effectiveness of the management system. •Act: •Implement actions to continually improve the management system •Implement actions to prevent unplanned results from occurring again Other topics to be thought through are: •How documents are controlled within your company. •How to determine and manage the records your company must maintain. •How to establish and implement methods for dealing with nonconforming product issues. •How to perform internal process audits. This activity is entirely new to most companies and takes an annual investment commitment •How to determine and manage suppliers and their performance •How to manage the minimum required procedures for problem and potential problem identification and resolution. In addition, it may be advisable to define and document other processes such as: acceptance of customer contract awards, the issuing of purchase orders to your suppliers, supplier selection and evaluation, various design and development processes as well as consistent implementation of processes to ensure that all initiatives are successfully carried out in your company. The environmental and health Standards require initially discovering the environmental and hazard aspects. There are also required training courses plus a third party qualified certification audit. https://msi-international.com/iso-topics/iso-certification-faqs/

The three main management system topics within ISO are Quality, Environmental, Health and Safety. Other topics include: laboratory, business continuity, security management, risk management and food safety. Depending on your specific industry there are different standards. Below is a list of several ISO standards and the applicable industries. For example, if you are in the aerospace industry and have a key customer requiring AS 9100 (the aerospace specific standard), at some point they will flow down that same requirement to you, their key supplier. Instead of waiting for that to happen consider taking a proactive “phase approach” to this business situation and implement ISO 9001 now. In another year add the AS 9100 requirements to your procedures then strategize with your registrar as to when you should arrange for the additional scope audit. Below is a listing of some of the most common ISO standards. https://msi-international.com/iso-topics/iso-certification-faqs/

Usually individuals within companies are tasked to find out what an ISO Standard is and what is required to become certified. They typically begin to search the Internet and find that there are an overwhelming number of web sites available to them. By reading a few of these sites they can educate themselves enough to get an overview of the ISO Standard and the process necessary to become certified. First and foremost is to know by your top management what areas or all of the companies are to earn ISO certification and to which Standard. The next question ISO consultants will ask is how many people and processes are within that scope of potential certification. The below question as to which Standard our company should pursue should help answer that questions. Most companies begin the process by selecting a professional ISO consultant. MSI provides ISO consulting that is customized to your needs, knowledgeable about the steps to certification, and cost effective. Thanks for visiting our website and call with any immediate questions. https://msi-international.com/iso-topics/iso-certification-faqs/