ISO 9001 Compliance

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:

What is an ISO certification?
Many people are confused with what the acronym ISO stands for.  Actually, it stands for a lot of different things, depending on the language of the country.  A rough translation, however, would be 'International Organization for Standardization'.  To make it more generic and avoid confusion across countries, the founders of the system decided on ISO, which is sourced from the Greek term 'isos', a word that means 'equal'.

In order to obtain an ISO certification, organizations have to apply by undergoing a series of procedures and implementing a system based on the standards set for the specific ISO standard they want to attain.

An ISO certification is actually an issued document that functions as an assurance that the organization's management system has been audited and verified and has indeed passed the requirements of the standard.  The auditing and verification is performed by an independent third party which has the appropriate authorization to do so.  The independent third party is also referred to as an accreditation body.

What to expect during ISO certification
An organization's ISO certification relies on its performance as assessed during auditing.  Auditing is done two ways:  one is by internal auditors (members or employees of the organization who have been especially trained to perform the job) and the other is by an independent accreditation body.

During the auditing, the organization applying for ISO certification provides samples of its procedures, processes, products, services and other documents that show proof of the company's functions and related activities.  If there are problems or non-compliances, these are detailed in a list, which are then presented to the management.  Related corrective measures are then implemented.

Correcting these problems is critical because if an organization fails to do so or at least to show proof that it does not really require a request for action, then they may not be issued an ISO certification.

Should there be multiple business sites, such as those located at different geographical areas, an ISO certification will have to be applied for and issued independently for each.

How long is an ISO certification valid?
An ISO certification has to be renewed regularly.  Very often, the time period is 3 years or depending on the recommendation of the accreditation body.