Quality Management – ISO 9001

Guidance Consulting provides a service to qualify for quality management systems for institutions and establishments and grants the ISO 9001:2015 certificate, which is one of the effective ways to prove that quality assurance is one of the most important goals for the continuity of your institution’s business, the advantages of obtaining the ISO 9001 certificate include increasing sales volume, customer satisfaction and reducing costs, which is positively reflected in the volume of investment.

The Quality Management System Standard – ISO 9001 is internationally recognized and was organized by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). It is known as an international standard specification dedicated to quality management systems in institutions of different specializations, and it is a basic requirement for obtaining some Saudi conformity certificates, which are concerned with improving the quality of the institution and its employees and achieving sustainable development.

What is the ISO 9001 Quality Management System Certificate?

The ISO 9001 Quality Management System is a set of standards and conditions related to the quality of the product/service provided by the organization. It acknowledges that the product/service meets all local and international quality standards. Organizations or individuals that meet all the system standards obtain a recognized and documented certificate from the Saudi Standards and Quality Organization to prove high efficiency.

Saudi companies can obtain the ISO 9001 Quality Management Certificate by applying to one of the companies that grant international quality certificates and adhering to the terms and standards for obtaining international quality certificates. If all the requirements for obtaining the Quality Management Certificate are not met, a preparation, qualification, and training period is conducted by experts specialized in this field. Accordingly, an audit and review of the organization’s system is carried out and its employees are trained with the aim of meeting all the requirements of the system in line with the requirements of the quality and standards bodies in the Kingdom.

Quality Management System Certification Standards – ISO 9001

Quality Management System Standards – ISO 9001 belongs to the ISO 9000 standards. It is one of the most common certificates in the world due to its association with the quality system of the product/service provided. There are some required standards related to the ISO 9001 system to obtain quality management system certificates, as it is associated with many conditions, which are as follows:

• Allocating or establishing a unit within the institution to announce the quality system and the most important points that must be followed to achieve this system.
• Determining a set of procedures to get the ISO certificate in the institution, while ensuring its procedures are consistent.
• Eliminating the gap between the status of the company and the standard specifications required within the Kingdom through internal analysis and review of the company’s system.
• An official whose job is to provide advice and reports on quality to management.
• An official who examines and supervises the steps to obtain the ISO certificate and ensures the validity of those procedures.

Quality Management System Specifications – ISO 9001

There are important items:

• Reference.
• Terms and definitions.
• The institution’s work: includes understanding the institution and its requirements and providing the scope for managing the quality system.
• Leadership and defining roles and responsibilities in full.
• Planning and setting goals that must be achieved.
• Support, which includes documentation and communication within the facility.
• The necessary processes to implement this system are by studying the market and customer needs and providing the required services.
• Measuring the level of performance and the extent to which these standards are achieved, and working to review all stages of progress in this plan.
• Improvement (always depends on continuous improvement).

Benefits and advantages of implementing the Quality Management System – ISO 9001

There are many advantages that an establishment or institution can benefit from by implementing the ISO 9001 Quality Management System, including the following:

• It enables the institution to identify its strengths and weaknesses: The system includes indicators and plans that must be applied to obtain clear data on the strengths or weaknesses within the institution.

• It contains the necessary steps for evaluation: The system includes procedures and models that require measuring tangible things that can be easily measured, enabling the institution to evaluate itself with complete clarity.

• It contains the foundations of continuous improvement: it includes quality goals and strategic objectives that the institution aims for, as well as methods for activating and implementing these goals that lead to consistent improvement, a fundamental requirement of the ISO 9001 specification.

• It reduces unnecessary meetings: the system defines the role of each individual in the institution, where he starts and ends, what he does and follows up on, etc.

• It defines responsibilities and does not place the consequences on others: Everything is specified; who does what? When does he do it? And with whom does he do it… etc.
• It increases the competitiveness rates significantly among competing companies.

• Saving a lot of time and effort significantly, and reducing expenses.

• The ability to provide customer needs more effectively.

• Protecting operations performance while delaying errors and reducing their occurrence as well as obtaining large profits, because all operations and their stages are carried out systematically and accurately, and with time, the requirements for monitoring are undoubtedly reduced due to the absence of reasons for concern.

• Significantly increasing the effectiveness among employees, and the ability to integrate among members of the same work. This is because it achieves the optimal use of available resources: because it determines how much? And what? It is required for quality or project plans.

• Raising the quality levels of customer service.

• Increasing job opportunities for the institution in case it is distinguished by its commitment to performing all quality requirements.

Quality Management System Requirements – ISO 9001

The requirements to get an ISO certificate vary according to its type, and this slight difference between institutions results from the commodity production or provision of the service, in addition to the internal situation of the institution that helps to increase or decrease these requirements. However, some basic requirements must be present in all institutions, which are:

• The establishment or institution that wishes to obtain an ISO certificate must have its commercial register.
• Apply to one of the companies granting international quality certificates to request the certificate.
• Adhere to the terms and standards for obtaining international quality certificates.
• The body granting the ISO certificate must be accredited and internationally recognized.
• A documented administrative system in the organization that includes procedures, manuals, company work policies, and much more.
• The presence of records and documents that confirm the application of ISO certification standards in the organization.
• The ability of the institution and employees to address errors and pledge not to happen again.
• The success of the institution in passing the field audit.

The requirements of the quality management system are determined when the organization needs to:

1- Demonstrate its ability to provide products and services that meet customer requirements and applicable legal and regulatory requirements constantly.

2- Enhance customer satisfaction through effective system application, including system improvement processes and ensuring compliance with customer requirements and applicable legal and regulatory requirements.

If the organization does not meet the required standards for the quality management system set by the Saudi authorities, Guidance for Consulting assists in establishing a quality management system (based on the required standards), which includes:

• Planning to system establishment.
• Reviewing management practices and the existing system through gap analysis.
• Assisting in designing, establishing, and documenting policies and procedures.
• Assisting in implementing the system.
• Training employees.
• Assisting in preparing for external assessment (third party) and registering for ISO certification.

Guidance for Consulting and Training

Pioneers of management consulting, institutional excellence, and internationally accredited training according to the conditions of the Saudi Standards and Quality Organization, the Saudi Food and Drug Authority, and other entities that impose legal and mandatory requirements in the Saudi market.