A Quick Tour – ISO 9001:2008
Posted by suebetts on 17/06/2009
A Quick Tour – ISO 9001:2008
Being accredited with the international quality management systems standard ISO BS EN 9001:2008 shows the outside world that you are in control of your business
You are able to demonstrate that the level of quality of your service/product will at the very least be sustained, and more importantly will continually improve.
Essentially: Say What You Do
Do What You Say
Prove It
Improve It
The aim of the Quality Management System (QMS) in its entirety is about your clients’ requirements being met and ideally your clients being fully satisfied with all they receive from you.
The ISO 9001:208 standard can be (and should be) applicable to all areas of your business and encapsulates this in 5 sections.
- General Requirements of the QMS
- Management Responsibility
- Resource Management
- Product Realisation / Service Provision
- Measurement, Analysis and Improvement
General Requirements
Firstly the standard sets the requirements of controlling and managing the management systems itself during the implementation stage and onwards. Being able to evidence your activities is critical and a requirement is traceability and clarity.
Management Responsibility
Clearly this is straightforward. Who does what? Who is responsible for the quality management system? Is the QMS rolled out across the business from the top?
This section covers such matters as describing core business activities. These are presented by organisation charts, flow charts of the interaction of your different business activities, policies stating commitment to the QMS, visions and aims of the business formally documented, etc.
Resource Management
It is important to demonstrate that you provide the essential tools/means to be able to meet your clients’ requirements. For example:
a) Competent and capable staff
b) Reliable, safe vehicles
c) Accurate, safe machinery
d) Appropriate working environment
e) Properly sourced, effective materials
f) Appropriately selected subcontractors/subconsultants
g) Company guidelines/ethics/rules
If resources are not effectively sources and managed, service provision may be effected and your levels of quality could take a dip.
Product Realisation / Service Provision
It almost goes without saying that if nothing else gets documents, the procedures for getting the job done are the most critical.
You need to have in place written systems to which your teams can refer so that your clients’ requirements can be met, at all times. Procedures such as; Order Confirmation, Carry Out Job, Project Management, Client Communication, Supporting Administration, etc.
Depending on how complex the ‘job’ is of course will result in the number of systems you’ll have to write and the complexity of those procedures. However – you don’t have to get embroiled in the nitty gritty. Detailed work instructions shouldn’t really be necessary. If your Resource Management is working well, you’ve employed qualified/competent teams who know how to carry out the work (your book keeper knows how to work Sage), the Company Manual just tells them how to manage the job, ie, what has to be done, by when, using which supporting documentation.
Measurement, Analysis and Improvement
This is the fun part – well I think so!
It’s the ‘Prove It’ part of ISO 9001:2008.
You must check that you are doing what you say you do. There are lots of ways of doing this. The standard requires that you carry out internal checks of your activities. Ideally use competent staff (or outsource to consultants) who can carry out process auditing. You need to review the activity – the holistic process – not individual persons carrying out the role, and not just individual stages of the activity.
Your teams won’t thank you if they personally feel you are checking up on them. Therefore it is important that your auditors are sensitive, diplomatic, calm and patient. Never allow auditors to check their own work and beware, if you’re using your own teams, of office politics, personality clashes, etc. Yes I know – we’re all supposed to be able to rise above such ‘nonsense’, but we all know it can happen.
You can also measure effectiveness of your activities by traditional KPI (key performance indicators) setting, specific monitoring activities and quick one off inspections. Whatever methods you use, ensure they’re fit for purpose, help business activities not hinder them and are reviewed frequently for continued relevance.
So there you are and whistle stop guide to the international quality management systems standard ISO 9001:2008.
Say What You Do
Do What You Say
Prove It
Improve It
Ensuring that the level of the quality of your work is what you want it to be.
