What Is the ISO 9001 Quality Management System?

What Is the ISO 9001 Quality Management System?

The first idea behind the ISO 9001 quality management system is the requirement for an organisation to demonstrate its ability to consistently deliver products that meet customer and applicable regulatory requirements. The standard also covers the continuous improvement of the system, evidence that the applicable regulations are being met, and a clear focus on raising customer satisfaction. Sistem Patent Kalite, the certification and testing consultancy, delivers ISO 9001 certification through its head offices in Izmir and Istanbul and through branch offices in Ankara, Bursa, Adana, Antalya, Konya, Kayseri, and Eskisehir.

ISO 9001 applies to the product the customer intends to buy or has specifically requested. Although the standard is written around the word "product", where the company delivers a service to its customer, that service should be read in the same way.

The current wave of developments in knowledge, technology, and communications is driving nations into sharper competition and into a material race in which new advances are made every day. The globalisation of world trade has widened the arena, and the number of competitors in it keeps rising. The competitors themselves are becoming stronger. Customers are more informed, more aware, and their expectations have never been higher. Meeting customer expectations is no longer enough on its own. Organisations now have to step ahead of customer demand.

The pace of change has accelerated. Developments in technology have made possible what could not even be imagined before. Organisations that cannot match the pace of advance find it hard to stay in business. The only way organisations hold their position is by delivering the products or services that meet customer needs and expectations across every sector. For that reason, putting in place a Quality Management System that runs from design through marketing, production, and after-sales service and that targets continuous improvement has become a core requirement.

Quality system standards have been the most influential international standards since the 1987 first edition. The ISO 9000 series explains how an effective management system can be built, documented, and sustained. The ISO 9000 quality standards series is the set of standards, published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), that guide organisations on building and improving a quality management system to raise customer satisfaction.

ISO 9001 in particular is the standard that sets out the requirements for building the quality management system and that forms the basis for certification. Alongside ISO 9001, ISO publishes guidance standards that support implementation. ISO 9001 and the guidance standards together are referred to as the ISO 9000 series.