The implementation of effective quality management systems (QMS), such as ISO 9001, will improve businesses’ services to clients and streamline internal processes to ensure best practice in the planning, control and management of companies, says Lloyds Register Quality Assurance (LRQA) business development manager Ian Osmond.

The ISO 9001 standard is the internationally recognised QMS standard that is the preferred solution for more than one-million organisations in more than 150 countries.

It focuses on developing processes that deliver products and services to meet clients’ expectations and it emphasises process management, measurement, continual improvement, the achievement of objectives and involving top management. One of its major strengths is its appeal to any organisation, irrespective of size, sector or geographi- cal location.

The benefits of ISO certification include internationally agreed-upon and recog- nised practices for quality management. The ISO 9001 increases the efficiency and effectiveness of a business and provides a model for continual and systematic improvements in quality, he adds.

Osmond says that companies will also be more competitive in their respective sectors and win new business if they are ISO 9001- certified, as it is a contractual obligation in many instances.

Certification requirements include the covering of all key processes in the business through a set of procedures that is monitored and adequately documented, which is normally reviewed at the Stage 1 assessment. Individual processes, for example, the Stage 2 assessment, are moni- tored where the assessor will focus on how the management system has been put into practice.

Certification includes a review of the company’s manual and procedures to ensure that all key processes to deliver customer satisfaction are verified during the Stage 2 assessment.

“Getting quality certification provides businesses with an insurance policy by placing management systems in place to save time, money and reduce risk profiles. By integrating health and safety and environmental management systems with their ISO 9001 certification, they will go a long way towards expanding and improving their businesses,” explains Osmond.