NST 9001 Getting your organisation ready

Consultancy, assessment, certification
and training service providers have all
been gearing up for the publication
of ISO 9001:2015 which took place in
September 2015. This signified the
single largest increase in activity that
the management systems industry
will see.
A good place to start is by looking at
the completely new elements, then
moving on to those topics that have
changed or gained new emphasis and
finally having a look at the potential
impact of Annex SL, which is the
common text and high level structure
being used across all revised and new
ISO management system standards.
The degree of change
The main questions being asked by
Quality Managers (QMs) revolve around
“What do the changes mean for my
quality management system (QMS)?” or
“How significant are the changes?” or
even “Will I need to do anything, and
if so, how much time and money will it
take to get it done?”
There is no easy answer to any of these
questions. However, in order to really
understand the potential implications
of ISO 9001:2015 it is important to first
gain insight into the organisation as a
whole and their existing QMS.
Once those steps have been taken, the
degree of change required and how
much help is needed can be determined
by the QM. However, what is important
to note is that the degree of change
will vary. Factors such as the maturity
and complexity of the existing QMS, the
existence of other management systems
(such as ISO 14001 or OHSAS 18001) and
the organisation’s current evaluation
and management of risk will all heavily
influence the degree of change an
organisation will need to undertake in
order to transition to ISO 9001:2015.
The International Organization for
Standardization (ISO) has clearly
indicated that organisations will
have three years from publication to
transition to the new standard, and
they can choose to transition at any
point within this period. Some may
choose their next certification cycle,
although many will want to be among
the first, given the anticipated increased
functionality that ISO 9001:2015 will
deliver, along with the bonus that it
demonstrates a clear commitment to
best practice to their interested parties.
By starting their transition planning early, including
setting and communicating a transition date,
organisations will be able to proactively manage
the transition at a pace that is suited to them and
reflects the maturity or their QMS.
Increasing organisational
value
Deeper
At first glance, Annex SL appears to
make the standard writers lives much
easier but in reality, as organisations
begin to understand and appreciate the
value of different management systems
all speaking a common language, it
will be organisations – and in turn the
consumer – who stand to be the true
beneficiaries.
This structure will drive management
system standard integration, thereby
delivering increased organisational
benefits and efficiencies while
providing a more complete view of an
organisation – often spanning multiple
sites, geographies and involving
multiple suppliers.
Higher
The revision of ISO 9001 goes higher,
by requiring greater understanding of
the external environment, addressing
risk and greater senior management
‘quality leadership’ responsibility tied to
closer links between the management
system and product/service quality. As a
result, this will raise the responsibility of
certification and, in turn, accreditation
bodies which should lead to increased
stakeholder confidence.
Improving performance,
reducing risk