Australian Accreditation and Certification Services

ISO 9001:2015 is the next step forward in quality management systems. Since it was published in Sept 2015, the new Standard has made a big impression in the business world. Why is this and what’s so different in this edition?

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To answer these questions we need to understand what ISO 9001 is intended to do and how organizations stand to benefit from this ‘new approach’.

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ISO 9001:2015 takes the quality management system out of the QA office and places it firmly on the boardroom table. It demands that top management take a proactive role in setting quality objectives, pushing improvements, deciding on risk appetite, opening eyes to what’s going on inside and outside the organization and giving the organization the best foundation for future success. More than this though, the new Standard encourages a root-and-branch study of the processes throughout the organization to ensure that resources are placed where they will add value and not wasted in areas where they are not needed and processes are analysed, firstly to determine if they are needed at all and if they are, to make sure they are working efficiently and effectively.

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When considering processes, the organization needs now, more than ever, to identify all processes in the organization and map their relationships and inter-dependencies. This is a foundational approach that in itself encourages top management to take a fresh look at their organization and gain a new level of awareness of how the organizaton works and where there are opportunities for improvement.

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ISO 9001:2015 represents a significant development from the previous version of the Standard by introducing the concept of ‘risk-based thinking’. We can think of this as essentially an approach that integrates the likelihood and consequences of success or failure into each process within the organization. Using risk-based thinking, decision-makers at all levels in the organization can be assured of making well-informed decisions that will provide the best results for the process and therefore for the organization and its customers.

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ISO 9001:2015 uses the tried-and-tested Plan-Do-Check-Act (some refer to this as Plan-Do-Study-Act) approach pioneered by the father of the modern quality movement W Edwards Demming and builds the Standard around it. While PDCA is the backbone of the Standard, it is not something that should dictate the design of your documented system but rather a natural approach that comes from the logic built into the Standard.

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AACS are experienced practitioners of ISO 9001, with years of certifcation body auditing in USA, Europe, Asia, China, as well as Australia and New Zealand. Put our experience to work for you and let us assist you to achieve your business objectives.

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