ISO 9001 Certification - Quality Management Paper Example

ISO 9001 is a quality management certification that is awarded to small businesses and firms to assess whether the companies conform to the set standards of quality management. Other certifications help companies know what they are actually doing and address any areas of deficiencies. The ISO 9001 was developed for the sole purpose of setting the standards of operation of the small business in order to develop a uniform set of standards for businesses that is globally acceptable (Hammar, 2016).

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Small businesses have to adhere to the following standards before they are ISO 9001 certified. Organizations need to have clear objectives and the benefits the firm will gain by achieving the ISO 9001. There is a need to integrate quality management systems in all aspects of the business ("Step 1: Prepare Your Organization - ISO 9000 Store", 2016). The following documents are required in the attainment of ISO 9001 certification:

The Organizational Structure

Who records information and what information is recorded.

Responsibilities of all the employees.

Communication methods within the organizations.

Needed actions to work on.

Continuity plan in the case of employee change.

Initially, I was working with MC Donalds & Fryes, an investment firm in New York. The firm deals with investment in real estate. McDonalds & Fryes is not ISO 9001 certified. Mc Donalds &Fryes need to work on the following sections in order to be certified:

Quality- The firm needs to ensure that all the documentations of the company adhere to the quality requirements of the ISOO 9001. This means that McDonald &Fryes need to assess their working framework to fit in the required standards.

Training- it should be a continuous process and future trainings must continue as staff needs to be trained in order for them to achieve the best at work. Future training can be included with new additional skills that may be needed as the business evolves.

Physical Environment- The physical location of the firm must be highly accessible to clients and employees at the workplace. Provision of a ramp for the physically challenged, a handy-park spot, proper lighting and office space at work. All the above factors must be adhered to.

Customer Service- The organization should ensure that they offer top quality customer service, all customer requirements are recorded and stored for easy retrieval. Another aspect is that client communication should be conducted in the soonest time possible.

Maintenance There should be regular internal quality auditing. This can be done by an in-house quality auditing employees. The internal auditor checks for whether all the requirements of the manual were followed to the latter to avoid a possible future denial of certification ("5 Steps to ISO 9001 Certification | ISO 9001 for Small Businesses", 2016).

McDonalds &Fryes stands to benefit from ISO 9001 Certification, one, for instance, is the improvement of the firm's credibility and the overall image. Since the ISO 9001 is a global certification, it tells clients that the quality of management systems is world-class. Customer satisfaction is going to rise due to the following up to the quality requirements of ISO 9001. Effectiveness in process integration stands out to improve the efficiency of operations and cost savings that would not have been realized earlier.

ISO 9001 is a Quality Management certification, and Six Sigma has the same process approach in the mythological application. They both integrate the use of a cycle for improvement, that is, Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle. The main difference between ISO 9001 and Six Sigma is their scope: the ISO 9001 is internationally recognized while Six Sigma is a quality set of tools and methods for improvement of the business process (Hammar, 2016).

References

5 Steps to ISO 9001 Certification | ISO 9001 for Small Businesses. (2016). 9001simplified.com. Retrieved 19 October 2016, from http://www.9001simplified.com/iso-9001-resources.php

Hammar, M. (2016). ISO 9001 vs Six Sigma: The similarities and differences. 9001Academy. Retrieved 19 October 2016, from http://advisera.com/9001academy/knowledgebase/iso-9001-vs-six-sigma-how-they-compare-and-how-they-are-different/

Step 1: Prepare Your Organization - ISO 9000 Store. (2016). ISO 9000 Store. Retrieved 19 October 2016, from http://www.the9000store.com/step1-what-is-iso-9001.aspx