ISO 9001:2015 is the International Standard for Quality Management Systems (QMS).

Any organization can benefit from implementing ISO 9001:2015 as its requirements are underpinned by eight management principles:

A customer focused organization.
Leadership.
The involvement of people.
Ensuring a process approach.
A systematic approach to management.
A factual approach to decision making.
Mutually beneficial supplier relations.
Continuous improvement.

• • Internal operational efficiency: Lower production costs because of fewer nonconforming products, less rework, lower rejection rates, streamlined processes and fewer mistakes.
  • Access to new markets: Some markets require ISO 9001 Registration, some markets favor companies with ISO 9000 Registration.
  • Customer request: Many organizations are asked by a customer to obtain registration as a requirement to continue or to start doing business with them.

There are 10 sections (clauses) with supporting sections (sub clauses). The requirements to be applied to your quality management system (QMS) are covered in sections 4-10. To successfully implement ISO 9001:2015 quality standard within your organization, you must satisfy the requirements within clauses 4-10.

1. 1. 1. Prepare your organization
      2. Gap Analysis
      3. Project Plan
      4. Training
      5. Documentation
      6. Use and Improve QMS
      7. Internal Audits
      8. ISO Registration

This is not a new requirement; in fact it has been in ISO 9001 since the 2000 version but it seems to be one of the requirements that organisations really struggle with. Essentially what it means is that the QMS should be written and aligned around the organisation’s business processes and not written and aligned with the numbers of ISO 9001.

Note: If your management system aligns with the numbers of ISO 9001 or any other standard or set of requirements, it is not correct.

In case of cost consideration, getting a non-IAF ISO certification is much feasible as it does not require quality audits at regular intervals. The IAF member bodies are supposed to conduct regular audits, for which they charge huge amount as audit fee. Small businesses with limited resources need not get IAF certifications. Such certification is mandatory mainly in case of the application for government tenders.