International Organization for Standardisation is referred to as ISO. Business products and services must meet standards in terms of quality, safety, and efficiency set by this independent organization. As the market becomes more competitive, it will become increasingly important to provide high quality goods and services. Business credibility and efficiency are improved by ISO certification.
Pre-Requisite to ISO Certification Process in India
Choosing the type of ISO Certification
In order to get ISO certification for your business, you must first decide what type of ISO certification you need. ISO certifications include the following types:
ISO 9001 2008 – Management of Quality
ISO 14001 – Management of the Environment
ISO 27001 – Security Management (information security)
ISO 22008 – Safety Management in Food.
Choosing an ISO Certification Body
Certification is not provided by ISO itself to the companies. External bodies are responsible for certification. Selecting a credible and recognized certification body is very important. The following factors should be considered when choosing an ISO registrar:
- Providers of ISO certification services should be evaluated.
- Verify that the standards are being followed by CASCO. Conformity assessment is handled by CASCO, an ISO committee.
- Be sure to check its accreditation. While accreditation is not mandatory, ISO Accreditation bodies require them to meet certain requirements.
Process for ISO Certification in India
Create an application /contract
Registrars and applicants should negotiate a contract. Liability, confidentiality, and access rights are usually outlined in a contract that specifies the rights and obligations of both parties.
Quality Documents Review
Various policies and procedures within your organization will be reviewed by the ISO auditor. In order to identify any potential gaps between existing work and ISO standards, the ISO auditor will need to review existing work.
Make an Action Plan
Your organization should prepare an action plan to eliminate existing gaps after the ISO auditor informs you of these gaps. Determine what tasks need to be accomplished in order for the desired changes in your company to be brought about. As you adapt to new procedures, you may need to train your employees to work efficiently. In terms of work efficiency and quality standards, make all employees aware of the ISO standards.
Initial Certification Audit
There are two stages to the initial certification audit.
Stage 1:
As a result of your changes within the organization, the ISO auditor will audit them. Following this, your systems and procedures will be examined for possible non-conformities. These nonconformities will be separated into minor and major nonconformities. By modifying the techniques and processes used by the organization, the applicant can align all these non-conformities to the desired quality standards.
Stage 2:
The ISO auditor performs the final audit after the organization has made all the necessary changes. ISO quality standards provide that all non-conformities must be eliminated before certification can be granted. A final ISO audit report will be written by an ISO auditor and forwarded to the registrar if the audit is successful.
Completing the ISO Certification
ISO certification will be granted once all nonconformities are addressed and the ISO audit report is submitted.
Surveillance Audits
Organizations regularly conduct surveillance audits to ensure that ISO quality standards are being adhered to.
Cost involved in the ISO Certification Process
It varies from organization to organization how much it costs to get ISO certification. According to ISO certification agency guidelines, every organization’s cost of ISO certification is calculated separately based on the following parameters:
- The number of employees
- Procedural Numbers
- Amount of risk associated with an organization’s scope of services
- Managing complex systems
- Hours worked, shifts worked, etc.
Time involved in the ISO Certification Process
Each organization takes a different amount of time to complete ISO certification. After assessing the company’s size, the ISO certification agency can provide a fair idea. ISO certification generally takes the following amount of time:
- Smaller organizations: 6-8 months
- Organizations in the middle : 8-12 months
- A large organization: 12-15 months