What are ISO certification procedures?

Is acquiring ISO certification a business goal for your organisation? Whether it is ISO 45001, ISO 14001, ISO 9001, or any other ISO standard, the process is not as difficult as it seems. In fact, in its essence, the ISO certification process revolves around four basic steps. In this article, we will talk about the steps to acquiring ISO certification.

What is ISO?

International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is an international organisation that creates standards that are applicable across the globe to provide guidance and tools to organisations, so that their products/services consistently meet the requirements of their customers.

In simpler terms, ISO standards lays out the ground work for the development of a management system in a specific area of operational efficiency such as environmental performance, quality management, occupational safety, et cetera. To implement and issue ISO certification, you need guidance that has sufficient experience in this field. By using ISO consulting services in Australia, you can get ISO certification as soon as possible.

What are the most popular ISO standards?

Business owners can choose from numerous ISO standards. However, the more popular ones are ISO 9001 which lays out the foundation for Quality Management System (QMS) criteria, helping organisations enhance the quality of the products/services that they deliver.

Similarly, ISO 14001 lays out the groundwork for an Environmental Management System (EMS) criteria, that helps organisations mitigate any environmental issues. Another popular standard is ISO 45001 that outlines the criteria for an Occupational Health and Safety Management System (OHSMS) that helps organisations enhance the health and safety of their workplaces.

What are the ISO certification procedures?

On the road to acquiring ISO certification, there are four basic steps that outline each milestone. These include:

1. Documenting your core business processes

As soon as business owners decide to implement an ISO standard within their organisation, they must first begin to identify the core processes of their organisations. This step will help organisations understand where they are actually standing. Leaders, with the help of their employees, must develop documents that elaborate on their business operations and needs.

Examples of such documents include job descriptions, work instructions, manuals, objectives, policy statements et cetera. In this stage, top leaders must also encourage employees to build ownership and awareness by informing them of the upcoming changes that are associated with the implementation of an ISO management system.

These documents must then be reviewed, approved, and distributed across the organisations, so that employees have a better understanding of their current practices and the upcoming changes. The article on how to get ISO certification can be a comprehensive guide for you at this stage.

2. Implementing your management system

Implementing a management system seems like a daunting task, but it is actually simple. Managers and top leaders need to ensure that the procedures are being performed like they have been documented. Therefore, implementing the management system is actually an analysis of your current practises.

Additionally, managers must ensure that the employees are appropriately trained for the tasks they are performing and create effective reporting system in case of any inconsistencies that are discovered. It is always recommended to utilise measurable data when you are monitoring effectiveness of your processes, so that a baseline is created and progress can be appropriately quantified.

After reviewing the current procedures, managers must take action to improve in the areas that are not so strong.

3. Verifying the effectiveness of your system

Now that the system is in place, managers must verify if the system is effective. Here, effectiveness not only refers to achieving compliance but also to achieving business goals. Therefore, managers must plan internal auditing activities and conduct audits to check for compliance and effectiveness.

Such reviews would curtail observing the processes in action, collecting sample records, and interviewing people. These detailed reviews and audits will allow managers to identify the strengths and weaknesses in the management systems. As per the report, managers can take corrective or preventive actions as required. If you are looking to choose an internal auditor, we recommend you to read the ISO 9001 lead auditor article.

4. Registering your system

Business owners must then select the most appropriate certification body for external registration. Factors that should be considered include:

• Specialisation
• Experience
• Reputation

After selecting the best certification body, managers must submit their management system documentation for review and prepare for an audit by an external auditor. During the external audit, the auditor will confirm that the system’s requirements are being satisfied and that the management system is implemented effectively.

Obtaining ISO certification

Depending upon the size of your company, obtaining ISO certification can take from 2-10 months from inception to registration. Once you acquire your certification, your organisation must demonstrate compliance by conducting surveillance audits.

ISO certification procedure with an ISO consultant

As mentioned above, in order to achieve certification, your system needs to be compliant with the chosen standard. An ISO consultant conducts gap analysis to identify these deficiencies. Based on their report, they suggest corrective or preventive actions, as well as help business owners, implement best practices in their organisation. Their customised advice allows business owners to build an effective management system and acquire certification in a single attempt.