Recently, Géolocation has updated its certification ISO 9001:2008 for ISO 9001:2015. The aim of this necessary evolution is to optimize the quality management system as part of our geomatics and surveying services. Indeed, the certification continuously requires to be adjusted as organizations and businesses always have to face new market realities. But nothing is settled! We are subject to annual audits and if any deficiency is identified, corrective measures will have to be presented. Why making efforts to comply with their specifications? What is ISO and where does its popularity come from?
Is ISO an acronym?
Acronyms are so mainly used in the naming of organizations, that intuitively ISO may stand for :
I : International
O : Organization
S : Standardization
IOS for International Organization of Standardization may indeed be the explanation but not completely. In fact, the institution got its inspiration from the greek translation of the word “equal”, isos. So whatever the language, the name ISO doesn’t change. This international and independent organization was officially founded in 1947 and gathers 161 members today, one per country. Since 1949 the head office is established in Genève, Switzerland. Its primary mission is to develop international standards to be integrated into a management system “to ensure the suitability of materials, products, processes and services [1]”.
The range of ISO standards
To date, the organization has developed 22 063 international standards all available on its ISO Store. The certification issued in greater numbers for 2016 remains the ISO 9001 standard, related to quality management. Then comes ISO 14001, a set of standards born from the desire of companies to assume their environmental responsibilities. To name but a few, the ISO / IEC 27001 certification obtains the third position in this ranking. This system covers the management of information security and will eventually integrate privacy protection, a growing concern in the social media age. Given their reputation and their relevance, more customers make it a prerequisite for the granting of some mandates.
Transfer from ISO 9001: 2008 to ISO 9001: 2015
From fall 2018, ISO 9001: 2015 has definitely replaced the 2008 version. But do not worry, its primary aim remains unchanged! The purpose is always to provide products compliant with the requirements and regulations, and thus increase customer satisfaction. To remain effective year after year, this tool must be responsive to the agency expectations and new market realities.
Here is an overview of the improvements brought in the 2015 revision of the standard:
- Integration into the PDCA (Plan-do-check-adjust) process
- Simplified use for service organizations
- Simplified integration with other management standards, such as ISO 14001
- New tools added for managing the risks and opportunities
Always ready to offer outstanding services in geomatics and surveying, Géolocation has completed its transition to fully comply with the latest ISO 9001: 2015 specifications. Géolocation also proudly shares its information on ISNetworld, a platform that facilitates the communication of our safety and quality standards with all our partners and customers.
Bibliography :
[1] ISO, Normes, https://www.iso.org/fr/standards.html
ISO, Le recours aux normes de système de management ISO continue de progresser, par Clare Naden, 4 octobre 2017, https://www.iso.org/fr/news/ref2228.html
ISO, Normes, les normes les plus connues, https://www.iso.org/fr/popular-standards.html
ISO, ISO 9001:2015 vient de sortir !, par Maria Lazarte, 23 septembre 2015 https://www.iso.org/fr/news/2015/09/Ref2002.html