What is the last step in ISO 9001 registration?

ISO 9001 certification is not a one-step process, rather contains multiple phases that should organically blend into each other. The process begins with planning, and the final step to prepare for ISO 9001 certification is to conduct an in-depth and comprehensive internal audit to verify that the Quality Management System (QMS) in place is effective, adequate and relevant. This article will discuss the ISO 9001 internal audit plan and the ISO 9001 registration process.

ISO 9001 internal audit plan

The creation of the audit schedule entirely depends upon the scope of your QMS. You must begin by planning the audit schedule so that process owners get a heads-up and can close any gaps in their current projects. This will allow you to create the most appropriate process audit plan by taking the input of different process owners. As you conduct the audit, remember to review reports, talk to employees, analyse key process data and even observe the process in action. This will allow you to create a customised audit report that identifies the weaknesses and highlights areas that might need improvement.

What are the steps of the ISO 9001 registration process?

Now that you have planned and built your QMS and conducted internal audits, how do you ensure you get the most value for your investment? The final step is to find an ISO certification body.

The ISO certification body will come to your organisation to gather evidence to test your QMS and register your company to show that you have effectively met all the requirements. You must begin by finding an ISO certification company while your organisation is still building its quality system. The certification body must meet the requirements of the ISO accreditation bodies. A list of registrars in the US can be found on the ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board website and in Australia, on the JAS-ANZ website. Both these websites offer access to searchable databases of accredited registrars. Once you have selected a certification body with appropriate experience within your scope, category and specific industry, discuss the accreditation scheduling, issues, fees and comfort level.

Qualifications of the certification body are a vital consideration, as you will notice that some have a very limited scope based on the name. The certification body you choose must be accredited in the particular sector so they can conductively certify a company in that sector.

After you have shortlisted a certification body and agreed to the application contract, complete an ISO 9001 application form. This process defines the rights and obligations of both parties, including liability issues, confidentiality and access rights. Prepare for the upcoming quality document review, where the auditor will require a copy of your quality manual and written documents to verify that all the standard requirements are being addressed. Remember, this is not a quick process, and it may take a few weeks to fully review all the necessary documents.

Although this is optional, after a few weeks of the initial review of the system, the auditor will identify any significant omissions or weaknesses. This will allow you to determine pre-assessment needs, saving time and allowing the process owner to resolve logistics before the assessment audit. The pre-assessment evaluation can be considered an initial review of the QMS to identify significant omissions.

Lastly, you will have to undergo a certification/external audit where the auditors will find issues as they assess your QMS on-site. The length of this stage depends upon the scope of the audit and the size of your organisation. It will include the opening meeting, brief tour of the facility, additional review of the documents, examination, daily review, closing meeting and audit report.

Essentially, the ISO auditors will collect objective evidence, demonstrating the effectiveness or lack of your company’s QMS and make registration recommendations to the certification body. If there are no major nonconformities to address, you will be issued your ISO 9001 certificate.

However, this does not end the ISO 9001 registration process as you have to prepare for ongoing surveillance audits. These ongoing surveillance audits aim to ensure that the QMS is maintained and any changes do not detract from the system. Over three years, auditors, in conjunction with the management, will conduct one full and two partial checks of your system.

Also read: ” how much does iso 9001 certification cost ?”

Conclusion

The last step in the ISO 9001 compliance journey is to conduct internal audits, whereas the last step in the ISO 9001 registration process is to prepare for the yearly surveillance audit. ISO 9001 certification consultants Sydney will help you take your business to international quality management standards. With our help, you can reduce operating costs, ensure legal compliance, improve stakeholder confidence, and achieve certification in the first go.

Also, the creation of the iso 9001 internal audit plan entirely depends upon the scope of your QMS. You must begin by planning the audit schedule so that process owners get a heads-up and can close any gaps in their current projects. This will allow you to create the most appropriate process audit plan by taking the input of different process owners. As you conduct the audit, remember to review reports, talk to employees, analyse key process data and even observe the process in action. This will allow you to create a customised audit report that identifies the weaknesses and highlights areas that might need improvement.