ISO certification is a valuable asset for any business as it shows that your business adheres to internationally recognized quality management standards. The organizations that follow ISO standards stand a chance of doing much better business as compared to those that aren't ISO compliant. This is because clients as well as investors trust such companies and look forward to working with them. If you have been planning to undergo ISO certification but are not sure how to go about it then this piece of writing can be helpful for you. Read on to find out how to achieve ISO certification for your business in a few simple steps.
Ten-Step Process to Achieve ISO Certification
Here are ten steps to achieve ISO certification for your business:
Choose the relevant ISO standard
Numerous ISO standards have been floated to cater to the needs of different industries and departments. ISO 14001, ISO 9001, ISO 45001, ISO 50001, ISO 27001, ISO 31000 and ISO 26000 are a few among them. To begin with, you must identify which ISO standard is most relevant to your business.
Understand the Standard
Once you decide which standard to go for, it is time to understand its requirements. This includes the key principles of your chosen ISO, its objectives, terminology, ISO documentation process, audit requirements and compliance criteria. It can be extremely difficult to move ahead with the process without this basic information. A lot of information about the various ISO standards is shared on the internet. It is advised to refer to an authentic source to read this information. A lot of misinformation is also present on the internet. Thus, you should be very careful about the sites you refer to.
Identify Gaps
Once you understand the ISO requirements, it is time to assess the current state of your business processes. This will help you identify gaps between your existing practices and the ISO requirements. It is a good idea to develop a gap analysis report to identify areas that require improvement. This will give you a deep insight about the things that require fixing and the tasks you have been accomplishing efficiently. So, you will get an idea about the time and effort required to attain the certification. The greater the gap the more effort and time you will have to invest to reach your goal.
Draft a Plan
The next step is to draft a plan to address the gaps identified in the gap analysis report. Strategic planning is important to improve your ongoing business processes and achieve the ISO certification. Your plan should include clearly defined actions to achieve compliance with the ISO standard and timelines. It must also include short term goals that will lead you to attain the certification.
Establish a Quality Management System
Establish a quality management system that aligns with the ISO requirements. This should include developing policies, procedures, and processes that enable you to meet the standard's objectives. Devising this system requires thorough knowledge about the ISO policies and processes. It is best to seek guidance from ISO certification consultants in Hyderabad at this step to increase your odds of cracking the certification. You may have to shell out some money to hire a professional, however the amount spent would be worth it. Conversely, developing a quality management system on your own may save you a few bucks but will consume a lot of your time. Moreover, as a novice you wouldn't be able to match the quality of the one created by an experienced professional.
Train Your Employees
Your employees should know the importance of achieving ISO certification. This will motivate them to work towards achieving it. They should be provided thorough training to ensure they understand the ISO requirements. They must also be educated about the company's quality management system. After all, they are the ones directly involved in the processes. They must be imparted knowledge about the changes required to meet the ISO standards as well as ways in which the changes can be brought about smoothly.
Implement the System
After training your employees, it is time to implement the quality management system across the business. It is important to constantly monitor the progress of the implementation. This will help you understand whether your team members are following the new guidelines shared by you to improve the processes or not. If required, make any necessary adjustments to ensure the quality management system aligns with the ISO standard.
Conduct an Internal Audit
Before undergoing the certification, it is necessary to conduct an internal audit. This is an essential step in the process as it will give you a clear picture about where you stand as an organization. It will help verify the effectiveness of the quality management system and identify areas that require improvement.
Conduct a Certification Audit
Once you are satisfied with the internal audit, select a certification body and arrange for a certification audit. The certification audit involves a detailed review of your quality management system to verify compliance with the ISO standard. You will be given ISO certification after qualifying in the certification audit.
Maintain Certification
Achieving the ISO certification is not a one time process. It is important to maintain it by following the strict ISO guidelines. You must conduct regular internal audits, monitor your quality management system's effectiveness, and address any non-conformances identified during audits. This will help you qualify in the external audits that are conducted regularly to assess ISO compliance.
Conclusion
If you aim to achieve ISO certification then begin by choosing a relevant ISO certification and understand it well. Next, identify the gaps in the processes, draft an effective plan to address them and establish a quality management system. Once this is done, it is time to educate your employees about the importance of ISO standards and train them to bring about changes to meet the same. Implementing the system and conducting internal and external certification audit are the steps that follow. It is important to stick to the guidelines to maintain the certification. By following these ten steps, your business can achieve ISO certification and demonstrate its commitment to quality management standards. To know more visit us at: https://www.reachiso.com/
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