Quality management is a topic that is more layered than meets the eye. There are a wide number of different regulations, policies, and best practices that are integral to the entire industry, as well as to the manufacturing process at large.
Simply put, ISO 9001 is just the quality management system standard. Within the requirements, it calls for companies to get serious about their methodologies, as well as to get realistic systems in place for measuring and tracking processes. In other words, it’s not enough to look at a few numbers and call the operation a success. We have to use a proven framework to “dig deeper” and turn over new insights into how the company is really running.
ISO 9001 is important because it sets the standard for recordkeeping. If you are running a business that isn’t keeping good records, you’re out of compliance in more ways than you think. ISO 9001 demands good records that aren’t just valid today, but also valid several years into the future. This means that you’re going to have to set up a special kind of version control system to keep track of the paperwork.
One of the strongest benefits to implementing the ISO 9001 standard is that it helps you keep customers satisfied. Most customers want to have the same experience from the company over and over again. It doesn’t make sense to deviate from a proven platform, after all. It also helps companies look at where their weaknesses are and fix them as soon as possible. Without having this in place, it could easily swing the other way — customers would be dissatisfied, and companies would have no real way to track why that’s occurring. Regular and recurring processes help build a more profitable business, which in turn protects the lifestyle that the company’s entire team enjoys from a day to day basis. It’s when companies are in a state of disorganization that people begin worrying about their jobs. So even in something like quality management, there’s still a focus on building strong quality of life.
To achieve the certification, the company has to follow the entire ISO 9001 guidelines to the letter, as well as satisfy its own requirements. If they exist in an industry where there are additional regulatory guidelines, those also must be followed as closely as possible.
This might sound difficult in a general sense, but the standard actually allows room for companies across a wide range of market verticals. If a company really needs help with building the requirements package for ISO 9001 certification, there are outside consultancies equipped for this task.
