What is an ISO Certification?

ISO is an abbreviation for International Organization for Standardization, an impartial and independent body that is not dependant on any authority for the certification process. The ISO have their headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. ISO certification is required to understand and access the quality and standards of the products, services, and systems around the world. An organization can be confident that the products and services offered in the market have quality standards that can be recognized worldwide with ISO certification. The ISO 9000 is for quality standards of particular products and services.

Currently, the ISO 9001: 2015 is the present certification in which organizations can use. The ISO 9001 represents the best quality standards that are provided by an organization manufacturing different forms of products. The ISO offers quality management systems (QMS) to ensure that organizations are competent with the type of services offered.

Why is ISO Certification (ISO 9001: 2015) required?

• Improved Performance of Employees

An organization offers different products, and services will have a lot of procedures in place to handle the processes. Through the ISO certification, all the processes would be necessary papered, providing continued improvement for employees.

• Streamline the Company Process

Through the ISO Certification, a company's particular process can be streamlined and controlled according to the decisions taken by the upper management. Quality mechanisms and control can be possible through this certification. Implementation of different mechanisms and protocols can be understood through this process.

• Increased Compliance of International Standards

When it comes to delivering quality products and services, a company or manufacturer should not compromise on the standards of quality. Through the ISO certification, the organization can ensure that the standards are offered when it comes to safety, quality, and compliance.

Regulatory Authority for ISO Certification (ISO 9001: 2015)

The primary regulatory authority for ISO 9001: 2015 is the International Organization of Standardization. This institution is an independent governing body that is autonomous. To increase the standards of quality, this institution brings out new standards following international criteria.

What are the different forms of ISO Certifications before ISO 9001: 2015?

The ISO has brought out different certifications before introducing the ISO 9001: 2015, the following certifications are brought out by the ISO:

• ISO 9001: 1987

This was one of the first international standards brought out for meeting the requirements of global standards. The main features of this certification are quality assurance when it comes to manufacturing products and the development of different forms of services.

• ISO 9001: 1994

The main emphasis brought out in this form of the standard was focusing more on the final quality of the product. Apart from this, Paper works was also a priority of these standards.

• ISO 9001: 2000

This new standard placed more emphasis on the design and development of new products and services introduced by a company.

• ISO 9001: 2008

The 2008 version brought out eight quality standards, which made a vast improvement in the standards required to be followed by a company.

• ISO 9001: 2015

The 2015 version added two more standards to the previous eight standards to make it ten standards. This version concentrates more on the value that is derived from different forms of products and services. The ISO certification that companies around the world would require to take is ISO 9001: 2015, which would ensure that the company maintains specific standards.

Elements of the ISO 9001: 2015

ISO 9001: 2015 is a form of ISO certification required by an organization where the products and services have to match the standards of quality. The 2015 system has revamped the quality functions of an organisation.  This system focuses more on the value which is derived from a particular product or a service. Therefore this version is understood as the quality management system (QMS).

The ISO 9001: 2015 is necessary papered for use in every country. This can be accessed by a company or manufacture offering some form of product or service.

The above elements or contents of the ISO 9001: 2015 look and follow a similar structure when compared to the 2008 series. The typical process which is followed in the 2008 series would be based on the following:

• Plan

This would include establishing the company's objectives and planning to achieve specific goals and tasks.

• Do

Implementing is one of the main tasks which are carried out by an organization. An organization may have a plan, but implementing it can be time-consuming and challenging. The main criteria for implementing a plan are to achieve the desired results.

• Check

Here, the process of quality assessment can be established and understood by the firm. A comparison of actual results with the achieved ones can establish through this process.

• Act

If the plan has not worked according to specific standards, and then the management can decide to work on constant improvement regarding the same.

However, the ISO Certification (ISO 9001: 2015) focuses more on quality assessment and having some form of a risk-based approach. Quality management is one of the main aims of the 2015 series.

Any form of organization planning to take the ISO certification has to ensure that an independent third party carries out an independent audit assessment. The first three elements of the 2015 ISO are similar to that of 2008; hence the organization does not need to place much importance on the need for the above elements. Elements 4 to 10 have to be implemented in an organization as these elements would emphasize more on risk mitigation procedures. The below defines the specific requirements of an organization if taking the ISO 9001: 2015 certification:

• Scope

The scope is one of the most crucial aspects of the QMS under the 2015 certification. This will include the aims and objectives of the products and services which are introduced in the organization. Apart from this, the scope will also include the requirement of the ISO 9001: 2015 and its justification.

• Normative References

References can be understood as the definitions and processes understood under the ISO specifications. An organization implementing this has to take the normative references as it is for implementation.

• Terms and Definitions

This would include all the terms used to improve the quality assessment process in a business. This would include management review, quality management, quality identification, process-based quality identification, systems of objective policies. This is crucial for a business.

• Context of an Organization

Context of an organization would involve all the internal and external processes which form a major part of the organization's goals. This will also include the interested stakeholders who take active participation in the organization.

• Leadership Aspect

Under ISO Certification (ISO 9001: 2015), leadership plays an important role. Without proper leadership, an organization cannot evolve its strategies. Leadership does not only include top-level management but also involves leadership strategies at all levels of the organization.

• Planning

Planning at all levels of the organization would be included here.

• Support

Support from all levels of the organization to achieve the plan will be considered here. Through constant evaluation and support, an organization can develop its priorities and work on it.

• Operations

What are the major operations carried out by the organization? This would include understanding the main operations of the company. What form of products and services will be introduced by the company? Operations would also include the design and development of products and services for the company. Here the company will provide evaluation if external products will be used in making the product or not.

• Performance Evaluation

Performance evaluation is a form of quality assessment method where the standards of actual performance are compared to the standards which are required as per specific requirements.

• Continuous Improvement

Continuous improvement is required for an organization to analyze the errors. Once the errors are identified, an action plan will be used to mitigate the errors. This is one of the main criteria of the ISO 9001: 2015, which emphasizes the reduction of risk.

ISO Certification (ISO 9001: 2015) process in India

Understand the form of Certification

First and foremost, the applicant will have to understand which form of ISO is required for an organization. ISO is used in all forms of organizations.

Finding the Right ISO Certification Body

ISO Certification is not carried out through any authority. Some specific external providers carry out the process of ISO certification. At Enterslice, we will ensure to provide you with professional certification requirements for complying with ISO. We have a team of experienced compliance experts carrying out ISO certifications for different manufacturing entities. Apart from this, the organization which wants the ISO certification must check the following:

• Accreditation with the ISO; and
• Whether CASCO standards are present with the provider.

Process

The process will include the following steps:

• Creating a contract that defines the terms and liabilities of the parties in the contract (Applicant and the Registrar).
• necessary paper verification with the help of an ISO auditor to understand any form of discrepancies or gaps.
• Suppose there are any discrepancies in the quality standards, the ISO auditor will mention the same and consider the requirement of an action plan which has to be implemented in the organization.
• After this, the ISO auditor will conduct a preliminary inquiry into the organization, to analyze any forms of discrepancies in the organization. These discrepancies would be divided into major discrepancies and minor discrepancies.
• If changes have been made in the organization, the auditor will check if the quality standards adopted by the organization confirm with that of the requirement of the ISO Certification (ISO 9001: 2015)
• Once this is carried out, all the findings are put forth in a report. The registrar of the ISO in the national will grant the ISO.
• The registrar has the right to conduct surveillance audits from time to time in the organization.

Payment of Fees

The Payment of fees would depend on the organization's size, the number of workers in the organization, and the products/ services offered in the organization.

Time Taken for ISO Certificate

After estimation is carried out, the certificate will be granted to the organization:

• For small organizations, the ISO certificate will be given in 6 to 8 months.
• For large and medium organizations the ISO certificate will be given between 8 to 15 months.

Enterslice Advantage

• Enterslice is a recognized consultant for accreditation and government advisory services in India.
• We have multifaceted teams of professionals comprising Chartered Accountants, lawyers, and company secretaries.
• We have extensive experience in handling ISO Certifications such as ISO 9001: 2015.
• Our service is cost-effective.

How to reach Enterslice?

Fill The Form

Get a Callback

Submit necessary paper

Track Progress

Get Deliverables