Primetime for Integrated Management Systems

Streamlining your quality certification processes

Imagine going to work, motivated to meet all your goals and deadlines, only to find you need a different computer for each of the applications you use: Microsoft Word on the laptop in your office; the customer database solution on the tower PC in the conference room; and email on the desktop in the building across the street. Inefficient would be a charitable description.

Unfortunately, this type of silo-based behavior is what organizations have faced when being certified to multiple management systems standards.

“Traditionally, the big three certifications are handled separately by different groups within the organization,” says Mickey Jawa, chairman and CEO of SatiStar Corp., referring to ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and ISO 45001 (which will replace OHSAS 18001). “This is despite the fact that 65 percent of the compliance process is the same for each standard, creating a huge and unnecessary amount of redundant activity.”

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Primetime for IMSs

G'day Violet,

Yes, it is true that the 'HLS' has 'standardized' the structure, format, common text and terminology for all ISO Management System Standards (MSS). It is actually very good for any organization should they wish to document their current business systems, processes and procedures.

However, ISO’s HLS “The intended audience for this document is ISO Technical Committees (TC), Subcommittees (SC) and Project Committees (PC) and others that are involved in the development of management system standards.”. It helps us on ISO management system standard working groups ad task forces to develop MSSs. The HLS is not for companies to then document their business systems and expect to be certified. Reference ISO Annex SL 9 "www.iso.org/directives”.

Consolidating the common requirements for all ISO MSS and then as HLS clauses 4.4.1 and 5.1 guide the user, to "integrate these requirements into the organizations business processes". That then helps conform to 6.1 and "identify the risks and opportunities within the organizations business processes" and supports the continual improvement of all business processes.

Integration therefore of multiple ISO MSSs is by consolidating the HLS requirements, as you said, about 65% are 'common' like the 12 March 2018 released ISO 45001:2018. This includes just like other HLS based MSS, many process requirements for internal and external auditors to see as stated in ISO 9001:2015, "a process approach".

Aerospace and Auto sectors have some practical guidance for how a process-based management system could look for both Certification and Transition:

- Aerospace, Defence AS 9100D:2016 https://www.sae.org/iaqg/projects/9110-2016_changes_pres.pdf

- Automotive IATF 16949:2016. Page 8 https://www.tequa.hu/sites/default/files/transitioning-to-iatf-16949-whitepaper_aiag-3.pdf

For Internal Audits to help organizations provide evidence of their business system documented by their processes and not copying the ISO HLS clauses and Requirements as it would be a non-conformance to all the process requirements i.e. interfaces, relationships, inputs-process-outputs, ISO 9002:2017 Internal Audit says "…….As a best practice, organizations should plan and conduct audits according to the requirements of their quality management system, by project or process, rather than by the specific clauses in ISO 9001" and ISO DIS 19011:2017 Auditing Management Systems currently has "…Reviewing the organization’s processes, their sequence and interactions, the identification of functions".

To clarify the ISO process documentation of an organizations' business management system in readiness for an external audit, there are two initiatives underway:

- ISO TC 176 has formed a working group to address the issues arising from organizations using a HLS template as a basis for documenting a single or multiple management system and seek certification and

- The Australian and New Zealand Accreditation Body, they issued the following a Communiqué http://www.jas-anz.org/iso-9001-14001-transitions-update.

ISO is reviewing the 2nd edition for the “Integrated Use of Management System Standards” handbook which it appointed a working group and then a final task force to complete. The international collaboration, IUMSS survey and over 100 case studies, have documented their management systems for integration, by their processes. This will no doubt reduce the volume of documented information and support both internal and external auditors to provide a conforming IMS and business benefit to support all their continual improvement strategies.

Mike