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What are management systems and the benefits of the certification?

Management systems are the frameworks that companies use to manage the day to day processes involved in running their business. Management system certification provides a proven framework for the establishment, maintenance and continuous improvement of internal quality processes and other processes. Gaining and maintaining certification can help your business get better at what it does, lower its costs and win more business. It represents a global reference for market access and a ticket to trade.

Why choose us for management system certification?

We offer a broad portfolio of services within management system certification and related services to a diverse range of industry sectors. We have a team of well-qualified and experienced auditors that provide certification to an array of ISO standards in several countries. Our global network of auditors play an important role in helping you obtain the necessary certifications to get your product or service to market, giving you and your customers the confidence you need. We can also offer training in auditing techniques, quality and environmental management as well as risk management.

What needs to be in place before starting the ISO process?

The management system subject to audit and certification must be documented and implemented and in operation for at least three months. Prior to a certification audit, the customer must be able to document that internal audits and management reviews have taken place. Based on experience, it is beneficial to start the communication with us at an early stage in the process of preparing for certification.

Process of ISO Certification

ISO refers to International Organization for Standardization. It is an independent organization that provides standards in terms of quality, safety, and efficiency of products and services provided by businesses. With the increasing competition among the business, it is important to deliver high quality of goods & services in order to sustain in the market. ISO certification helps to improve your business credibility as well as overall efficiency of the business.

1. Choosing the type of ISO Certification

First of all, you need to choose the type of ISO certification required for your business. There are various types of ISO certification available such as :

ISO 9001 – Quality Management Systems (QMS)
ISO 13485 – Medical Devices Quality Management Systems (MDQMS)
ISO 14001 – Environmental Management Systems (EMS)
ISO/IEC 20000-1 – IT Service Management Systems (ITSMS)
ISO 22008 – Food Safety Management Systems (FSMS)
ISO 22301 – Business Continuity Management Systems (BCMS)
ISO/IEC 27001 – Information Security Management Systems (ISMS)
ISO 45001 – Occupational Health & Safety Management Systems (OHSMS)

2. Choosing an ISO Certification Body

It must be noted that ISO itself does not provide certification to the companies. Certification is done by the external bodies. It is very important that you choose recognized and credible certification body. While choosing the ISO registrar, you should keep the following in mind:

Evaluate several ISO Certification service providers.
Check if they are following the CASCO standards. CASCO is the ISO committee that works on issues relating to conformity assessment.
Check whether it is accredited or not. Accreditation is not compulsory but they must meet the requirements of ISO Accreditation bodies.

3. Create an application /contract

The applicant and the registrar should agree on a contract. This contract usually defines rights and obligations of both parties and includes liability issues, confidentiality, and access rights.

4. Quality Documents Review

The ISO auditor will view all your quality manuals and documents related to various policies and procedures being followed in the organization. Review of existing work will help the ISO auditor to identify the possible gaps against the requirements stipulated in the ISO standards.

5. Make an Action Plan

After the ISO auditor communicates the existing gaps in your organization, you should prepare an action plan to eliminate these gaps. Prepare the list of the required tasks to be performed to bring the desired changes in your organization. You may be required to give training to your employees to work efficiently while adapting to new procedures. Make all the employees aware of the ISO standards in terms of work efficiency and quality standards. being maintained by the organization. It is conducted from time to time.

6. Initial Certification Audit (Stage 1 and Stage 2 Audit)

The initial certification audit is divided into two categories:

Stage 1: The ISO auditor will audit the changes made by you in the organization. They will then try to identify the possible non-conformities in your systems and procedures to the desired quality management system. They will divide these non-conformities into minor and major non-conformities. The applicant must carefully assess all these non-conformities and get it aligned as per the desired quality standards through modification in the techniques and processes used by the organization.
Stage 2: After all the required changes are done in the organization, the ISO auditor does the final auditing. The auditor will check whether all the non-conformities have been eliminated or not as per ISO quality standards. If the ISO auditor is satisfied, they will prepare the final ISO audit report and forward it to the registrar.

7. Completing the ISO Certification

Upon completion of each certification activity, the certification body will conduct an independent and impartial review of the audit to evaluate the outcomes of the audit processes including related recommendations of the auditing team prior to issuing certification.

Based on the audit conclusions, the Reviewer makes a decision to grant, maintain, renew and/or restore certification if there is sufficient objective evidence of conformity; or to refuse, suspend or withdraw certification if there is not sufficient evidence of conformity or significant evidence of nonconformity.

Certification cannot be issued if the organization persistently or seriously fails to meet certification requirements, such a frequency of audits, lack of implementation of effective corrective actions, default of payment. The Reviewer may also decide to include expansion or reduction of the scope of certification.

After all non-conformities are addressed and all the findings are put in the ISO audit report, the registrar will grant you the ISO certification.

8. Certification

Congratulations! At this point, your organization has achieved its certification and will be registered as such. When you receive your certificate, you’ll gain the assurance your certification affords.

9. Surveillance Audits

Surveillance audit is basically conducted to ensure that ISO quality standards are being maintained by the organization. It is conducted from time to time.

Regular annual or semi-annual surveillance visits are performed according to your preference and standard requirements. A full certification re-assessment will take place every three years ensure ongoing conformity.

10. Re-certification

A full certification re-assessment will take place every three years ensure ongoing conformity.

Among all the modern Management Systems, ISO 9001 Quality Management System (QMS) stands foremost in the world. This system enables the companies to maintain excellent procedures in order to meet customer needs at the global level in terms of Quality and Standards.

Customers are increasingly becoming quality-conscious shoppers. They want to know up front that your business will meet their needs.

A certified Quality Management System demonstrates your commitment to quality and customer satisfaction. Implementing a Quality Management System will help you enhance customer satisfaction, achieve consistency, and improve internal processes. It can minimize the risk that customer expectations are not met.

ISO/IEC 27001 is the international standard that provides a framework for Information Security Management Systems (ISMS) to provide continued confidentiality, integrity and availability of information as well as legal compliance. ISO 27001 certification is essential for protecting your most vital assets like employee and client information, brand image and other private information.

ISO/IEC 27001 really helps all enterprises and manufactures to manage their information security management and later to the customer needs in the most apt and efficient manner. It has gives the business edge orders others in the competitive business world.

Achieving accredited ISO 27001 certification shows that your company is dedicated to following the best practices of information security. Additionally, ISO 27001 certification provides you with an expert evaluation of whether your organization's information is adequately protected.

ISO/IEC 20000-1 is the international standard for quality management specifically focused on IT Service Management. It provides a set of standardized requirements for an IT service management system (SMS).

Given how vital IT is to organizations, it is essential that both your internal and external IT services are aligned with the needs of your business and customers.

When you achieve ISO/IEC 20000-1 IT Service Management Systems (ITSMS) certification you’ll be able to show customers and stakeholders your commitment to delivering a quality service.

It’s a great opportunity to celebrate your achievement, promote your business and show that you are an agile organization who responds to the changing service delivery environment.

In the event of an emergency, many businesses and organizations must have the ability to mitigate damage and continue operating. Your clients rely on your operations running smoothly. That’s why it’s important to prove you are ready for anything thrown your way. Hence, prevent, minimize and recover from disruptive incidents with ISO 22301 Business Continuity Management Systems (BCMS) certification.

ISO 22301 is a management system to keep business continuity through prompt business restoration, to satisfy customers and to minimize economic loss with establishment of relevant processes for emergency correspondences, risk managements, business recovery and etc. against disruptive accidents of the business continuity management caused by disaster and accidents.

With the alarm of global warming and its consequence the human society has become serious about the ecology and its preservation. ISO 14001 Environmental Management Systems (EMS) helps to maintain the Environment around us, by following certain management standards. Companies adopting ISO 14001 EMS are well placed against their competitors and are duly recognized at the global level.

Environmental regulations are getting stricter, and so is the law enforcement. Customers and shareholders increasingly demand that businesses diminish the environmental impact from their business, demonstrate what they do, and how they improve. An Environmental Management System helps your organization to be in control of and successfully manage the most significant environmental aspects, e.g. emissions, waste-handling, utilize natural resources, and energy-efficiency.

An ISO 14001 implementation and certification proves that your Environmental Management System has been measured against a best practice standard and found compliant.

ISO 22000 Food Safety Management Systems (FSMS) is an international standard that defines the requirements of a food safety management system covering all organizations in the food chain from “farm to fork”. The standard combines generally recognized key elements to ensure food safety along the food chain, including:

Interactive communication
System management
Control of food safety hazards through pre-requisite program and HACCP plans
Continual improvement and updating of the food safety management system

ISO 22000 is a truly international standard suitable for any business in the entire food chain, including inter-related organizations such as producers of equipment, packaging material, cleaning agents, additives and ingredients.

ISO 22000 is also for companies seeking to integrate their quality management system, for example ISO 9001:2000, and their food safety management system.

ISO 13485 Medical Devices Quality Management Systems is an international standard that defines quality management system requirements for manufacturers of medical devices. ISO 13485 contains requirements essential for organizations operating at any tier in the medical devices and pharmaceutical supply chain. The primary objective of the standard is to facilitate harmonized medical device regulatory requirements and as a result, it includes some particular requirements for manufacture, installation and servicing such as added requirements on record-control, sterilization and risk management.

It is based on ISO 9001. In particular, the requirements for customer satisfaction and continual improvement have been modified to make them more appropriate for regulatory purposes. Organizations can register to ISO 13485 as a standalone or in conjunction with an ISO 9001 or other registration.

An ISO 13485 certification from us demonstrates your organization’s commitment to provide products and related services that consistently meet customer and regulatory requirements applicable to the medical industry.

ISO 45001 Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems (OHSMS) is applicable to any organization that wishes to establish, implement and maintain an OH&S management system to improve occupational health and safety, eliminate hazards and minimize OH&S risks (including system deficiencies), take advantage of OH&S opportunities, and address OH&S management system nonconformities associated with its activities.

ISO 45001 helps an organization to achieve the intended outcomes of its OH&S management system.

It is very essential to maintain their Health and Safety Management principles and also to upkeep reputation in the global scene. Companies with the above systems have the necessary marketing edge and its helps them to stay in front when it comes to Employee Protection.

Your organization’s firm commitment to protect the health and safety of your employees is a distinguishing factor in a competitive market. A certified Occupational Health and Safety Management System demonstrate your determination to safeguard your employees and the environment from harmful incidents.