ISO 9001 is the most adopted standard globally. This standard sets out the requirements for quality management system based on best practices developed by the ISO organization. The essential elements of this standard include the seven quality management principles, customer focus, leadership, engagement of people, the process approach, improvement, evidence-based decision making and relationship management. The standard is risk-based which means it takes into consideration the effects of uncertainty on objectives. The standard is built on the PDCA cycle or the Deming wheel. That is, Plan, Do, Check, Act.

Adoption of the standard leads to very important advantages or benefits to an organization. These include, understanding the context of the organization, understanding the needs and expectations of interested parties, enhance reputation, customer loyalty, recognition, ease of doing business, opportunities to break into new markets, understanding of legal and other contractual requirements. Of course there are others.  Clearly, adoption of the standard has tremendous benefits to any organization.

The standard is generic, which means it can be adopted by any organization regardless of size or industry type. The organization which choses to adopt this standard is embarking in a journey of continual improvement, enhancement of reputation and global competitiveness. In the twenty first century, ISO 9001 is clearly the standard that will enable to be the best and compete globally.

Speaker

Jacob A. McLean Principal Consultant and Managing Director of Kaizen Training & Management Consultants Limited. His specialties are: Health, Safety & Environmental Management systems – development, training auditing; Quality Systems implementation – development, training, auditing; Risk Management – risk assessment, business continuity and crisis management planning.