What are the most valuable parts of ISO 9001:2015?

[QC Dave]

Well, I was informed this am by top management that we are not going to retain our ISO 9001:2015 certification. Keep in mind that only a couple months ago we transferred from 9001:2008 to 9001:2015 after the auditor only finding 3 minor non-conformances. Considering the fact that I've only been a QC Manager for about 1 1/2 years, I think that is pretty darned good! (Not to break my arm patting myself on the back.)

They said that they are not finding any value in it, which is incredibly short-sighted in my opinion. I'm told that there is no potential business to be gained in our industry (reverse logistics and 3PL), so it is not worth keeping.

They do see SOME value in parts of it and they don't want to throw it all away, so they want me to go through ISO 9001:2015 and suggest the most valuable parts of it. While I am NOT HAPPY with this decision, I need the job and am doing my best to roll with the punches.

My question is this. What do you feel are the most valuable parts of ISO 9001:2015?

Thanks in advance.

Respectfully,

QC Dave

 

[AndyN]

Let's begin by separating out 2 key things:

The value of Certification

The value of a defined, documented set of processes and controls (aka a QMS)

Your comments suggest it's the first that your management are "dropping". Probably rightfully so.

Are you sure they know the difference? The value of a QMS significantly outweighs the certification of same!

 

[John Broomfield]

Dave,

Surely top management is not dumping its management system! Let’s presume not. They may feel that their internal controls are strong and constant enough not to pay an external auditor to hold them to account.

Given that they may not be seeing the marketing or customer confidence benefits then your next management review needs to confirm the decision with the necessary safeguards for your organization’s stakeholders.

John

 

[AndyN]

Surely top management is not dumping its management system!

Dave's post seems to support the notion that they are sick of paying for a useless certificate and value-less audits.

 

[John Broomfield]

Dave's post seems to support the notion that they are sick of paying for a useless certificate and value-less audits.

Instead of an external auditor holding them to account...

 

[AndyN]

Instead of an external auditor holding them to account..

It seems so. My guess is the auditor doesn't engage with them and writes up document control or other banal issues...

 

[qualprod]

Well, I was informed this am by top management that we are not going to retain our ISO 9001:2015 certification. Keep in mind that only a couple months ago we transferred from 9001:2008 to 9001:2015 after the auditor only finding 3 minor non-conformances. Considering the fact that I've only been a QC Manager for about 1 1/2 years, I think that is pretty darned good! (Not to break my arm patting myself on the back.)

They said that they are not finding any value in it, which is incredibly short-sighted in my opinion. I'm told that there is no potential business to be gained in our industry (reverse logistics and 3PL), so it is not worth keeping.

They do see SOME value in parts of it and they don't want to throw it all away, so they want me to go through ISO 9001:2015 and suggest the most valuable parts of it. While I am NOT HAPPY with this decision, I need the job and am doing my best to roll with the punches.

My question is this. What do you feel are the most valuable parts of ISO 9001:2015?

Thanks in advance.

Respectfully,

QC Dave

QC
Your boss may be right.
1 Maybe even if you have the certificate, that hasn't been translated in Capturing more clients and money, you have not convinced potential clients with that element.
2 On the other hand, probably the Iso based management hasn't been better that other controls or administration he had in the past.
What industry did before ISO was spreaded widely?, There were other practices to manage the businesses similar in concepts.
My two cents.

 

[Sidney Vianna]

My question is this. What do you feel are the most valuable parts of ISO 9001:2015?

5.1.1.c) the requirements of the quality system to be embedded in the organization business processes. And guess who is responsible for that to happen, according to the standard? They, top management.

Risk # 37: top management does not understand modern quality management.

 

[Ninja]

not going to retain our ISO 9001:2015 certification

What do you feel are the most valuable parts of ISO 9001:2015?

As already stated above...these are two different (highly related) things...

IMO, the only values in the cert are:

1. Customers who would visit to audit do not do so since an outside auditor already did and they are comfortable.​

2. Customers buy from you when they would not do so if you didn't have the cert.​

​

For the QMS...value is everywhere...

If nothing else (and there is plenty else), a QMS gives you a relatively fixed Canon (ref. Hebrew/Greek) to measure your performance to know where you are either missing the mark, or want to improve. Without a fixed reference, things can fray badly without anyone knowing...pointless flailing not knowing which way is up.

...and as I said, there's plenty more value in a decent QMS than that...but a fixed reference is necessary to answer the question "Are we doing well?"

If you haven't defined "Well", there's no way to know...

 

[Randy]

Most valuable parts of ISO 9001:2015? Really good question, I'd venture only those elements from 4.1 to 10.3.

Other than a perceived abbreviation for the International Organization for Standardization, ISO also means "Equal", ISO being derived from the Greek "ISOS" meaning same or equal, so if everything is the same or equal no one part is more valuable than any other.