ISO 9001 is sometimes referred to as the...

Why should you have a quality management system according to ISO 9001?

Win contracts and get new customers! Requirements for quality management systems according to ISO 9001 are often found in public procurement. Your chances of winning a public tender significantly increase if you have a quality certification or a quality management system. Many companies also consider a quality management system and certification according to ISO 9001 as a hygiene level for contracting a supplier.

Increase profitability! By introducing and working according to a quality management system like ISO 9001, you not only get a structured way of working, but you also get tools to:

Prevent complaints through documented quality controls.
Report and address internal and external deficiencies (deviations), with the aim that they do not occur again.
Monitor customer satisfaction and process efficiency.
Together, these components contribute to reducing the company\'s quality deficiencies and increasing customer satisfaction, thus improving profitability.

Get better organization! A quality management system also means that you get better organization, as it becomes clearer who is responsible for what. You can also gain better control over:

inspections, maintenance, and equipment servicing
staff\'s qualifications and competencies
and more.

A quality management system includes that daily work should be managed to:

meet the requirements that stakeholders place on the company
prevent risks from a quality and business perspective.

To ensure that daily work functions as intended, support is needed in the form of:

quality policy and quality objectives
responsibilities & authorities distributed within the organization
competent employees
well-functioning communication, both internally and externally
deviation management to capture internal and external deficiencies
monitoring of customer satisfaction and key performance indicators for the processes
management review - a meeting where company management evaluates how quality work is progressing and, if necessary, makes decisions to address deficiencies.

Common mistakes in implementing ISO 9001:
Common mistakes made when implementing ISO 9001 certification in a company or organization\'s management system include:

Starting from the structure of the standard - A tip is to start from the flow in your company, then your quality management system will be built according to your company.
Describing how you want to work rather than how you work.
Being too detailed - Remember that what you commit to doing in the management system, you must be able to show that you do! Be detailed only where there is a serious quality risk or stakeholder requirement.
Trying to do everything at once - Think of it as renovating a house, you take one room (process) at a time. Otherwise, you will never finish!
Being time-optimistic and believing you will be able to implement it alongside regular work.

How can we help?
Our HSE and ISO consultants can help with:

Performing a GAP analysis to identify any deficiencies in the company\'s existing quality management system.
Developing and implementing a quality management system according to ISO 9001.
Supporting in daily quality work.
Conducting internal audits.
Training the company\'s internal auditors in audit methodology or training the company management in their responsibilities in quality work.

How does the certification process work?
Certification is carried out by an accredited certification body and the certification process consists of two steps:

Step 1
In the first certification step, the focus is usually on documentation and management responsibility in the management system. In other words, stakeholder analysis, risk & opportunity analysis, quality policy, quality objectives, deviation management, supplier evaluation & assessment, work with internal audits, distribution of responsibilities & authorities, competence development, management review, etc., will be reviewed. The goal of the review is to verify that there is a quality management system in place that is good enough (i.e., meets the requirements of ISO 9001) to obtain a certificate.

Step 2
In the second certification step, the certification auditor will review whether the quality management system is implemented in daily work, i.e., that daily work follows the routines in the management system and meets the requirements of ISO 9001.

If the certification auditor detects deficiencies in the management system or in daily work, the auditor writes deviations. Deviations from step 1 must be addressed before the step 2 review, and deviations from step 2 must be addressed, and the actions must then be approved by the auditor before you can get the certificate.

After that, the certification body will conduct audits at the company at least annually. The frequency depends on the company\'s size.

What happens after ISO 9001 certification?
Many people tend to relax after receiving their ISO 9001 certification, but that\'s when the real quality work begins. You must continue to follow the routines described in your quality management system. Additionally, the certification company will come back to review your company