| |
| |
|
Management Information |
|
|
|
ISO 9001 Registration - 8 Steps for Success
You've made the plans, built the quality system and conducted the audit. So how do you register your company as ISO 9001 conformant? And how can you be sure you're getting the most value for your investment? Here's how the process works. Certifying Your Company and Quality System After your company's ISO 9001 audit, you will want to register your company's quality system to show that you've met the requirements. And to do this effectively, you will need to follow eight essential steps. 1. Finding a Registrar You'll need to begin searching for an ISO registrar during the 2 to 3 months your company is still building its quality system. You can search the Registrar Accreditation Board (RAB) at http://www.rabnet.com to select the registrar right for you. 2. Selecting a Registrar Select a registrar that has experience within the scope category of your specific industry, which you can also find on the RAB site. Keep in mind accreditation, scheduling issues, fees and comfort level when selecting the registrar right for you. 3. Creating an Application A company and a registrar will agree on the application, contract. This defines the rights and obligations of both parties, and includes liability issues, confidentiality and access rights. 4. Conducting a Document Review The registrar will require a copy of your quality manual and procedures to verify that all the requirements of the standard are addressed. Allow 2-4 weeks in advance for the registrar to fully review all of the necessary documents. 5. Determining Preassessment Though optional, this 2-4 week initial review of the system identifies any significant omissions or weaknesses. It saves time and allows the registrar to assess any issues and resolve logistics before the actual assessment audit. 6. Issuing an Assessment During the audit, or physical onsite inspection of procedures in action, the auditors will issue findings if they assess anything that doesn't meet requirements, or nonconformities. The length of this step will depend on the scope of the audit and the size your organization. 7. Completing ISO Registration After all of the findings are put into the audit report and nonconformities are addressed, your company has the option to register as ISO 9001 conformant. You will receive a certificate and can also be listed in a register, which the company can use to publicize its registration and use in advertising. 8. Checking with Surveillances To ensure that the system is maintained and that changes don't result in deficiencies in the system, registrars perform regular surveillances of the system. Over the three-year period of your certificate, auditors will perform one full and two partial checks of your system. Considerations in Planning The Document Review and Preassessment typically require 2-4 weeks each. However, the number of registrars and the number of days for each stage of the registration audit depends on the size and complexity of your organization. So set target dates accordingly to allow both you and the registrar time to fully prepare. Strong Return on Your Internal Audit Investment Always keep in mind, registration should provide you with valuable feedback to improve your system. So make sure to seek the appropriate registrar, and take full advantage of the entire audit process. After all, it's your company, it's your registration, and so make sure you get a strong return on YOUR investment. Chris Anderson has over 18 years of sales, marketing and business management experience working with business process design, software and systems engineering. He is also co-author of policies and procedures manual products, producing the layout, process design and implementation to increase performance. He is currently the Managing Director of Bizmanualz, Inc. Visit: Bizmanualz, Inc.
MORE RESOURCES:
Management - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Can You Sleep While The Wind Blows? Let me repeat a story I heard many years ago that has stuck with me throughout my life. The lessons from this fable are many and have been applied to a variety of areas of my life. Five Overlooked Ways To Hire Winners Here is a true story. My dentist did a "clinical" evaluation of my teeth. The Cheapest, Forget It ! Wouldn't it be great if we got get the cheapest price on everything. I know I wouldn't want it. What Makes A Good Media Story? Media relations can be difficult, but also rewarding. And the lessons we learn from working with newspapers, magazines, radio, television, and online publications should increase the effectiveness of all our communication initiatives. Is Your Employee Newsletter Management Propaganda? It should not be. If it is an effective newsletter, it will serve the needs of readers (employees) as much as it serves the needs of the publisher (management). A Tricky Supervision Challenge Many managers believe that treating their team members as responsible adults will assure excellent results. The truth is that while this usually is effective, some people need much firmer limits than others to perform their jobs. Project Management - Are You Done Yet What happens when a Project Manager asks one of his team members "Are you done yet"?If you're a seasoned project manager, then the following scenario will sound very familiar. If you're new at this game, take my word for it: This will happen to you!------------------------------------------------------Starring in this article: R. Can Your Corporate Policy Pass the Monkeys, Bananas, and Water-spray Experiment? Five monkeys were placed in a cage. A banana was hung on a string and a ladder was placed below it. Better Manager Skills - How to Learn When you first take over a department, expectations are usually high but operations are sometimes in disarray. The staff is disorganized, goals aren't being met, and hours are spent on unproductive tasks. Never Punish Yourself or Others for Failures If you want to find success in various ramifications, be it in business or personal relationship, don't punish yourself or others for mistakes, or blunders, or failures, instead encourage yourself.Kim Woo-Choong, founder and chairman of Daewoo, said, "One of my employee went to a casino and lost $10, 000 of the company's money which would certainly get him fired by a normal manager. Innovation Management - Rigorous data analysis Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are other useful definitions in this field, for example, creativity can be defined as consisting of a number of ideas, a number of diverse ideas and a number of novel ideas. Five Key Strategies for Making Your Nonprofit Business More Effective I love tennis both as a spectator and a weekend player. I also believe that effective nonprofit organizations are an essential part of vibrant, engaged communities. Uncovering the Secrets to Effective Performance Management In many ways there are no secrets to implementing effective performance management. Performance Management is a process and a process which if implemented effectively should ensure that both employees and managers remain both productive and motivated. A Leadership Screw Driver: The 90 Day Improvement Plan I was talking with first-line supervisors in a utility company about how to deal with poor performing employees."You've gotta put the screws to him!" suggested one supervisor to his colleague who was having trouble managing one particular poor performer. Creativity and Innovation Management: The Creative State Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are other useful definitions in this field, for example, creativity can be defined as consisting of a number of ideas, a number of diverse ideas and a number of novel ideas. Setting a Pitiful Example: Twenty-six Warnings to Heed * TO: All Parents [and Employers and Managers]From: Your Child and/or EmployeeDate: The present timeRe: Don't Spoil me; Teach Me1. Don't spoil me. Leadership in Troubled Times Leadership in Troubled Times The first task of a leader is to keep hope alive. - Joe Batten Leading an organization can be challenging, even when times are good. Bringing Ideas to Life: Seven Principles for Pulling Together You're so excited you're practically bouncing off the walls. This idea-your best ever-is not only going to save the company tens of thousands of dollars this year, it's eventually going to be a moneymaker. Pricing Strategy for Retail Flower Shops When you create your profit and loss statement to assess the health of your business, you will see:Sales minus Cost of Goods Sold equals Gross Profit.You pay for all of your expenses with the gross profit. Strategic Outsourcing: Testing the Outsourcing Waters and Staying Afloat Before Gertrude Ederle began her historic swim off of Cape Griz-Nez, France, she underwent extensive training for endurance and technique-even though she was already an accomplished record-breaking swimmer with Olympic medals to her name. Outsourcing IT may not garner the same attention as being the first woman to swim the English Channel, but it is no less important to gather as much experience and knowledge as possible on a small scale before diving in for the big swim.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |