ISO 9001 is a globally recognized international standard for quality management systems (QMS). It provides organizations of all sizes and sectors with the requirements to establish, implement, maintain, and continually improve a QMS focused on meeting customer expectations and regulatory requirements while enhancing overall performance.
The standard is part of the ISO 9000 family, which describes seven quality management principles, including a strong customer focus, leadership involvement, engagement of people, a process approach, continual improvement, evidence-based decision-making, and relationship management. ISO 9001 is the only standard in the family to which organizations can seek certification, although certification is voluntary.
By adopting ISO 9001, organizations demonstrate their ability to consistently deliver products and services that meet customer and applicable statutory requirements. It fosters customer confidence through effective quality control processes, efficient complaint handling, and ongoing process improvement to enhance productivity and reduce waste.
The standard includes detailed requirements organized into sections that cover the context of the organization, leadership commitment, planning to address risks and opportunities, resource support, operational control, performance evaluation, and continuous improvement.
Regular internal audits and management reviews are emphasized to ensure the QMS remains effective and aligned with organizational goals. ISO 9001 encourages a process approach, ensuring that activities transforming inputs into valuable outputs are understood, managed, and improved continuously.
With over one million certificates issued in 189 countries, ISO 9001 is the most widely used quality management standard worldwide.
Learn more:
https://www.iso.org/standard/62085.html