Showing posts with label iso 9001:2008. Show all posts
Showing posts with label iso 9001:2008. Show all posts

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Why Is ISO 9001 Standards Important?

Industrialization has completely gone under a drastic change with the growling levels of development. With the advancement in technology, there is huge competition between major players. Thus, to stand up with such high competition and developments, all sectors must produce apt services and products according to the needs of the consumers.

This could be just that the quality management system intends continual development in the company beginning from the purchasing department, design, marketing, production, and various other departments in order to provide the best of services and products, which is harmless to both the consumers as well as the environment.

To maintain the quality standards, one needs to get International Organization for Standards (ISO) that symbolizes the quality management standard at international standards. For every company, which deals in facilitating any type of services and goods, it is very important to get certified from ISO 9001:2008.

ISO 9000 is a group of standards for the quality management system and is managed or administered by the certification and accreditation bodies. Few of the requirements in the ISO 9001, one of the standards from the group or family of ISO 9000 include:

A set of methods, which covers all the main and essential processes in the industry
Monitoring each and every process to make sure that it is effective
Maintaining adequate records
Checking all outputs for any kind of defects with corrective and appropriate action where required
Regularly reviewing individual procedures and quality system as well for its effectiveness
Last but not the least, facilitating continual improvement

An organization or company, which has been autonomously certified and audited to be in conformity with the ISO 9001:2008, might publicly state that it is certified with International Organization for Standards 9001:2008 or ISO 9001:2008 registered. Nevertheless, certification with ISO 9001:2008 standards does not ensure conformity and thus the quality of end services and products, to a certain extent certifies that reliable and dependable business procedures are being applied.

Besides, to get the ISO 9001:2008 certifications, one is required to accomplish various obligations of quality control. Few of the vital clauses that must be put up to avail the ISO 9001:2008 include knowledge, range, expressions, identifications, resource management, conscientiousness, analysis, product recognition and measurement. To avail the international standards for organization 9001 certificates, one can easily get them from several certificate providers.

The providers provide the certificate once they have carefully analyzed the production and various other production departments that include quality control standards. In addition, ISO 9001:2008 is offered only when the parent company is pleased and convinced with the output. Hence, for those individuals or businesses that are looking forward to seek ISO 9001:2008 certificates, they must make sure that they fulfill all the required industrial norms.

The practice of ISO 9001:2008 for successful operation and improved customer contentment shows the way to retention of the services and goods for a longer period. With the application of ISO 9001:2008, one can also experience decreased audits and improved marketing. ISO 9001:2008 assists in endorsing international deals, revenue that directs to worker enthusiasm and self-esteem inoculation of types.

For more information on ISO 9001 Standards, kindly visit http://www.iso9001store.com

Monday, August 30, 2010

ISO 9001 Standards & ISO 14001 Standards

In order to assist organizations to have a full understanding of the new ISO 9001:2008, it may be useful to have an insight on the revision process, how this revision reflects the inputs received from users of the standard, and the consideration given to benefits and impacts during its development.

Prior to the commencement of a revision (or amendment) to a management system standard, ISO/Guide 72:2001 Guidelines for the justification and development of management system standards recommends that a “Justification Study” is prepared to present a case for the proposed project and that it outlines details of the data and inputs used to support its arguments. In relation to the development ofISO 9001:2008 user needs were identified from the following:

-the results of a formal “Systematic Review” on ISO 9001:2000 that was performed by the members of ISO/TC 176/SC2 during 2003-2004
-feedback from the ISO/TC 176/Working Group on “Interpretations”
-the results of an extensive worldwide “User Feedback Survey on ISO 9001 and
The Justification Study identified the need for an amendment, provided that the impact on users would be limited and that changes would only be introduced when there were clear benefits to users.

The key focuses of the ISO 9001:2008 amendment were to enhance the clarity of ISO 9001:2000 and to enhance its compatibility with ISO 14001:2004.

A tool for assessing the impacts versus benefits for proposed changes was created to assist the drafters of the amendment in deciding which changes should be included, and to assist in the verification of drafts against the identified user needs. The following decision making principles were applied:

1) No changes with high impact would be incorporated into the standard;

2) Changes with medium impact would only be incorporated when they provided a correspondingly medium or high benefit to users of the standard;

3) Even where a change was low impact, it had to be justified by the benefits it delivered to users, before being incorporated.

The changes incorporated in this ISO 9001:2008 edition were classified in terms of impact into the following categories:

-No changes or minimum changes on user documents, including records

-No changes or minimum changes to existing processes of the organization

-No additional training required or minimal training required

-No effects on current certifications

The benefits identified for the ISO 9001:2008 edition fall into the following categories:

-Provides clarity

-Increases compatibility with ISO 14001.

-Maintains consistency with ISO 9000 family of standards.

-Improves translatability.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

ISO 9001:2008 Documentation Requirements

ISO 9001:2008 Documentation Requirements
ISO 9001:2008 clause 4.1 General requirements requires an organization to “establish, document, implement, and maintain a quality management system and continually improve its effectiveness in accordance with the requirements of this International Standard”
Clause 4.2.1 General explains that the quality management system documentation shall include:
documented statements of a quality policy and quality objectives;
a quality manual documented procedures required by this International Standard documents needed by the organization to ensure the effective planning, operation and control of its processes, and records required by this International Standard;
The notes after Clause 4.2 make it clear that where the standard specifically requires a “documented procedure”, the procedure has to be established, documented, implemented and maintained. It also emphasizes that the extent of the QMS documentation may differ from one organization to another due to:
the size of organization and type of activities;
the complexity of processes and their interactions, and
the competence of personnel.
All the documents that form part of the QMS have to be controlled in accordance with clause 4.2.3 of ISO 9001:2008, or, for the particular case of records, according to clause 4.2.4.
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Guidance on Clause 4.2 of ISO 9001:2008
Posted by everise iso 9001 standard Monday 28 September 2009 8:51 am Edit This
Guidance on Clause 4.2 of ISO 9001:2008
The following comments are intended to assist users of ISO 9001:2008 in understanding the intent of the general documentation requirements of the International Standard.
a) Documented statements of a quality policy and objectives:
Requirements for the quality policy are defined in clause 5.3 of ISO 9001:2008. The documented quality policy has to be controlled according to the requirements of clause 4.2.3.
Note: Organizations that are revising their quality policy for the first time, or in order to meet the amended requirements in ISO 9001:2008, should pay particular attention to clause 4.2.3 (c), (d) and (g).
Requirements for quality objectives are defined in clause 5.4.1 of ISO 9001:2008. These documented quality objectives are also subject to the document control requirements of clause 4.2.3.
b) Quality Manual:
Clause 4.2.2 of ISO 9001:2008 specifies the minimum content for a quality manual. The format and structure of the manual is a decision for each organization, and will depend on the organization’s size, culture and complexity. Some organizations may choose to use the quality manual for other purposes besides that of simply documenting the QMS
A small organization may find it appropriate to include the description of its entire QMS within a single manual, including all the documented procedures required by the standard.
Large, multi-national organizations may need several manuals at the global, national or regional level, and a more complex hierarchy of documentation.
The quality manual is a document that has to be controlled in accordance with the requirements of clause 4.2.3.
c) Documented procedures:
ISO 9001:2008 specifically requires the organization to have “documented procedures” for the following six activities:
4.2.3 Control of documents
4.2.4 Control of records
8.2.2 Internal audit
8.3 Control of nonconforming product
8.5.2 Corrective action
8.5.3 Preventive action
These documented procedures have to be controlled in accordance with the requirements of clause 4.2.3 Some organizations may find it convenient to combine the procedure for several activities into a single documented procedure (for example, corrective action and preventive action). Others may choose to document a given activity by using more than one documented procedure (for example, internal audits). Both are acceptable.
Some organizations (particularly larger organizations, or those with more complex processes) may require additional documented procedures (particularly those relating to product realization processes) to implement an effective QMS.
Other organizations may require additional procedures, but the size and/or culture of the organization could enable these to be effectively implemented without necessarily being documented. However, in order to demonstrate compliance with ISO 9001:2008, the organization has to be able to provide objective evidence (not necessarily documented) that its QMS has been effectively implemented.
d) Documents needed by the organization to ensure the effective planning, operation and control of its processes:
In order for an organization to demonstrate the effective implementation of its QMS, it may be necessary to develop documents other than documented procedures. However, the only documents specifically mentioned in ISO 9001:2008 are:
- Quality policy (clause 4.2.1.a)
- Quality objectives (clause 4.2.1.a)
- Quality manual (clause 4.2.1.b)
There are several requirements of ISO 9001:2008 where an organization could add value to its QMS and demonstrate conformity by the preparation of other documents, even though the standard does not specifically require them. Examples
may include:
- Process maps, process flow charts and/or process descriptions
- Organization charts
- Specifications
- Work and/or test instructions
- Documents containing internal communications
- Production schedules
- Approved supplier lists
- Test and inspection plans
- Quality plans
All such documents have to be controlled in accordance with the requirements of clause 4.2.3 and/or 4.2.4, as applicable
e) Records:
Examples of records specifically required by ISO 9001:2008 are presented in Annex B.
Organizations are free to develop other records that may be needed to demonstrate conformity of their processes, products and quality management system.
Requirements for the control of records are different from those for other documents, and all records have to be controlled according to those of clause 4.2.4 of ISO 9001:2008.
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Demonstrating conformity with ISO 9001:2008
Posted by everise iso 9001 standard Monday 28 September 2009 8:40 am Edit This
Demonstrating conformity with ISO 9001:2008
For organizations wishing to demonstrate conformity with the requirements of ISO 9001:2008, for the purposes of certification/registration, contractual, or other reasons, it is important to remember the need to provide evidence of the effective implementation of the QMS.
Organizations may be able to demonstrate conformity without the need for extensive documentation.
To claim conformity with ISO 9001:2008, the organization has to be able to provide objective evidence of the effectiveness of its processes and its quality management system. Clause 3.8.1 of ISO 9000:2005 defines “objective
evidence” as “data supporting the existence or variety of something” and notes that “objective evidence may be obtained through observation, measurement, test, or other means.”
Objective evidence does not necessarily depend on the existence of documented procedures, records or other documents, except where specifically mentioned in ISO 9001:2008. In some cases, (for example, in clause 7.1(d)
Planning of product realization, and clause 8.2.4 Monitoring and measurement of product), it is up to the organization to determine what records are necessary in order to provide this objective evidence.
Where the organization has no specific internal procedure for a particular activity, and this is not required by the standard, (for example, clause 5.6 Management Review), it is acceptable for this activity to be conducted using as a basis the relevant clause of ISO 9001:2008. In these situations, both internal and external audits may use the text of ISO 9001:2008 for conformity assessment purposes.

Monday, August 31, 2009

Preparing the ISO 9001 quality manual

The standard requires a quality manual to be establishedand maintained that includes the scope of the qualitymanagement system, the documented procedures or refer-ence to them and a description of the sequence andinteraction of processes included in the quality manage-ment system.
ISO 9000 defines a quality manual as a documentspecifying the quality management system of an organi-zation. It is therefore not intended that themanual be a response to the requirements ofISO 9001. As the top-level document describingthe management system it is a system descriptiondescribing how the organization is managed.Countless quality manuals produced to satisfy ISO 9000 :2008, were nomore than 20 sections that paraphrased the requirements of the standard.Such documentation adds no value. They are of no use to managers, staff orauditors. Often thought to be useful to customers, organizations would gainno more confidence from customers than would be obtained from theirregistration certificate.
This requirement responds to the System Approach Principle.A description of the management system is necessary as a means of showinghow all the processes are interconnected and how they collectively deliver thebusiness outputs. It has several uses as :a means to communicate the vision, values, mission, policies and objectivesof the organizationa means of showing how the system has been designeda means of showing linkages between processesa means of showing who does whatan aid to training new peoplea tool in the analysis of potential improvementsa means of demonstrating compliance with external standards and regulations
When formulating the policies, objectives and identifying the processes toachieve them, the manual provides a convenient vehicle for containing suchinformation. If left as separate pieces of information, it may be more difficult tosee the linkages.The requirement provides the framework for the manual. Its content maytherefore include the following:1 Introduction(a) Purpose (of the manual)(b) Scope (of the manual)(c) Applicability (of the manual)(d) Definitions (of terms used in the manual)2 Business overview(a) Nature of the business/organization – its scope of activity, its productsand services(b) The organization’s interested parties (customers, employees, regulators,shareholders, suppliers, owners etc.)(c) The context diagram showing the organization relative to its externalenvironment(d) Vision, values(e) Mission3 Organization(a) Function descriptions(b) Organization chart(c) Locations with scope of activity4 Business processes(a) The system model showing the key business processes and how they areinterconnected(b) System performance indicators and method of measurement(c) Business planning process description(d) Resource management process description(e) Marketing process description(f) Product/service generation processes description(g) Sales process description(h) Order fulfilment process description5 Function matrix (Relationship of functions to processes)6 Location matrix (Relationship of locations to processes)7 Requirement deployment matrices(a) ISO 9001 compliance matrix(b) ISO 14001 compliance matrix(c) Regulation compliance matrices (FDA, Environment, Health, Safety,CAA etc.)8 Approvals (List of current product, process and system approvals)

Migration to ISO 9001:2008

Migration To ISO 9001:2008The International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and the International Organization forStandardization (ISO) have agreed on an implementation plan to ensure a smooth transition ofaccredited certification to ISO 9001:2008, the latest version of the world’s most widely usedstandard for quality management systems (QMS). The details of the plan are given in the jointcommuniqué by the two organizations which appears below.Like all of ISO’s more than 17 000 standards, ISO 9001 is periodically reviewed to ensure that itis maintained at the state of the art and a decision taken to confirm, withdraw or revise thedocument.ISO 9001:2008, which is due to be published before the end of the year, will replace the year2000 version of the standard which is implemented by both business and public sectororganizations in 170 countries. Although certification is not a requirement of the standard, theQMS of about one million organizations have been audited and certified by independentcertification bodies (also known in some countries as registration bodies) to ISO 9001:2000.ISO 9001 certification is frequently used in both private and public sectors to increaseconfidence in the products and services provided by certified organizations, between partnersin business-to-business relations, in the selection of suppliers in supply chains and in the rightto tender for procurement contracts.ISO is the developer and publisher of ISO 9001, but does not itself carry out auditing andcertification. These services are performed independently of ISO by certification bodies. ISOdoes not control such bodies, but does develop voluntary International Standards toencourage good practice in their activities on a worldwide basis. For example, ISO/IEC17021:2006 specifies the requirements for bodies providing auditing and certification ofmanagement systems.Certification bodies that wish to provide further confidence in their services may apply to be“accredited” as competent by an IAF recognized national accreditation body. ISO/IEC17011:2004 specifies the requirements for carrying out such accreditation. IAF is aninternational association whose membership includes the national accreditation bodies of 49economies.ISO technical committee ISO/TC 176, Quality management and quality assurance, which isresponsible for the ISO 9000 family of standards, is preparing a number of support documentsexplaining what the differences are between ISO 9001:2008 and the year 2000 version, whyand what they mean for users. Once approved, these documents will be posted on the ISOWeb site – probably in October 2008.
ISO (International Organization for Standardization) and the IAF (International AccreditationForum) have agreed an implementation plan to ensure a smooth migration of accreditedcertification to ISO 9001:2008, after consultation with international groupings representingquality system or auditor certification bodies, and industry users of ISO 9001 certificationservices.ISO 9001:2008 does not contain any new requirementsThey have recognized that ISO 9001:2008 introduces no new requirements. ISO 9001:2008only introduces clarifications to the existing requirements of ISO 9001:2000 based on eightyears of experience of implementing the standard world wide with about one millioncertificates issued in 170 countries to date. It also introduces changes intended to improveconsistency with ISO14001:2004The agreed implementation plan in relation to accredited certification is therefore thefollowing:Accredited certification to the ISO 9001:2008 shall not be granted until the publication of ISO9001:2008 as an International Standard.Certification of conformity to ISO 9001:2008 and/or national equivalents shall only be issuedafter official publication of ISO 9001:2008 (which should take place before the end of 2008)and after a routine surveillance or recertification audit against ISO 9001:2008.Validity of certifications to ISO 9001:2000One year after publication of ISO 9001:2008 all accredited certifications issued (newcertifications or recertifications) shall be to ISO 9001:2008.Twenty four months after publication by ISO of ISO 9001:2008, any existing certification issuedto ISO 9001:2000 shall not be valid.

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Scope of the ISO 9001 quality management system

The standard requires the quality manual to include the scope of the quality management system including details of justification for any exclusion.
The standard addresses activities that may not be relevant or applicable to an organization. The permissible exclusions are explained in section 1.2 of ISO 9001. Here it states that the organization may only exclude requirements that neither affect the organization’s ability, nor its responsibility to provide product that meets customer and applicable regulatory requirements. The requirements for which exclusion is permitted are limited to those in section 7 of the standard.
Under ISO 9000 :2008, it was possible for organizations to exclude functions and processes of their organization that may have been difficult to control or were not part of the order fulfilment cycle. Organizations that designed their own products but not for specific customers could escape bringing these operations into the management system. Marketing was omitted because itoperated before placement of order. Accounting, Administration, Maintenance, Publicity, Public Relations and After Sales Support functions were often omitted because there were no requirements in the standard that specifically dealt with such activities. As there is no function in an organization that does not directly or indirectly serve the satisfaction of interested parties, it is unlikely that any function or process will now be excluded from the management system.
This requirement responds to the System Approach Principle.It is sensible to describe the scope of the management system so as to ensure effective communication. The scope of the management system is one area that generates a lot of misunderstanding particularly when dealing with auditors, consultants and customers. When you claim you have a management system that meets ISO 9001 it could imply that you design, develop, install and service the products you supply, when in fact you may only be a distributor.
Why you need to justify specific exclusions is uncertain because it is more practical tojustify inclusions.
The scope of the management system is the scope of the organization. There is no longer any reason to exclude locations, activities, functions or processes for which there is no requirement in the standard. The reason is because the ISO 9000 family now serves customer satisfaction and is not limited to quality assurance as were the 1994 versions of ISO 9001, ISO 9002 and ISO 9003.
It is not appropriate to address exclusions by inserting pages in the manual corresponding to the sections of the standard and adding justification if not within the scope of the management system – such as ‘We don’t do this!’. It is much more appropriate to use an appendix as indicated previously in the manual contents list. By describing the nature of the business, you are establishing boundary conditions. If in doing so you do not mention that you design products, it will be interpreted that design is not applicable. For exclusions relative to detail requirements, the Compliance Matrix may suffice but for an unambiguous solution, it is preferable to produce an exposition that addresses each requirement of the standard.

Managing processes In ISO 9001 Standard

The standard requires the organization to manage the identified processes in accordance with the requirements of ISO 9001. The first stage in managing a process is to establish what it is you are trying to achieve, what requirements you need to satisfy, what goals you are aiming at; then establish how you will measure your achievements. The next stage is to define the process you will employ to deliver the results. Managing the process then involves managing all the inherentcharacteristics of the process in such a manner that the requirements of customers and interested parties are fulfilled by the process outcomes. This means:Managing the process inputsManaging the workManaging the physical resourcesManaging the financial resourcesManaging the human resourcesManaging the constraintsManaging the outputs
Process management is therefore much more than managing activities and therefore when describing processes, one needs more than a flow chart of activities. The chart is a diagrammatical representation of a process but only one aspect. One can also add numerical data to the charts to indicate resources, cycle times, delays, costs etc. but the intangible factors of the human environment cannot be reduced to numerical data to add to the charts.
The notes to clause 4.1 of ISO 9001 need some explanation. It is stated that the processes needed for the management system include management activities, provision of resources, product realization and measurement. This note could cause confusion because it suggests that these are the processes that are needed for the management system. It would be unwise to use this as the model and far better to identify the processes from observing how the business operates. The term provision of resources should be Resource Management, which is thecollection of processes covering financial, human and physical resources.
Product realization is also a collection of processes such as design, production, service delivery, etc. Measurement is not a single process but a sub-process within each process. Grouping all the measurement processes together serves no useful purpose except it matches the standard – a purpose of little value in managing the organization.
The second note refers to outsourcing processes although it is difficult to imagine that management activities, product realization or measurement would be outsourced in its entirety. It is likely that market research; design, product verification, equipment calibration and other specialized services may be outsourced. While outsourcing comes under purchasing, it is correct to point out that the organization should control any outsourced processes. The supplier of the process is usually referred to as a subcontractor because they provide services to the organization’s requirements not their own. Control of subcontractors is covered by clause 7.4 but in meeting clause 7.4.3, you need to treat suppliers and subcontractors differently.

ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management System Standard

ISO 9001:2008 is the world most successful standard addressing best practice in the application of quality management systems.
The standard is based around the principles of customer satisfaction, continual improvement and the development of a process based quality management system. Although not referenced in the standard itself the ISO 9001:2008 document is underpinned by eight key quality management principles;
a customer focused organisation
leadership
the involvement of people
ensuring a process approach
a systematic approach to management
a factual approach to decision making
mutually beneficial supplier relations
continuous improvement
ISO 9001:2008 has been written to ensure that its guiding principles are equally relevant to all sectors of industry and to all types of organisation. Although containing requirements to control the key processes within an organisation, it only requires six documented procedures. The standard emphasises the need for an organisation to continually monitor their own processes and systems, with many clauses making reference to self monitoring or measurement or both. This emphasis aims for an integrated approach to business processes. Instead of operating to a business plan on one hand and a quality management system on the other, the standard aims to integrate both of these functions into one system.
What is a quality management system?ISO 9001:2008 is a standard that specifies criteria for a quality management system (QMS). A QMS incorporates those elements of an organisations management system that direct and control it with regard to quality. Such a system will need to be supported by top management who will need to be able to demonstrate management commitment.
How do you demonstrate management commitment?Management commitment is one of the cornerstones of ISO 9001:2008, requiring top management to develop and improve the QMS throughout the organisation. This commitment can be demonstrated by a number of methods including creating a quality policy, conducting management reviews and establishing quality objectives.
What is a quality policy?ISO 9001:2008 specifies that an organisation must have a quality policy that documents the organisations overall intentions and direction related to quality as formally expressed by top management. Such a policy will include a commitment to comply with ISO 9001:2008, to continuously improve the QMS and to set and monitor measurable quality objectives.
What are quality objectives?The quality objectives are those targets sought or aimed for by the organisation that are related to quality. These quality objectives must be SMART (suitable, measurable, achievable, reviewed and timely). Examples of quality objectives might be; to reduce machine down time by 20% or to reduce rework costs by ?00 p/m. Whatever quality objectives are chosen they must be meaningful and adequately resourced by the organisation.
What is a management review?A management review is a key element of how the top management of an organisation can assess its performance in terms of the objectives it sets itself, the requirements set by the standard and how its systems are operating. Normally, a management review is a regular meeting of the top management team and uses the information that the organisation? systems have derived. It is a useful forum to review and revise quality objectives.
What are internal audits and why do I need to carry them out?Internal audit is one of the key monitoring processes required by the standard and functions as a check on the organisation? systems. It is the opportunity for an organisation to determine compliance to the systems it has established and maintained to meet the needs of its customers and identify opportunities for improvement. Internal audit can be seen as a ealth check?for an organisation.
The ore?of ISO 9001:2008, Product realisationClause 7 of ISO 9001:2008 contains the core processes that most organisations carry out. Any clause or sub-clause in section 7 can be excluded from an organisations quality management system if it can be justifiably excluded. Examples of common exclusions are clause 7.3 design and development, clause 7.5.3 traceability and clause 7.6 the control of monitoring and measuring devices. Clauses can only be excluded if their exclusion does not affect the company? ability to provide a product or service that meets customer requirements.
These core processes should be managed and controlled via the quality management system, and are evaluated for effectiveness and suitability by the internal audits with feed back into the management review.
This is a clear demonstration of one of the key principles of ISO 9001:2008, continuous improvement by critical self-evaluation. The output from the self-evaluation is fed into a planning stage to determine actions needed to improve the system. Following the planning and consultation comes the action phase where the proposed changes are implemented. Then the cycle starts again by checking that the changes are effective and meaningful by self-evaluation.
Other requirements of section 7 are;Product planning to ascertain and then implement the necessary controls and resources to ensure product realisation.
Purchasing control to verify purchased product against comprehensive purchasing information and the selection and evaluation of suppliers.
Production and service provision to ensure that this activity is carried out in controlled conditions and that any processes that cannot be verified during production are validated to ensure capability. Where appropriate the product must be identified, and if required, traceable at all stages of production. Any customer property must be identified and protected from harm and all products must be stored and handled in such a way to preserve product conformity.
Any monitoring and measuring devices needed to provide evidence of product conformity must be identified and if necessary calibrated.
But what about the customer? All of the clauses in ISO 9001:2008 are in some way focused towards meeting and exceeding the customer? expectations. For example the requirement of management to determine and communicate the importance of customer requirements throughout the organisation, and the review of customer orders to ensure that they can be met. Companies are required to implement methods for effective communication with the client at all stages of the business including ascertaining customer satisfaction after the product or service has been delivered as well as resolving customer complaints.
Finally?ISO 9001:2008 is widely acclaimed as being the pre-eminent specification for quality management systems, it requires a company to look at itself and ask the question, ‘how can we improve?’ An ISO 9001:2008 management system should be an essential part of any business process, requiring continual improvement by self-evaluation with a goal of ensuring that current and future customer expectation can be met and exceeded.
If you have any queries concerning ISO 9001:2008 please visit http://www.iso-consults.com/