Achieving the ISO 9001 Quality Management System
The United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) is the sole accreditation body in the UK. ISO 9001 isn’t easy to achieve, so it is lucky that not all organisations need to do it. But, having made the effort to, your certification will project a positive image of your organisation, whilst proving you are trustworthy and more than capable of conducting your audits effectively.
How do I get ISO 9001: 2015 certification?
To achieve ISO 9001 certification one of the most important considerations is your documentation – you must prove that your Quality Management System (QMS) is not only in place but that it is sophisticated. It must meet every requirement of the standards all of the time – there is no room for error. It can be very difficult, especially for those with little technological prowess or the knowledge to use technology to their advantage in the quest to achieve the certification, so please don’t hesitate to get in contact with our expert team. We will ensure that you are using the right tools to guarantee you have the best chance of achieving certification.
Using the services of an external auditor will require you to teach them about the various policies and procedures that your organisation works by, and they will then use that information to identify any gaps that need filling whilst helping you to achieve your certification. They then present you with a report, the contents of which will contain a detailed breakdown of your entire system, which will allow you to micro manage and pinpoint areas that need improvement.
The auditor will give you time to implement the necessary changes, and then return for stage two of the assessment. This step is there to be certain that everything is as it should be and, if so, to finally present you with the ISO 9001 certification for all of your good work.
How long does it take to get ISO 9001 certification?
There are many factors that impact how long certification can take – some of the key factors are as follows; the size of your organisation, how equipped you are already, and how much resource is available to work on your management system. On average it takes around 4-6 months to achieve certification but, depending on your organisation, it could take as little as a month. With every business being unique, there is no way of guaranteeing a definite schedule for each individual company.
Prepare in advance if you want to speed up the certification process.
How Hard Is It to Implement ISO 9001 Certification?
The difficulty of this process depends on the size of your organisation. Your auditor will provide you with a clear guide to assist you through your business processes and documents which – if you have already been making efforts to streamline business process and improve the quality of the service you provide – will already be close to maximum efficiency anyway. This will, hopefully, make the certification process much easier than first anticipated.
There is, unfortunately, no way of getting your ISO 9001 assessment done in one go, as it must be conducted in two stages. Preparation will make an enormous difference to how long this can take. We recommend looking at the requirements of ISO 9001 and implementing as much of the required documentation as you can in advance – in this way, when your auditor does arrive, you can have confidence in the fact that you are prepared and ready to push forward.
Let us know if you need any help preparing. As we said, we know how hard it can be – especially whilst juggling an already busy workday.
Does ISO 9001 Require Regular Assessment?
Regular assessment is needed, but don’t worry because it isn’t as much of a chore as it sounds. Regular assessments can only improve your workplace and ensure you stick to the top standards you must have had to achieve the accreditation in the first place. It will present your commitment to improving the strengths of your security systems, further ensuring that your ISO 9001 certification is firmly in place and isn’t going anywhere. Your auditor will meet with you over agreed periods to be certain everything is as it should be.
Maintaining those high standards after having achieved the accreditation is the difficult part. Your auditor will help you to identify any areas that need improvement on their annual visit. In the process you can guarantee to your clients that you are doing your very best to offer a top-quality service.
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