International quality system: ISO standards. International quality system: ISO standards Compliance with ISO standards

In conditions of rather tough competition, the introduction of certain guarantees of quality is fundamental and decisive in making the choice by the buyer or consumer of the services and products of a particular company. At the same time, the best and main guarantee is the certification of quality management systems and the receipt of the ISO 9001 series standard.

ISO standards in Russia, including the most famous ISO 9001 standard, have combined many years of experience in most countries in the world in the field of quality systems management and are the latest versions of assessing the criteria for managing all work and production processes at enterprises.

ISO 9001 certificate Is an official document confirming the full compliance of the current quality management system with the requirements specified in the international standard ISO 9001.

Today, having gone through a whole range of various additions and modifications, the international standard ISO 9001 has become fully adapted and harmonized in accordance with the current European standards and is aimed at maximizing the quality of products (services provided).

The ISO 9001 standard has a clear structure, consisting of 8 sections:

• scope and purpose;
• Normative references;
• basic definitions and terms;
• Quality Management System;
• the level of management responsibility;
• resource management (management);
• release of products (services);
• analysis, measurement and improvement.

The first three sections of the standard are service ones and do not contain requirements and norms.

the main objective ISO 9001 standard is to actively promote correct organization various production processes and work of the company as a whole in order to comply with specific legislative requirements and to the fullest satisfaction of the desires and requests of consumers and partners.

The implementation of the QMS on the basis of obtaining ISO 9001 standards confirms that:

• the company's personnel are well acquainted with their duties, rights, powers and responsibilities, and also have the necessary competence for better, efficient and correct performance of work;
• the company has predetermined processes that affect the quality of products;
• all production processes are regulated and provided with all the necessary resources;
• conditions have been created for the competent implementation of the production infrastructure and environment, as well as high-quality work of the company's employees;
• system of preliminary collection and further analysis of information about production processes, satisfaction of consumers and products, is optimally adjusted and provides objective information for the timely adoption of the necessary decisions to improve the work of personnel and the enterprise itself;
• a motivated system focused on quality has been created;
• work processes are organized with a subsequent focus on the expectations of the end user, including implementation the latest technologies improving consumer properties, parameters and characteristics of manufactured products;
• internal audits are carried out to ensure continuous improvement of processes and activities;
• the company has established records management and workflow;
• the organization pays special attention to competent work with suppliers and partners;
• the top management of the organization is familiar with the level of quality and is fully responsible for it;
• the company sets and develops quality goals and regularly plans to achieve them;
• the company has a well-functioning system of responses to claims and complaints made by buyers and customers (development of effective measures to eliminate shortcomings and failures);
• a continuous improvement process is in place to ensure sustainable development of the company.

For each organization, the project for the development of quality systems in accordance with the ISO 9001 standard is unique and is determined on the basis of its size, types of activities, the presence of a branch network, features organizational structure, the level of development of the existing and current management system, etc.

Stages of standardization in accordance with ISO 9001

The process of standardization according to ISO 9001 itself is not a complete guarantee of the quality of services or products, but only gives a set of rules and regulations for the implementation of civilized activities of an organization in compliance with standard and universal step-by-step steps.

The stages of the project for the implementation and development of ISO 9001 series standards consist of the following main activities:

• preparatory stage - creation technical specifications, calendar plans, administrative registration of work, project management plan;
• assessment of the current quality management system (QMS) of the organization;
• conducting training and special trainings for employees and those responsible officials in company;
• regulation of processes and determination of the QMS process model;
• development of QMS documentation and organizational management structure;
• creation of a process for improving the QMS;
• performing a cycle of internal audits;
• implementation of ISO 9001 certification.

A competently and correctly developed and implemented quality management system, as well as its subsequent certification in the ISO system, bring a number of economic and strategic advantages for business owners.

Key Benefits of Owning an ISO 9001 Certificate

The high level of competitiveness of an enterprise and its products or services in the market is directly influenced by regular and continuous improvement of the company's activities as a whole. This ensures an even improvement in the quality of products and services offered. The main norms and rules in this area are determined by the well-known international standard ISO 9001, which is evidence of the company's production of high quality goods and the compliance of its technologies and activities with international standards.

The company that owns this certificate has a number of undeniable advantages over other enterprises that do not have such a standard, namely:

• achieving a high level of quality allows you to reduce the total cost of production, as well as reduce the cost of defective products;
• significant improvement and optimization of current business processes;
• increasing the level of cooperation;
• active improvement of the quality of staff work;
• the ability to streamline the activities of structural divisions of enterprises;
• the possibility of obtaining government orders and the company's entry into the international external consumer market;
• increasing confidence on the part of financial and insurance organizations, which affects the investment of large investments in the development of the enterprise.

Based on this, an organization or company that adheres to the conditions and requirements of this certificate receives many useful opportunities, ranging from effective competition with other manufacturers and ending with a significant increase in the quality of the manufactured goods or services provided. Even these two basic parameters can maximize and increase the company's profit. In this regard, the ISO 9001 standard is a worthy guarantee of the manufacturer's success, longevity and prosperity.

Standardization in accordance with ISO 9001 does not replace the need to issue separate certificates for certain types of goods, products and services included in the list of categories that provide compulsory passage certification.

ISO 9001 standard

ISO 9001 standards are international standards that describe the requirements for the quality management system of organizations and enterprises. ISO 9000 standards include ISO 9001 standards, the demand for which is increasing every day. This current version of ISO9001: 2008 Quality management systems. Requirements." This is the only conformance standard that can be certified. This procedure is not mandatory certification and is carried out at the request of the applicant.

It should be noted that the ISO 9001: 2008 standard is successfully used by organizations of any size, it has been successfully implemented by more than 1 million companies in 170 countries of the world. The use of ISO 9001: 2008 guarantees the buyer a high quality product and service, which leads to increased sales and business success. In addition, the implementation of the ISO 9001: 2008 standard can help to check the operability of the entire system as a whole, to establish its greater effective effectiveness, motivate, involve top management and reduce losses.

An important feature of ISO 9001: 2008

An important feature of the ISO 9001: 2008 standard is that it does not imply uniform quality management systems and related documentation describing them. Therefore, having implemented a quality management system based on the ISO 9001: 2008 standard, you can be sure of an exceptional individuality and see for yourself how flexible this system is. Indeed, the development and implementation of an organization's quality management system is influenced by: the size of the organization, the products it produces, the structure of the organization, applicable processes, changing needs, specific goals, external environment, changes or risks associated with this environment.

ISO 9001: 2008 is successfully used by organizations of any size, it has been successfully implemented by more than 1 million companies in 170 countries of the world

The ISO 9001: 2008 standard is aimed at applying a process approach in the development, implementation, and subsequently improving the effectiveness of the quality management system in order to increase the satisfaction of the end user through forecasting and meeting his requirements. The benefits of a process approach are countless. First of all, it is the continuity of control, which is achieved through combinations and interactions at the junction of individual processes.

This approach helps to better understand and fulfill requirements, achieve planned results, ensure their effectiveness, improve the process by objectively evaluating and measuring it. Also, in addition to the process approach, the implementation of a quality management system based on the ISO 9001: 2008 standard to all processes in an organization can allow the application of the “Plan - Do - Check - Act” cycle. This cycle can be briefly described as:

• planning (plan) - the development of goals and processes necessary to achieve results in accordance with customer requirements and the organization's policy;
• implementation (do) - implementation of processes;
• check - the ongoing monitoring and measurement of processes and products against the policy, objectives and requirements for the product and reporting the results;
• action (act) - taking action to continually improve the performance of processes.

The timing and cost of implementing the ISO 9001: 2008 standard depends on individual characteristics Your type of organization and the degree of functioning of the system's actions. In most cases, this does not take more than 2 weeks. If you are still in doubt, you can order a free consultation of our specialists ( there should be some kind of "press" button). With their help, you can choose the certification system that is best suited for your organization.

And do not be afraid of the lack of standard prices, this only means that we approach each case separately, weigh the exclusivity of the situation and take all possible measures to optimize the processes of implementing the ISO 9001: 2008 standard. By contacting us, you are guaranteed to receive a unique offer that allows you to improve existing processes and establish thorough control, and most importantly, increase the position of your organization / company in the market.

Upon completion of the work, you will receive from us:

1. ISO 9001: 2008 certificate in Russian and English;
2. permission to use the quality mark;
3. quality manual for your organization;
4. organization standards for your organization.

Remember that working with us will help you reach new heights!

You will learn:

• What is ISO 9001 standard and what are its features.
• How much does it cost and how long does it take to prepare a certificate for a quality management system.

ISO 9001 is the world's most popular suite of international standards created by the International Organization for Standardization. Despite the fact that all ISO standards are only advisory in nature, they are used as the main ones in about 100 countries around the world. Part of the ISO package was also approved in Russia, within the framework of official state standards(GOST). The State Committee of the Russian Federation for Standardization, Metrology and Certification (Gosstandart) is a national member of ISO and participates in the work of this organization.

ISO 9001 specifies a minimum set of requirements for quality systems and is used for certification... One of the main features of this standard is its versatility - it can be applied to any kind of activity.

What is ISO 9001 standard?

ISO 9001, the first version of which appeared back in 1987, is the world's largest standard dedicated to the creation of a quality management system (QMS). It is based on attention to the needs of the client. The requirements and standards have been repeatedly revised and updated, but the main provisions remain unchanged today.

The main task of the QMS is not control the quality of each individual operation or unit of production, but to develop conditions to minimize errors in work. This approach appeared in the 2008 version of the standard and was developed in the ISO 9001: 2015 version.

Formally, the implementation of ISO 9001 is considered voluntary. There are areas of industry, such as the military-industrial complex or aircraft construction, where the implementation of its individual elements, reflected in industry standards, is mandatory.

The standard is based on many concepts and methodologies developed by leading experts in quality management. In particular, the sequence of actions that must be performed during the implementation and operation of the QMS, or the RDCA cycle, was created by the famous American scientist Walter Schuhart.

Based on the provisions of ISO 9001, the company creates a QMS documentation system that regulates all actions that have something to do with the provision of services and the production of material goods. The detail of the documentation depends on the needs of a particular enterprise, the only condition is that it must comply with the requirements of the standard. The developed documentation should be rotated with strict adherence to all the described procedures. The management of the enterprise must exercise leadership in all major issues. All information important for the successful functioning of the QMS must be carefully studied and analyzed.

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Features of ISO 9001

The international standard ISO 9001 is based on several fundamental principles:

1. Strict customer focus... The main goal of QMS implementation is to maximize customer satisfaction and work for the future. The organization shall conduct ongoing research into the needs and expectations of customers. In the future, the information obtained is used in the production of products.
2. Involvement of personnel... To achieve all the goals set, it is necessary that each employee knows his place in the production of the product.
3. Process approach... QMS includes many interrelated processes. Understanding how this system functions, with all its processes, resources and means, allows an enterprise to optimize its activities as much as possible and get an effective result.
4. Improvement... Each organization at a certain stage seeks to improve its activities. This is an inevitable consequence of the reaction to the emergence of new opportunities and changes in external and internal circumstances.
5. Certification... If the manufactured product meets all the requirements, an independent body can provide a certificate of conformity, which will increase the recognition and prestige of the product on the market.

Differences between ISO 9001: 2015 and earlier versions

The 9001 standard has been revised several times. After the first version, released in 1987, there were updates in 1994, 2000 and 2008. At the moment, version 9001: 2015 is relevant. It differs from the previous ones in a number of points:

1. Development of QMS and setting goals, taking into account external and internal factors, determined for each organization separately.
2. The requirements that all interested parties put forward to the QMS are taken into account
3. The QMS has implemented a risk-oriented approach. The use of formal risk management in identifying opportunities and risks is optional. The method is chosen by the organization itself, in accordance with its own needs.
4. Emphasis on the management of measurements in the QMS as a whole, including in products and in the organization's processes.

Why standardization is needed

For successful business development, you need produce competitive products... Competitiveness is based on continuous development. The competitive struggle is even more aggravated with the advent of globalization: with the expansion of the market, the consumer can purchase products from most of the world's manufacturers. As a result, the manufacturer who can offer a quality product at the lowest price survives on the market.

For more efficient company operations, strengthening competitive advantages, searching for new markets and improving the situation in old ones, all areas of activity should be streamlined in unified system management. One of them is the quality control system.

Due to the fact that obtaining the ISO-9001 certificate of conformity is voluntary, the overwhelming majority of firms resort to this in order to solve certain business problems. Among other things, the presence of a certificate of conformity allows the company to apply the appropriate certification mark on its product, which affects consumer confidence. Also, the presence of a certificate can become one of the conditions for winning a tender or concluding a contract with foreign companies.

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Implementation of the ISO 9001 quality management system at the enterprise

The TC 176 ISO team that developed the ISO 9000 standards proposed following procedure implementation of a quality management system according to ISO 9001:

• Try to define goals. Why do you need to implement the QMS? Perhaps you want to increase product confidence, cut costs, reach a new level and a new market?
• Try to articulate what others expect of you. Others are not just consumers, there may be others as stakeholders - your suppliers, your organization's shareholders, your state, society at large.
• Find all necessary information about ISO 9001:
  • General information
  • Supporting information that can be consulted directly on the ISO website
  • Study the world experience of using ISO 9001. In Russia and the CIS, the necessary information can be found in the magazines "Standards and Quality" and "Methods of Quality Management".
• Explore the QMS guides:
  • ISO 10006 - Guidelines for quality assurance in project management
  • ISO 10007 - Guidance for configuration management
  • ISO 10014 - Guidance for economic management
  • ISO 10015 - Guidelines for training and quality management
  • ISO / TS 16949 - studied as needed. Particular requirements for the application of ISO 9001 in the production of cars and auto parts
  • ISO 19011. Guidelines for auditing a QMS.
• Assess your management system's compliance with ISO 9001. This can be done on your own or by outsourcing a thorough audit.
• Explore the ISO 9001 requirements related to production activities... Make sure your quality management meets these requirements. In particular, for the following processes:
  • Manufacturing and maintenance
  • Purchases
  • Design / development
  • Consumer communication
  • Monitoring of observation and measurement instruments
• If inconsistencies are found and workflows are further improved, a plan should be drawn up to eliminate them. In the process - allocate resources, assign roles and responsibilities of performers, draw up a work schedule.
• Follow your work plan. Follow all the developed activities and carefully record the progress according to the schedule.
• Conduct periodic internal reviews and audits. ISO 19011 can be used to create guidelines for auditing and assessing the qualifications of auditors.
• Decide to what extent you need formal certification. There may be several reasons for obtaining a certificate of conformity:
  • Meeting the requirements of the market or consumers
  • Meeting the requirements of various regulatory organizations
  • Satisfaction of obligations under a contract with foreign or national partners
• If certification is needed, contact an accredited certification body. After a thorough audit, you will be issued a certificate of compliance of the quality management system with the requirements of ISO 9001.
• Regardless of the availability of the certificate, continue to improve and develop your business.

How is certification for compliance with ISO 9001 carried out?

The final stage of QMS implementation is obtaining an official certificate of conformity ISO 9001. Certification takes place with the participation of bodies accredited within the framework of a unified national system, voluntary systems or an international system. The list of national authorities can be viewed on the Rosaccreditation website. The list of voluntary certification systems is on the Rosstandart website. If it is planned to be carried out in one of the voluntary systems, the parent body itself determines one of the accredited certification organizations for the applicant.

The legislation does not prohibit the involvement of third parties consulting companies helping with the creation of new controls, document development and certification. Thanks to professionalism and deferred mechanisms, consulting firms significantly speed up and simplify the process.

Certification can be called an external audit. An independent party assesses how successfully the production control system is functioning. This check takes place in two stages - documentary and field assessment by an independent expert of the certification body and a specialist from Rosaccreditation or another certification system.

If the submitted documents and activities of the applicant firm fully and fully comply with all existing requirements, a certificate is issued that the company has created and implemented a QMS.

Terms and cost of obtaining a certificate for a quality management system

The time required for the full implementation of the quality management system 9001 at the enterprise is calculated individually. In most cases, this can take from several months to several years. After implementation, the QMS is assessed for compliance with existing standards, based on the results of which a certificate is issued. This stage takes up to two weeks, the exact time depends on the size of the company and the number of employees.

ISO 9001 certificate is issued either by international rules, or by national. In the first case, it is issued by an international certification body - for example, TÜV Thuringen or Afnor. In the second, accredited certification bodies or voluntary systems. If the company operates exclusively in the domestic market, it is enough to issue a national document. If the plans include cooperation with foreign partners or attracting investments from abroad, the international certificate ISO 9001 is more preferable. Depending on the number of employees of the enterprise, it may take from 15 to 250 thousand rubles to complete the document.

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Documentation in accordance with ISO 9001

Documentation is considered one of the main aspects of meeting ISO 9001 international standards. The responsibilities of the organization include:

1. Definition of the Quality Policy... It represents the main directions and goals of the enterprise in the field of quality, developed and formally formulated by the management of the organization. In the absence of a detailed policy, a firm's performance in the field of quality is uncertain. In turn, a well-developed policy allows employees and other involved persons to get a clear idea of ​​how management relates to the quality of the product being produced.
2. Setting Quality Objectives... This is a hierarchical structure. At the top level, the overall goals of the enterprise. Goals are expanded from top to bottom, down to the level of departments, departments, or even individual employees. At the same time, if the system ISO quality 9001 is just being developed, this level of detail will only hurt: to obtain reliable data on the achievement of the set goals, appropriate mechanisms will be required.
3. Drawing up a quality manual- a document that discloses the quality management system. The document may contain or refer to the QMS procedures established to manage activities that affect quality within the organization. Serves to facilitate the management of all procedures and activities of the enterprise in the field of quality.
4. Quality management system document management... Includes the following steps:
   1. Document creation from planning to commissioning and registration.
   2. Document use and storage
   3. Updating, including changes and approvals.
   4. Cancellation, transfer to storage, destruction of a document.
5. Records management... A record is a document that contains the results achieved and other evidence of the work done.
6. Internal audits, with the help of which the management of the enterprise controls the compliance of work and results in the field of quality with the requirements of ISO 9001 and the requirements of the enterprise. The results of the internal audit are carefully analyzed by management and enable the company to declare compliance with the quality standard.
7. Corrective action... They include a number of actions and procedures that are taken to eliminate the causes of non-compliance with the quality standard. When developing, it should be borne in mind that in quality management, nonconformity to a standard is understood as any deviation from the established requirements, both for the worse and for the better. Therefore, each case is considered separately.
8. Preventive action.

The form and medium of storage of documents do not matter. The degree of documentation of each stage directly depends on the size of the enterprise, the competence of the personnel, and the complexity of production processes.

In modern market relations, the manufacturer of the product (enterprise) and the supplier is required not only to comply with certain standards of the standard that are established for goods, works, services, but also to guarantee the stability of his management system. The business must be reliable in its contractual obligations to consumers. Increasing competitiveness, rapid growth in labor productivity, ensuring high quality goods and services - today these issues have become the most urgent.

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The international standard for quality management systems ISO 9001: 1994 replaced ISO 9001: 2000, which replaced the ISO 9001: 2008 standard and, finally, ISO 9001: 2015. ISO is an abbreviation that stands for International Organization for Standardization, that is, ISO International Organization for Standardization. Its purpose is to support the development of standards and certification systems that aim at the development of management systems.

Quality management system iso 9001, created individually for each organization, reflects its characteristics and should help reduce management costs. This management system is focused on increasing customer satisfaction, customers, and it also allows you to take into account the requirements and expectations of other interested parties in the organization in a balanced way. In addition, the 2015 version of ISO 9001 introduced requirements for accounting for risks in business processes, which can lead to both negative consequences and the realization of opportunities.

With the full implementation of a quality management system based on ISO 9001, the competitiveness of the business increases, as well as the enterprise becomes more attractive for investors.

Development and implementation quality management system iso 9001- a process that takes a long period of time, which depends on such important factors as: attentiveness and preparedness of company leaders, full involvement of personnel, leadership of top management.

In order to speed up and simplify the process of developing a quality management system, professional consultants are often involved, since without appropriate knowledge in this area, it is very difficult to understand the practical interpretation of the requirements of the standard.

The responsibilities of the consultants include training the organization's employees to correctly interpret the requirements of the standards, taking into account the activities of their organization, as well as to manage the process of developing the management system and actually develop and implement it together with the employees of the enterprise and transfer their knowledge to those who can manage all the elements of this system themselves. That is why consultations help to make sure that quality management system iso 9001 is robust and efficient, meaning it can be maintained and improved, and it meets all standard requirements. Qualified specialists often exchange experience with auditors, take part in various forums and seminars, while accumulating more and more knowledge and experience in order to transfer them later when developing the system to the employees of the enterprise.

The ISO 9000 series of standards describing a quality management system model are designed to help organizations consistently provide customers and other interested parties with products or services that can meet their requirements and expectations. This series of standards was created by the committee The International Organization for Standardization - ISO; on the basis of these standards, national standards organizations can develop national counterparts, in particular, in Russia these are GOST R ISO 9000 series standards.

The ISO 9000 standard defines the basic provisions and principles of quality management that create the basis for the development and maintenance of a quality management system, the specific requirements for which are formulated in the ISO 9001 standard.

Organizations seeking recognition of their quality management system can use this International Standard to independent evaluation, they can also be used to demonstrate the execution contract requirements.

Organizations can obtain an independent external assessment from a third party - a certification body, having passed an appropriate audit. More than a million organizations around the world have certified quality management systems, confirming the effectiveness of the ISO 9001 standard as one of the most common tools for building a management system.

IS0 9000 series includes:

ISO 9000 standard - Fundamentals and vocabulary. The standard is intended to establish a common understanding of the terms and concepts used in the ISO 9000 series of standards.

ISO 9001 Standard - Requirements. The standard specifies the requirements that organizations' quality management systems must comply with. Being general and universal, the ISO 9001 standard can be applied to any business, suitable for all organizations regardless of the field of activity, size, form of ownership, geographic location.

ISO 9004 Standard - Recommendations for Performance Improvement. The standard contains recommendations based on eight quality management principles that have been developed for managers to improve the organization's performance and meet the requirements of all interested parties.

ISO standards are structured in such a way that they can be easily integrated into the existing management system in the organization in order to meet and anticipate the requirements and expectations of customers. Due to the fact that the latest version of the standard, which came into force in 2015, was developed taking into account the so-called high-level structure, which underlies all of the most commonly used standards that define the requirements for various systems management of organizations, ISO 9001 has become much easier to comply with, for example, standards such as ISO 14001 (requirements for environmental management systems), ISO 45001 (requirements for health and safety management systems), ISO 39001 (requirements for safety management systems road traffic), ISO 27001 (requirements for management systems information security), ISO 20000 (IT service management system requirements) and others

Benefits from implementation and certification

• increasing customer satisfaction by fulfilling their requirements;
• increasing the efficiency of the organization's internal processes;
• continuous improvement of the organization's processes by identifying and eliminating losses in the implementation of activities;
• improvement internal communications, the mechanism of planning and distribution of material resources;
• increasing staff motivation due to the transparency and clarity of the performed functional responsibilities;
• enrichment of personnel knowledge in the field of quality;
• reducing costs by increasing productivity, improving the quality of products, services provided and reducing the level of defectiveness;
• continuous improvement the organization's activities through the use of modern quality management tools;
• increasing the competitiveness of the organization in the Russian and world markets

Taking a box in hand, the consumer sees a lot of abbreviations that are not always known to him. In addition, everyone around is talking about the quality of goods and services, certifications and guarantors. Modern man, especially a business owner or manager, should be aware of what is happening. Therefore, it is worth delving into this issue and starting with the most popular international standard ISO 9001. What is it, how to get a certificate, what benefits it gives and other issues will be discussed in detail below.

Quality

The word "quality" has become firmly established in the vocabulary of every person. All standards give different, capacious definitions. The quality in the life of an ordinary consumer is the correspondence (or better yet, exceeding) what he expects to what he receives. Whether it is services, food, clothing, household items, or something else, the consumer expects them to be of benefit or pleasure.

Since this attitude is too subjective, special criteria have been developed, the compliance with which will determine the degree of quality. Various independent structures can confirm the conformity of goods or services, while issuing their opinion.

The consumer is primarily interested in the quality of goods or services, but if this issue is not one of the most important for the manufacturer, he will never be able to achieve serious and long-term success.

Quality checking

Many organizations have an internal review. When a department or certain employees assess the work and the goods produced. Of course, you can doubt the objectivity of such indicators, but you should not completely abandon them.

The second type of verification is partner verification. For example, when certain requirements are imposed on suppliers, non-compliance with which will lead to the termination of a cooperation agreement. Checks can be carried out independently or with the involvement of third parties. For example, organizations that carry out certification in accordance with GOST or ISO 9001 standards.

Certification can be mandatory or voluntary. There is no need to talk about the possible difference in the attitude to the quality of the manufacturer with these types. Many products must undergo mandatory certification: baby products, perfumes, medicines, Computer Engineering, cars, etc. But compulsory certification does not prevent you from going through the voluntary and getting the ISO 9001 certificate.

V Russian Federation the most common are the following voluntary certificates: GOST R, TR (Technical Regulations), Fire Safety, Phytosanitary, Certificate of Origin, ISO 9001.

What is it and when to get a certificate

The company can conduct voluntary certification at any time when it feels the need and strength to implement the plan. But all the same, GOST ISO 9001 recommends certification not when the management decides to do it and lowers the directive “from top to bottom”, but when the whole company feels the importance and necessity. It can be seen from practice that if the initiative comes from the employees, then the certification process is easier, better and more efficient.

So, let's answer the main question: "ISO 9001 - what is it?" These are international requirements for quality management. It should be noted that these are not requirements for a specific product or service, not a guarantee of their quality, these are requirements for a management system, but the result, of course, affects the final product. This made the standard universal, suitable for both huge corporations and tiny firms.

What does the ISO certificate give

There are plenty of companies on the market today that provide similar services or products. ISO 9001 certificate gives:

If your company comes to the conclusion that it is time to get some kind of a certificate of maturity, but not all management welcomes change, it is worth introducing them to ISO 9001. What it is, what benefits it gives and how to get certified. It is important to remember that ISO is not only a "piece of paper" for trading and image, it is primarily effective tool management. If you use it at full capacity, and not formally, the results will not be long in coming. There are organizations that "live" according to the ISO standard, but are in no hurry to get certified.

The most important thing in the ISO 9001 standard

Principles, plans, assessment, audits of ISO 9001 - what it is and how to work with them, managers are figuring out. Often, consultants from certification organizations come to their aid.

The main thing that is worth remembering and always being guided in a company where the ISO 9001 quality system is being implemented is the "Plan, Do, Check, Act" management principle. Any actions from the area of ​​certification should be coordinated and "run" through this sequence.

Many managers will chuckle because this principle has long been known. The ISO standard does not claim to be superior, it only obliges to observe this simple truth always and in everything.

ISO 9001 principles

The ISO 9001 standard consists of eight basic principles:

Certification procedure

The path to obtaining a certificate consists of 10 conditional steps:

2. Draw conclusions and make corrective decisions (remember the leadership role and staff involvement).

5. If the results of the inspection are positive, apply to the certification body.

6. Conclude an agreement with a company accredited in accordance with GOST ISO 9001.

7. Submit to the external auditor Required documents, provide access to the requested objects, processes, employees (he coordinates his requirements with you in advance in the audit program).

10. Obtain ISO 9001 certification. The quality of your company's work is now officially recognized (hang the certificate in a frame, post it on the site, congratulate colleagues, employees and inform customers and partners).

Remember that the certificate is given for 3 years, and you need to undergo control audits annually. And, of course, comply with everything that is outlined for the company, and fulfill all the obligations assumed by joining the community of certified organizations.

Disadvantages of ISO

Practice shows that, despite its popularity, the ISO certificate has its drawbacks. And although these disadvantages are easily explained, they should be known:

A lot of paperwork. Reports, protocols, questionnaires and so on, but on the other hand, without them, you cannot achieve control and an objective decision.

Too general concepts, this makes the system universal, but at the same time deprives the specifics of those who need it.

Difficult to implement, weak, unprepared companies reduce certification to a formal event (in this case, the certificate costs them three times more than it would cost in real use).

Cost (costs of certification, re-engineering of an established system, external consultant and in-house quality specialist) is another reason why it is worth striving to actually use the quality system.