ISO 9001 Compliance

The term ISO 9000 is probably familiar to you, whether you work for an organization which has been certified or for one which is still attempting to obtain a certification.  In the U.S. alone, thousands of companies have already undergone ISO 9000 certification and many more are applying for one.  So what exactly is ISO 9000 and what can it offer your organization?

There are more than enough ISO standards to confuse any organization that's looking to get certified.  Today, there are over 16,000 standards being used by certifying bodies to assess, monitor and audit any organization seeking to improve its quality management system.  Here is a short explanation on what these standards are and their specific usages:

Every quality manager and auditor relies on the ISO audit checklist in order to track, monitor and verify the progress before, during and after certification.  The audit checklist is also used as a reference for both internal and independent auditors for assessing the organization's quality management system.  To understand the kind of quality management checks you and your company have to perform, here are criteria commonly found in ISO audit checklists:

Obtaining an ISO certification is often a huge part of many organization's goals.  ISO certification is an indication of high standards in terms of products and services.  It's also the mark of excellence for many companies, a sign that they take their responsibilities very seriously.  If your organization is aiming to have an ISO certification before the year ends, here are things you need to know about the process:

Not every company applying for an ISO certification will be applying for the same standard.  There are different standards in place, depending on the type of industry a company or organization belongs to and the kind of products or services it offers.  Here are some of the most common types of ISO standards that organizations apply for:

ISO 9000

The ISO 9000 series is one of two very popular ISO standards.  In fact, many of the organizations and companies you'll find today are certified using this management system.  At present, there are hundreds of thousands of companies and organizations that have the ISO 9000 standard.