International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
certification establishes credibility and trust among consumers, clients and
other business partners. In today's international marketplace, such a
designation validates that an organization adheres to global standards of
quality assurance, manufacturing and business. For enterprise organizations,
understanding what ISO certification entails can help to optimize business
practices and inspire confidence in their interested parties.
In this article, we define ISO certification, explain why a
business might want to pursue it and provide a step-by-step guide for earning a
particular certification.
What is ISO certification?
ISO certification is a credential that validates a
business's fulfilment of requirements relating to quality process standards as
defined by the International Standards Organization. The ISO is a
non-governmental organization that determines specifications for products,
services and systems for quality and efficiency.
Its history dates back to the mid-twentieth century, when
international delegates met in London to create a new standardization for
international cooperation and organization. The ISO now has almost 23,000
published standards throughout 164 countries, and companies earn ISO
certifications to prove their quality standards to the world.
Standards set forth by the ISO are valuable with regard to
international trade as the organization has strict requirements concerning
goods. Its ultimate goal is to improve industrial welfare worldwide, increasing
levels of safety and security for all.
Credentialing takes place through external bodies, as the
ISO itself doesn't perform certification. There are also multiple ISO
certifications. The credentials relate to specific industries, including but
not limited to:
Agriculture
Food safety
Healthcare
Manufacturing
Occupational health and safety
Risk management
Technology
Each certification has its own set of standards and
requirements. Some of the most common types of ISO certification are:
ISO 9000: One of the most common certifications is the ISO
9000, a grouping of standards that relates to quality management systems (QMS)
and helps companies meet the needs of customers and other interested parties.
It's the most basic form of what the ISO has set out to accomplish.
ISO 9001:
Companies choose the ISO 9001 to establish product conformance to standardized
requirements. In this case, the product also refers to services, materials,
hardware and software, and this certification relates more to the product a
company supplies rather than the entity itself.
ISO 13485: The ISO
13485 is a sector-specific certification for the medical device industry. It
specifies requirements for a quality management system where an organization
needs to demonstrate its ability to provide medical devices and related
services that consistently meet customer and applicable regulatory
requirements.
ISO 14001: Relating to requirements for an environmental management system, the ISO 14001 is growing more prevalent because of consumer opinions concerning the impact of corporations on the environment. Entities with this certification control the effects of their general activities on both flora and fauna.
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