ISO Standards: understand what it is and its importance

Looking for ways to maximize efficiency and place your company at a distinguished level are some of the fundamental goals of business management. There are several ways to boost the performance of your business. One of them is the adoption of ISO standards.

ISO standards are internationally applied guidelines that, when incorporated into a company, can provide surprising results in both the short and long term.

Are you familiar with ISO standards? Do you know their importance to organizations and which are the main ones applied in the market? Do you know about ISO 9001? Continue reading our article, as we will show each of these points next. Happy reading!

ISO Standards: learn what are

ISO standards (acronym for International Organization for Standardization) are a series of rules created by the homonymous company to standardize conduct and processes in organizations and public entities across various market segments.

In Brazil, it is also related to the Brazilian Association of Technical Standards (ABNT), which standardizes certain issues that must be followed by all national institutions.

The importance of ISO Standards for companies

As the name suggests, ISO standards exist to standardize norms of conduct, implementation of solutions, among other issues that elevate companies to an international level.

For this reason, each set of standards is elaborated by a body of great experts in the related area, through representatives from 91 countries, ensuring the approval of excellence standards in all technical fields.

In addition, certifications can bring numerous benefits to organizations, such as:

• Competitive advantage;
• Risk management;
• Adherence to good corporate governance practices and their consequent results. For example, an improvement in the market’s perception of the brand (customers and suppliers) due to transparency and the company’s conduct in its relations;
• International standardization;
• Determines a form of consistent business organization that improves the flow of internal activities, increasing productivity, people’s satisfaction, and consequently, the quality of their deliveries;
• Greater customer satisfaction, among others.

Fabiano Pereira da Silva reinforces the importance of implementing ISO standards, exemplifying how these standards can benefit your company. Check it out:

ISO Standards: the main types

To clarify the understanding better, we listed the main ISO standards in the market and their respective benefits.

ISO 9000

ISO 9000 is the most well-known set of rules worldwide. In addition, this standard is responsible for bringing the standards to be applied for the implementation of a Quality Management System (QMS) in companies.

It provides the main guidelines for implementing Total Quality in organizations, thereby reducing possible problems in this regard. It also offers the means to monitor process optimization techniques, assessing whether the company is actually achieving the desired results with the QMS.

ISO 14000

ISO 14000 is responsible for generating standards and guidelines for efficient environmental management. As a result, it is possible to comply with current environmental legislation at the national and international levels. In addition, ISO 14000 creates a sustainable environment, which promotes the appreciation of the organization’s products or services.

ISO 50001

ISO 50001 is responsible for determining guidelines that help organizations achieve greater strategic efficiency over time through the implementation of an Energy Management System.

ISO 9001: what is

One of the main standards applied worldwide is ISO 9001. All the largest and most renowned companies in the market are certified for it, demonstrating its importance to the most diverse areas. Therefore, we will talk all about it next.

What Is It For?

It standardizes important issues for the implementation of a quality management system. However, it indicates how a company should be managed and oriented towards total quality, being able to identify and meet customer needs.

What Are Its Principles?

The ISO 9001 standard is based on 7 Quality Management principles, which above all guide all the organization’s processes. They are:

• Customer focus: the goal of internal processes is to promote public satisfaction, as well as for the company to understand their importance for business success;
• Leadership: leaders must be able to manage changes, actions, and results efficiently, without losing team motivation;
• Engagement of people: all teams must act in an engaged manner, oriented to achieve increased productivity and operate within the quality standards proposed by ISO;
• Process approach: This involves establishing the guidelines and carrying out processes internally in your company. So, this is a way to guide your employees to act according to the principles of total quality;
• Evidence-based decision-making: have data subsidies, through process monitoring, and then have better decision-making in your company. The more information your managers have at hand, the greater the chances of success;
• Continuous improvement: the company must always be attentive to seek the necessary improvements for the business, verifying possible bottlenecks, issues, opportunities for improvement, among other points, through mechanisms such as analysis of indicators.
• Relationship management: all relationships to which your company is subject (with employees, suppliers, customers) must have impeccable management, to always provide a better experience for your end customer.

What Are Its Benefits?

Developed by renowned global experts in management and quality, this methodology ensures the efficiency of the implemented measures. However, to achieve the proposed objectives, follow the guidelines stipulated in the documents faithfully.

How to Implement It?

When seeking to implement ISO 9001 in your venture, it is crucial that your company has the support of a specialized company. However, it must offer a complete package of services, in addition to including internal standardization in the auditing process. Finally, this is the certification that validates your business’s compliance with the standard’s guidelines.

ISO standards, when applied in organizational contexts, bring a series of benefits to the company, placing it at international levels and ensuring management oriented towards quality in your business.

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