If you have come across this article, chances are you are considering getting an ISO 9001 certificate. Answering the question of How do I get ISO certified in Australia is not easy but This article will solve all your queries regarding the ISO 9001 certification process. 

What is ISO 9001?

The ISO 9001 standard is a part of a family of standards that focuses on improving quality management. This is a popular standard against which many organisations get certified, as it provides a robust Quality Management System (QMS) that allows companies to consistently meet the quality-related expectations of their clients.

What is a Quality Management System?

A QMS is a set of policies, procedures and works instructions that create a flexible framework. It integrates the seven quality management principles, including a process approach, relationship management, evidence-based thinking, customer focus, leadership, employee engagement and continual improvement, to deliver quality assurance across the organisation. The purpose of the QMS is to help organisations meet their two goals: quality policy and quality objectives.

Benefits of ISO 9001

There are numerous benefits to getting ISO 9001 certificate. Just to give you an idea, here is a list of the most common benefits:

•   Improved processes: ISO 9001 requires organisations to regularly review their processes, helping business owners identify areas of weaknesses, deficiencies or overlaps.

•   Increased profits: ISO 9001 helps organisations consistently meet the expectations of their customers, leading to increased sales. Secondly, cost savings also increases due to increased efficiency of operations that do not leave behind excess waste.

•   Enhanced marketing efforts: ISO 9001 boosts any marketing campaign as the logo is easily recognised worldwide.

•   Better business opportunities: If you wish to qualify for public or private sector tenders, having ISO 9001 is necessary as it is an inclusion criterion for many pre-qualification questionnaires.

•   Better employee productivity: ISO 9001 focuses on employee engagement and creates easier workflows by clarifying roles, responsibilities and work instructions.

•   Easier access to international trade: Entry into the international market is more accessible due to standardisation and compliance with various regulatory obligations.

ISO 9001 certification process in Australia

1.      Allocate the necessary resources for certification: Getting an ISO 9001 certificate requires the top management to showcase commitment by allocating adequate resources. For your certification to materialise, you must be well supported. This is the reason why many organisations choose to hire an ISO 9001 consultant so that mistakes can be avoided.

2.      Conduct a gap analysis: A gap analysis is an assessment comparing your current operations with those recommended in ISO 9001. This assessment is essential to understand your baseline status and to check where your organisation is currently standing. As business owners, it may be difficult for you to conduct a gap analysis as the requirements of ISO 9001 are written in the quasi-legal language. Therefore, mandatory requirements can be easily overlooked. Hiring an ISO 9001 consultant who is adequately trained in performing gap analysis helps to save time, resources and effort. Moreover, their succinate report will zero in on the non-compliant areas. Gap analysis is one of the preparation steps of iso 9001, if you want to know more about this step please click iso 9001 preparation and read a helpful article. 

3.      Develop and internally audit your QMS: Based on your gap analysis report findings, you will have a working understanding of the deficiencies of your current system. You can either choose to modify your processes by ISO 9001 requirements, or you can alternatively start afresh. To achieve certification, your processes, quality controls, and policies must be by the ISO 9001 standard. Before letting a third-party audit your QMS, you have to ensure that it fulfils every requirement of ISO 9001, and this is why internal auditing is essential. Every process will be checked for efficiency and compliance during the internal audit. Again, hiring an ISO 9001 consultant is beneficial, as they are experts in highlighting inefficiencies.

4.      Undergo formal training on ISO 9001: This step is only mandatory if you are doing the certification process on your own. A crystal clear understanding of all the requirements of the ISO certification will allow you to flow through the process.

5.      Select an accredited certification body: When selecting an accredited certification body, it is always helpful to check with your peers about their reputation. You do not want to be caught with a certification body with an ill reputation for just “handing out” certificates.

Best ISO consultant in Australia

The role of an ISO consultant is to help remove obstacles from the certification process. They conduct an in-depth gap analysis to find out where your current QMS lacks. Moreover, before you are subjected to an external audit, an ISO 9001 consultant will review your quality controls and suggest corrective or preventive actions to help you fully comply with ISO 9001. To hire the best ISO consultant in Australia, we recommend you review the consultant’s testimonials and previous case histories to see what other clients have to say about them. Price should not be the only criterion for selecting an ISO consultancy service, as a low price may not be as valuable as you think.

Conclusion

To get ISO 9001 certified in Australia, you need to allocate the necessary resources, conduct a gap analysis, implement and audit your QMS and finally, approach an accredited certification body for an external audit. 

Contact us if you are looking for ISO 9001 certification in Australia. ISO 9001 consultants can get your ISO certification in less than three weeks. Call 61280056444 for more information. You are only one call away from receiving the certificate.