Every organization has a management system.  “Management system” is just another way of saying how an organization does the work it does to produce the product or service it provides. Each organization is unique and each will have varying levels of automation, vertical integration, objectives, priorities and overall professionalism. Nevertheless, no matter the size or sector, the processes, procedures and the day-to-day doing of this-and-that, a management system is how things are done. A quality management system, on the other hand, is a management system that methodically looks at itself and finds ways to improve. Upon implementation of improvements, effects are measured and further corrections are made. A quality management system, which complies with the ISO 9000 family of quality management standards has been audited by an accredited and impartial third party and been found to embody the principles of the best practices in the world. The ISO 9000 family addresses the various aspects of quality management and comprises some of ISO’s best known standards. ISO 9001:2015 can be used by any organization, large or small, of any kind, regardless of industry or activity. Some one million companies and organizations in over 170 countries are certified to ISO 9001 quality management standards and rely on audits to verify their continuous improvement. In practice, ISO management system standards are  tools for organizations to ensure that their products and services consistently meet customer’s requirements, while also consistently upping the quality achieved. 

Today’s organizations need to behave much differently than they did perhaps only five years ago, for example:

• Customers now expect much more of the organizations with which they have dealings. 

• Supply chains have become increasingly complex.

• New technologies are emerging.

• Issues such as sustainability and reputation management are at the fore.

The newest iteration of ISO 9001, ISO 9001:2015 sets out the criteria to address the above concerns by explicitly setting out a requirement for organizations to approach quality management through the so-called “Plan-Do-Check-Act” cycle protocol. The ISO 9001:2015 approach employs risk-based thinking, instead of mere compliance or prevention. It views organizational operations in a holistic way and considers impacts across the entire organizational ecosystem and among all stakeholders, all while remaining laser-focused on customer requirements.  The 9001:2015 standard requires a strong customer focus, the motivation and commitment of top management, as well as the process approach and continuous improvement. The ISO 9000 family of standards can then incorporate many sector-specific standards, such as 
ISO 13485 – Medical devices 
ISO 17582 – Electoral organizations at all levels of government
ISO 18091 – Local government
ISO/TS 22163 – Business management system requirements for rail organizations
ISO/TS 29001 – Petroleum, petrochemical and natural gas industries
ISO/IEC 90003 – Software engineering