This post will address the principles of quality management referred in ISO 9001 and the difference between the previous ISO 9001:2008 version to the new ISO 9001: 2015 version.
Principles of Quality Management
It is widely known in the quality industry that the ISO 9001 standard was updated in 2015, but what about ISO 9000? It is less popular, but has great significance.
ISO 9000 is a standard that describes the fundamental concepts, principles and vocabulary of quality management and was also updated in 2015.
In addition to the concepts, a very important aspect which we will address in this text, are the principles of quality. In ISO 9000:2008, we had 8 principles, and in the new version, ISO 9000:2015, these were altered and synthesized in 7 principles.
Let’s compare the two versions in the table below:
The Principles of Quality described in ISO 9000 are as important as the requirements of ISO 9001. If a company does not meet an ISO 9001 requirement, i.e has a non-conformity, it might be due to the absence of one of the principles within the organization. Let’s look into them.
1 – Customer focus
Meet the needs of customers and strive to exceed their expectations to attract and retain them.
2 – Leadership
Leaders at all levels of the organization must set goals, direction and create conditions for engaged people to achieve these goals.
3 – Engagement of people
Employees at all levels of the organization must be competent (in education, training or experience), and be involved and engaged, to raise the organization’s ability to create and deliver products that meet and exceed customer expectations.
4 – Process approach
When the company determines its main business processes, it is more efficient delivering products and services with the quality expected by their customers.
5 – Improvement
Organizations should have continued focus on improvement. In this way, they can react more easily to changes in the internal and external environment, maintaining or improving their performance levels.
6 – Evidence-based decision making
Organizations that make decisions based on data and information tend to be more effective at reaching their outcomes and goals.
7 – Relationship Management
Organizations that understand the influence of stakeholders in their organization are better prepared to face the threats and seize the opportunities of the internal and external environment.
For more information about ISO 9001 and how to obtain certification for your company, please write to us at contact@qms-certification.com or at 1800-287-8777.
