ISO 9001 sets out the criteria for a quality management system and is the only standard that can be certified to (although this is not a requirement).
It can be used by any organization, large or small, regardless of its field of activity. In fact, there are over one million companies and organizations in over 170 countries certified to ISO 9001.
This standard is based on a number of quality management principles including a strong customer focus, the motivation and implication of top management, the process approach and continual improvement. These principles are explained in more detail in ISO’s quality management principles. Using ISO 9001 helps ensure that customers get consistent, good-quality products and services, which in turn brings many business benefits.
| QMP1 | Customer Focus | Organizations are wholly dependent upon their customers and therefore should understand their current and future needs and requirements and should try to exceed their customers’ expectations. |
| QMP2 | Leadership | Leaders establish unity of purpose and direction in an organization. They should create and maintain the internal environment to which people can become fully involved in achieving the organization's short- and long-term objectives. |
| QMP3 | Engagement of People | People at all levels are the heart of any company and their full involvement enables their skills to be used for the organization's benefit. |
| QMP4 | Process Approach | A desired result is achieved more succinctly when activities and related processes are managed as a procedure. |
| QMP5 | Relationship Management | An organization and its external providers (suppliers, contractors, service providers) are interdependent and a mutually beneficial relationship enhances the ability of both to create value. |
| QMP6 | Improvement | The improvement of the organizations complete performance should be a constant objective for the company. |
| QMP7 | Process Approach | Desired objectives are more efficiently achieved based upon the analysis of data and market research. |