No matter what industry your organization belongs to, it’s important that your quality standards and those of your customers are consistently reached in order to be successful. Your reputation and marketing goals depend on it. To make sure that this goal is reached, many organizations adopt an ISO 9001 standard, but is it still relevant? Yes, it is.
Why the ISO 9001-2015 Remains Relevant
The ISO 9001-2015 is still one of the best guides for developing a quality management system. It allows an organization to accomplish its goals through the 7 principles addressed in the changes made in 2015. These changes were made to the 2008 standard and include:
- Customer Focus
- Leadership
- Engagement of staff
- Process
- Improvement
- Evidence-based decision making
- Relationship Management
ISO 9001-2015 allows for changes in your organization’s goals and objectives and also meets your customers’ requirements due to its flexible processes. As a result, it retains its relevance in an ever-changing business world. Some of the benefits that can be achieved in adopting the standard include the following:
- Improvement in customer satisfaction
- Reduction of waste and improved efficiency
- Staff are more involved and engaged in their own performance within the organization
- Management is more involved in the system and must ensure that quality policy is the core of the organization
- Less emphasis on documentation
- An ISO system lets potential customers know that you adhere to a commitment to quality
- Businesses can identify and address the risks associated with their organizations
- ISO adherence allows for expansion into other markets.
ISO 9001 can be used by any size or type of business, group or organization and can be used in conjunction with many other ISO standards. The International Organization for Standardization is constantly improving and making sure it is relevant to changes in the global economy. In fact, it is used by over a million organizations in at least 170 different countries.