There are 8 quality management principles (developed by the ISO/TC 176) upon which ISO 9001 certification is built. These principles, when followed properly, help organisations to improve their quality management systems and overall business relationships.

Let’s take a closer look at the 8 principles of quality management:

• Customer Focus - This principle covers customer needs and customer services. It stresses that businesses should strive to understand their customers & go above and beyond their expectations.
  
  
• Leadership - Leadership is an integral part of any business. Without properly-defined leadership goals and objectives, a business will struggle to run smoothly.
  
  
• People Involvement - The third principle focuses on efficiency and effectiveness of staff. You can build stakeholder confidence by optimising performance, managing processes and using business resources wisely.
  
  
• Process Approach - This principle is about efficiency, effectiveness and consistency. Having a good approach to your processes helps to speed up activities, reduce costs and eliminate waste.
  
  
• Systematic Approach to Management - ISO defines this principle as “identifying, understanding and managing interrelated processes as a system contributes to the organisation’s effectiveness and efficiency in achieving its objectives”.
  
  
• Continual Improvement - This has to be be an active business objective; businesses should embrace new opportunities and adapt to new market situations.
  
  
• Factual Approach to Decision Making - Making a decision based on data and analysis is logical, but in the current climate, most workplace decisions are made in a rush. This principle helps to make sure decisions are made with consideration and clarity.
  
  
• Mutually-Benefical Supplier Relations - The final principle deals with supply chains and promotes healthy relationships between a business and its distributors. Building a strong supplier relationship encourages productivity.

If you're interested in gaining ISO 9001 certification for your organisation, ISO Accelerator can help you to do it quickly and with minimal hassle. Get in touch today to find out more.

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Implementing a quality management system can be an enormously beneficial move for businesses of all sizes and across all sectors.

Whether you're running a small enterprise with only a couple of employees on the payroll or a multi-national corporation that's already risen to the very top of its industry, a QMS can help you to succeed in an increasingly competitive marketplace.

What is a quality management system?

A quality management system (QMS) is a set of processes that work together to ensure the quality of an organisation's output and improve overall customer satisfaction.

Many businesses rely on quality management systems to keep consumers happy, but you may be wondering whether planning and implementing a QMS is really worth your while. After all, you're very busy, and your company already does fine - why waste valuable time formalising your processes and pursuing ISO 9001 certification?

But while it's true that implementing a quality management system can be somewhat time-consuming, the benefits will far outweigh the drawbacks if your QMS is well thought-out and fully compliant.

The benefits of a quality management system

Here are just some of the ways in which a QMS can benefit your organisation:

Reduced waste.

One of the key aims of any quality management system is to minimise waste. A good QMS will save time that's currently being squandered on tasks that don't need to be done (or could be done far more efficiently). It will also help you to stop wasting money and physical resources.

Happier customers.

Quality management systems are ultimately geared towards delivering the best possible outcome for the customer. Implementing a QMS should help you to meet your customers' needs and expectations more effectively, and happy customers are more likely to reward you with positive reviews, repeat orders, word-of-mouth recommendations, etc.

More opportunities.

If your quality management system meets ISO 9001 standards, you will be able to get certified and advertise this fact to potential customers. Not only do the words 'ISO 9001 certified' inspire confidence no matter what industry you're in, certification is actually a requirement for certain contracts, meaning that your QMS may bring you business opportunities that would otherwise have been off-limits.

If you need help putting together a QMS and getting certified, contact ISO Accelerator today - we specialise in helping businesses to achieve ISO 9001 certification in the shortest possible timeframe!

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If you want to achieve ISO 9001 certification, you will first need to plan and implement a strong quality management system within your organisation.

A quality management system (QMS) is simply a set of processes and procedures that are designed to improve customer satisfaction. A strong QMS will make your customers happier while also serving to drive continuous improvement of your operations by reducing wastage and streamlining everybody's efforts so that all workers are striving towards the same goal.

Where does ISO certification come into this?

ISO 9001 is the international standard for quality management systems. When planning a QMS, the goal should be to create a system that complies with ISO 9001 requirements and will qualify for ISO 9001 certification once in place.

Further reading: What is ISO 9001?

When you choose to apply for fast-track ISO accreditation via ISO Accelerator, we will work with you remotely to help you develop a QMS that meets all ISO 9001 requirements.

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