An ISO Certification is documentation that the industry runs on the international standards defined by ISO (International organisation for standardisation). There are more than 22000 types of ISO Certifications covering almost every industry. However, some are pertinent to most trades, such as ISO 9001.

ISO 9001, also known as the Quality Management System (QMS), is one of the most generic ISO standards. It promotes the manufacture of good quality products and services, as it strives to deliver the same to its customers. It concentrates on creating the same quality products to meet customers’ expectations. Any industry can apply for ISO 9001 Certification regardless of its size, as it applies to most industries.

It follows PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) technique and process approach to demonstrate the ability to fulfil customers’ expectations. It operates on seven pillars to offer the same level of satisfaction to the customer.

These pillars are:

1 Customer focus

2 Leadership

3 Engagement of people

4 Process approach

5 Improvement

6 Evidence-based decision making

7 Relationship management

The cost of ISO 9001 Certification varies from one organisation to another, which depends on the agency. The prices are determined only after auditing the business, as it depends on the number of branches an organisation has and the number of employees in the firm.

The ISO 9001 Certification keeps on revising, and the current version of ISO 9001 was released in September 2015, also known as ISO 9001:2015. 

ISO 9001:2015 is not a new standard. It is a revised form of ISO 9001. ISO frequently reviews all the standards to remain up to date. The main objective of the revision is to improve the quality, efficiency and process.

ISO 9001:2015 standard, also known as Quality Management System (QMS), aims at delivering good quality products and services to meet customer requirements. It is an integrated standard, which encompasses all the processes, resources and values. The revision includes instigating new techniques and information and restructuring the principles to cater to the demand of the customers’. It is more flexible, as it provides leverage to companies to define their objectives.

It specifies the requirement for the Quality Management System in the enterprise. The changes in ISO 9001:2015 are generic, as they are functional to any industry irrespective of the size.

It requires industries to have –

1. Context of the organization: An organisation has to determine the internal and external factors that affect the quality of the services.
2. Leadership: Establish all the objectives and the qualities for an effective and efficient management system.
3. Planning: Do proper planning to reduce undesirable results and achieve your targets.
4. Support: Provide an effective environment for your employees to increase their efficiency.
5. Operation: It requires effective monitoring, inspection or testing to ensure the quality of goods and services.
6. Performance Evaluation: Find out the areas which are causing undesired results.
7. Improvement: Focus on all the aspects which need improvement and work on them, such as meeting customer needs.

No! an individual cannot become ISO Certified. But, one can become a Lead Auditor after completing ISO 9001:2015 QMS Lead Auditor training program.