ISO 9001- Introduction

ISO 9001 was first published in 1987 by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), an international agency composed of the national standards bodies of more than 160 countries. The current version of ISO 9001 was released in September 2015. ISO 9001 is defined as the international standard that specifies requirements for a quality management system (QMS). Organizations use the standard to demonstrate the ability to consistently provide products and services that meet customer and regulatory requirements. It is the most popular standard in the ISO 9000 series and the only standard in the series to which organizations can certify. ISO 9001:2015 applies to any organization, regardless of size or industry. More than one million organizations from more than 160 countries have applied the ISO 9001 standard requirements to their quality management systems.

Some of the key updates in ISO 9001:2015 include;

• Restructuring some of the information
• Emphasis on risk-based thinking to enhance the application of the process approach
• Improved applicability for services
• Increased leadership requirements
• Focus on the interested parties needs and expectations
• Continual improvement

ISO 9001-Benefits

ISO 9001 helps organizations ensure their customers consistently receive high quality products and services, which in turn brings many benefits, including satisfied customers, management, and employees. Because ISO 9001 specifies the requirements for an effective quality management system, organizations find that using the standard helps them; 

• Improve customer satisfaction 
• Systematic process
• Clear roles and responsibilities
• Cost reduction
• Reach higher operating efficiency
• Continual improvement

ISO 9001-Clauses

• 1 Scope
  2 Normative references
  3 Terms and definitions
  4 Context of the organization
  5 Leadership
  6 Planning
  7 Support
  8 Operation
  9 Performance evaluation
  10 Improvement