What Is the ISO 9001 Standard?
The ISO 9001 standard is an internationally agreed upon set of regulations that manufacturers use for quality control and management. The standards are based on the collaborative consensus of a multinational group of manufacturers, vendors, users, customers, governments, engineers and researchers. The members of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) approve the standards with a two-thirds vote.
Other People Are Reading
-
ISO Standards
-
The ISO is an international organization that was created to build global agreement about the minimum conditions that should be met in the workplace. New standards are implemented after an industry-wide, multinational, voluntary collaboration around an agreed upon issue or need. The group identifies the breadth, or "technical scope," that the new standard will cover. There is a major priority placed on gathering the perspectives of all the interested parties, including manufacturers, vendors, customers, and their governments, among others. Once there is consensus, the new ISO standard will be submitted to a vote, and two-thirds of the collaborators must approve it. Then it will be promoted as a voluntary regulation. Manufacturers who maintain ISO standards can advertise the fact to assure their customers that their workers are being cared for and that the products are consistently well-made.
ISO 9001
-
The ISO 9001 standard, revised in 2008, provides a set of criteria for quality control in manufacturing plants. The ISO 9001 standard advocates that manufacturers systematize their procedures for quality control. ISO auditors are able to help manufacturers identify whether they are in compliance with the standard. Consultants who are ISO certified can help manufacturers develop the protocol to become compliant. Every manufacturer across the industry is expected to follow the standard, unless they qualify for an "exclusion."
-
Function
-
The ISO 9001 standard requires that manufacturers prove that they are able to make their products so that every applicable law is followed. It also expects the manufacturers to demonstrate that their products always meet their customers' expectations.
Customer Satisfaction
-
The ISO 9001 standard is designed to improve customer satisfaction. Manufacturers who adhere to the standard should be able to demonstrate increased customer approval. This assumes that there are regular ways to collect data directly from both satisfied and disappointed customers, and that the data is analyzed to develop new procedures as needed.
Quality Control
-
Another purpose of the ISO 9001 standard is to provide customers with the "assurance" that everything produced by a manufacturer is made to the same standard. "Conformity" is the stated goal. To maintain this goal, a manufacturer must employ a regular system of inspections, maintenance checks and performance data collection. Whenever necessary, the ISO 9001 standard provides the expectation that the quality management system will be adjusted for better quality, customer satisfaction, compliance with the law and safety.
Expert Insight
-
The actual texts of the ISO standards are proprietary information and must be purchased. A pocket guide to the ISO standards is fairly inexpensive, but the manuals that describe full compliance and the reporting and auditing requirements are more costly.
-
