Revisions to ISO 9001 - Get informed. Think ahead. Do it right.
Quality and continuous improvement at the heart of business
ISO 9001 is being brought up to date to reflect the way in which we do business. Business has changed dramatically since the last significant revisions in 2000. Technology has changed the way we do business. We trade in an increasingly global economy. Supply chains are far more complex. And the information available to organisations grows exponentially.
The concept of the revised standard is to integrate the quality management system into routine business operations. Quality objectives are now aligned with business strategies.
ISO 9001:2015 enables a more robust quality management that creates greater confidence in products and services to consistently meet the growing needs of customers.
Implications for organisations
Transition to ISO 9001:2015 should be relatively straightforward for organisations that have adopted the “spirit” of ISO 9001:2008. Many of these businesses may already be addressing some of the changes, such as: understanding the needs of stakeholders, applying a process approach, and considering the risks and opportunities to the organisation. These will just need to be made more transparent and demonstrable.
Organisations which simply comply with requirements of ISO 9001:2008 to get a certificate may need to reassess their overall approach to quality to benefit from the revised standard.
The look and feel of ISO 9001:2015 may take a while to get used to. However, the new structure brings a common framework to all ISO management system standards, making it much easier to implement multi-standard, integrated management systems.
Greater role of senior management
To ensure that the whole organisation is motivated towards the management system achieving its intended results, with a drive towards continual improvement and innovation, ISO 9001:2015 focuses on leadership. Senior management will now be actively responsible for a number of key activities that can no longer be delegated.
Senior management will need to understand how the proposed changes will impact their organisation early on, to allow appropriate plans and resources to be put in place.
Planning for the transition
The new ISO 9001:2015 is expected to be published in September 2015. There will be a transition period of three years.
The standard is still currently at the Draft International Standard (DIS) stage, so we suggest that all you need to do at the moment is inform yourself about the proposed changes.
Any additional changes to the DIS are unlikely to be more significant than minor editorial changes and clarifications. However, we strongly recommend that significant changes to your management system are only implemented once the technical content of the Final Draft International Standard (FDIS) has been finalised (expected issue date: July 2015).
Once the FDIS has been issued, your transition plans should include:
- Understanding changes to requirements
- Identifying gaps and actions needed
- Putting in place an action plan with responsible persons
- Building awareness within your organisation
- Updating your existing quality management system (QMS)
- Demonstrating the effectiveness of the updated QMS
- Liaising with the certification body for transition arrangements
PAVY Ltd can support you through all these stages during the transition period.
For an overview of the implications of the revised standard for you and your organisation, call us on 01367 241485 or click here.
