Disrupting ISO 9001:2015
There have been many articles in the past few weeks that provided information about disruption and its effect on the transition that many companies must make to ISO 9001:2015. This must be all wrapped up by September 15, 2018. A recent article in ASQ’s Quality Progress magazine[i] is adding fuel to the fire. Let’s take a look at the recently-released ISO 9004:2018.
What is ISO 9004:2015?
The ASQ Quality Progress article provides information on the changes in this document that is sub-titled, “Guidance to Achieve Sustained Success.” The authors state that the changes found in ISO 9001:2018 have severed its ties with ISO 9001.” These ties go back to ISO 9004:1994.
ISO 9004:2018 is now a standalone standard focused on how organizations “can sustain success by implementing all management systems that can support their ability to meet the needs and expectations of all interested parties.” There are more than 30 management system standards that fall in this class.
However, the authors go on to say, “More than that, the current version implies that all these management systems can be integrated into one system that aims to achieve quality at the organizational level, which differs from quality at the production level” (i.e. ISO 9001:2015).
There is More!
ISO 9004:2018 presents a substantially updated maturity matrix that is presented in Appendix A. This “self-assessment” enables process owners and their managers to obtain an in-depth overview of the organization and its current performance. The self-evaluation tool can also be used as a guide for defining additional or different criteria such a those that would support the integrated management system mentioned above. Maturity matrices have been widely used in the quality management field, So these matrices should be very popular.
What About Certification?
Many of the ISO management system standards provide four paths that can be used to assess conformity to a single standard or the requirements of an integrated standard. The organization chooses one of the following paths[ii]:
- Make a self-determination and self-declaration, or
- Seek conformance by parties having an interest in the organization (e.g. customers)
- Seeks confirmation of its self-declaration by a party external to the organization, or
- Seeks certification/registration from a certification body.
The first path is very valuable for demonstrating “continual improvement.” However, a certified Internal Auditor (The IIA), can use the three levels of defense to verify conformance for local and corporate management. They are also certified to provide the governing body and senior management with comprehensive assurance based on the highest level of independence and objectivity within the organization. Internal audit provides assurance on the effectiveness of governance, risk management, and internal controls. Remember that that the new Clause 5 in ISO’s high-level structure makes governance accountable for meeting all of the objectives set by the quality program. ISO 19011:2018 auditor training does not address similar options.
ISO 9004:2018 could become very controversial in the days and months to come. The authors have placed some challenges to those who have made the transition to ISO 9001:2015 and other companies using ISO management system standards. “Facing the continuously and rapidly changing context of the organization, organizations that aim to sustain success must move to a more holistic view of their QMS – from focusing only on product and service quality to the quality of the organization!” What a way to make the summer more interesting!
[i] Sheps, Isaac and L’Eeperance, Pierre (2018). “A Standard’s Evolution: How ISO 9004:2004:2018 Came to be. Quality Progress, August, 2008. http://www.asq.org
[ii] ISO (2015). “Environmental Management Systems: Requirements with guidance for use.” ISO: Geneva Switzerland.
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Robert B. Pojasek, Ph.D.
Harvard University & Pojasek & Associates LLC
Risk Management & Organizational Sustainability
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Expert as environment, health & safety, and sustainability professional with a record of providing leadership, training and operational support to all levels of the organization; Implements new and revised management systems to drive EHS/sustainability program conformance throughout the operation; Integrates organizational systems of management using the ISO harmonized high-level structure; Provides support for organizations implementing sustainability/risk management practices featured in my book.