Today’s blog is going to take a deeper dive into clause 4.2 of the ISO standards – 4.2 Understanding the needs and expectations of interested parties (aka stakeholders – why the change in terminology we aren’t sure but perhaps being interested in a party has more appeal than holding a steak!). Note: a sample/template Interested Parties Register is available by clicking 4.2 Interested Parties Register.
This clause has solidified its place in the ISO standards and is featured in (but is not limited to) the following standards:
It is interesting that this clause is featured so prominently, at the beginning of the standards right in between 4.1 Organisational Context and 4.3 Scope. No doubt the assumption is that in order to develop the management system to satisfy all parties and fulfill all requirements, an organisation must first determine who those parties are, and define their needs and expectations. Once this has been done, the outcome of the management system must appropriately fulfill the needs and expectations as documented.
What does clause 4.2 Understanding the needs and expectations of interested parties require?
Across all of the standards listed above the very first requirement under 4.2a is to determine the interested parties that are relevant to the management system – the people, companies, organisations, authorities, and groups that interface with the organisation. Pretty straight forward – who are they? This information is usually gathered through cross-functional brainstorming, with actual interested parties varying based on the context of the organization and the scope of activities.
Typically the interested parties include:
Certification Bodies
Shareholders / Owners
Management
Employees
Suppliers and Subcontractors
Partners
Clients
Competitors
Government agencies
Finance
Insurance
Emergency Services
Landlords
Neighbours
Members of Public
Unions
Utilities and Service Providers
Media
Regulators
any other person or organization interested in the organisation
Now that you have a list of the interested parties applicable to the organisation, you are in a position to define clause 4.2b the relevant needs and expectations (requirements) of these interested parties.
Next to each interested party clearly define what their requirements are – what are their needs (what must we do for them?) and what are their expectations (what are they expecting of us?).
Following this, we recommend reviewing the needs and expectations as documented to determine which of these is currently, or could become a legal requirement. This requirement is not consistent through the ISO standards above however it does feature in most and follows best practice. Many of the standards above also include specific requirements related to the context of the standard ie ISO 55001 Asset Management requires the identification of stakeholder requirements to record information relevant to asset management. These requirements must also be addressed when developing your Interested Parties Register.
What then?
Once the Interested Parties Register has been developed, you may like to use the information as an input when developing SMARTER Quality Objectives – defining what performance targets and results are necessary to deliver to meet the needs and expectations of relevant interested parties.
The Interested Parties Register should also be taken into consideration during the development of the Strategic Plan and risk management framework, with risks of not meeting the needs and expectations and include in the Quality Risk Register (along with controls – mitigation strategies etc) if applicable.
Set and forget?
Definitely not- clause 4.2 Understanding the needs and expectations of interested parties requires the information related to interested parties is monitored and reviewed, with an implication that they will be maintained and current. Based on this we recommend a review of interested parties as a standing agenda item at Management Review Meetings. Additionally, interested parties could also be reviewed as part of 6.3 Planning of Changes to ensure changes do not have an adverse effect on interested parties, or the introduction of interested parties into the framework as a result of the changes.
How Streamline can help
Streamline ISO Consultants can design, develop and implement a certification-ready Quality Management System from the ground up to meet ISO 9001 requirements. If you already have an existing management system in place we will help you integrate ISO 9001:2015 into your current management system (eg ISO 45001 Safety or ISO 14001 Environmental) to form an Integrated Management System (IMS).
Our trained and experienced ISO Consultants have a 100% track record achieving certification for our clients and we guarantee your ISO 9001:2015 quality management system will get certified by a JAS-ANZ accredited Certification Body.
Contact Us Today
If you’d like more information, or to request a Quick Quote please use the form to the right and one of our consultants will contact you within one business day. Alternatively, you are welcome to contact us directly by phone or by emailing hello@streamline.business.
Why should local governments consider ISO 9001 and ISO 18091?
This article investigates the requirements and applicability of ISO and ISO 18091 to Local Government Quality Management Systems and the standards can provide a roadmap for comprehensive organisation and provide empowerment to local governments to take action and provide a high level of service delivery.
Traditionally government institutions have not been held to the same performance benchmarks as the private sector which has lead to inefficient and costly service delivery. On top of this, the nature of government means the senior leadership frequently changes – “Mobility of top management“ which is one of Deming’s seven deadly diseases of management (Deming 1982 ‘Out of the Crisis’ Chapter 3). Modern ratepayers have an expectation that the money they pay in rates is used efficiently to deliver timely and effective services.
How Quality Management Systems can help Local Governments
ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 18091:2019 provide a framework to ensure local government quality management systems address:
Training, competency, and knowledge of personnel,
Process formalisation and optimisation,
Customer focus including complaints and compliments,
Risk management including all aspects of identification, analysis, evaluation, treatment, implementation, communication, monitoring and reporting,
Fraud and corruption control framework including policies, procedures and Quality Objectives,
Strategic planning including goals and supporting objectives,
Senior leadership change management, and
Corrective action and continual improvement,
Note: due to the risks facing local government, we recommend the Quality Management System is developed in alignment with AS 8001:2008 Fraud and corruption control and ISO 31000:2018 Risk Management.
Summary
Certification to ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management Systems demonstrates local governments are committed to efficiently delivering the best possible services to their ratepayers and community, and that they have robust systems in place to provide a framework for managing changes in management, addressing risk and facilitating continual improvement.
How Streamline can help
Streamline ISO Consultants can help local governments by providing consultancy services to help design, implement and internally audit a Quality Management System to comply with ISO 9001 Quality Management Systems.
Our trained and experienced consultants have a 100% track record achieving certification for our clients and we guarantee your ISO 9001:2015 quality management system will get certified by a JAS-ANZ accredited Certification Body.
Contact Us Today
If you’d like more information, or to request a Quick Quote please use the form to the right and one of our consultants will contact you within one business day. Alternatively, you are welcome to contact us directly by emailing hello@streamline.business or by calling:
Brisbane 07 3667 8280
Sydney 02 8315 7780
Melbourne 03 9034 3990
We look forward to hearing from you and answering any questions you may have.
If you’re thinking about ISO 9001 certification then you are probably considering whether or not to engage an ISO 9001 Consultant to help develop, implement and internally audit the Quality Management System. Do you really need help?
The answer is as follows:
If you have in-house resources with the relevant experience and competence to build a best practice management system to meet the requirements of ISO 9001:2015 then there is every chance you may not need to engage an ISO Consultant to help build your management system. You could simply engage a Certification Body to undertake a Stage 1 documentation audit and then review and action the findings prior to moving on to Stage 2.
If, on the other hand, you want a fully documented, best practice management system, that has been developed in alignment with your existing business processes (making the standard work for the business instead of the business working to the standard) AND a guarantee that you will be certified first time, every time, then you should engage the services of an experienced, qualified ISO 9001 Consultant.
Remember: ISO 9001 provides a framework for continual improvement, and badly designed Quality Management Systems can introduce excessive administrative overheads (for example extra processes, a barrage of unnecessary forms etc) that act like a hand-brake on the business – definitely not an improvement.
10 key requirements to check for when choosing an ISO 9001 Consultant
Engaging an ISO 9001 Consultant can mean a significant financial and time investment for your business, so it is important to choose the right one. Check the ten key requirements below before signing off on any proposals or contracts.
ISO Consultant decision time frame: 5 days.
The ten key requirements to check before you engage an ISO 9001 Consultant
ISO Certification – do they actually hold ISO 9001 certification themselves?
Ensure they are certified by a JAS-ANZ Accredited Certification Body
ISO Certification Consultant qualifications
Have they completed any formal training and are they qualified to be offering consultancy services?
Industry experience – how long have they been consulting for?
What industries have they consulted to previously?
Experience designing management systems to businesses of your size
Small, medium, large and enterprise Quality Management Systems can look very different.
Knowledge of lean methods
Ensure the developed ISO management system improves business performance and does not stifle it.
Insurances – Professional Indemnity and Public Liability
Do they hold Public Liability and Professional indemnity insurance?
Client Referrals
Do they have an extensive list of satisfied, repeat and long-term clients that are happy to provide glowing testimonials?
Certification Body Referrals
Can a number of JAS-ANZ accredited certification bodies attest to the quality of the management systems and consultancy services offered?
Time in the industry
How long have they been in business (beware of fly-by-nighters)?
Understanding of technology
Are they able to set up the management system using cloud-based software solutions or tailor the management system to align with your existing software platforms?
For a free downloadable ISO Consultant Checklist CLICK HERE
What to watch out for when choosing an ISO 9001 Consultant
ISO 9001 Consultants that have worked in a “Quality” or “Safety” role within a large organisation. This does not necessarily mean they are able to design a good small to medium business Management System. In fact, sometimes this results in a rebadged, overweight quality management system that the small business will struggle to support.
If an ISO consultant insists you choose a specific certification body then alarm bells should start ringing. This may mean that the consultant and the Certification Body have some sort of financial relationship or dependency which can result in a number of conflict of interest issues including:
the system might be deficient and the ISO 9001 audit could be completed softly due to the relationship between consultant and auditor (a problem that may not present now but may cause problems if/when you change Certification Bodies), or
you may be paying too much for the Certification Body audit.
Always make sure:
you choose a JAS-ANZ accredited Certification Body (we recommend obtaining a few proposals – SEE HERE for more information),
you aren’t locked into a specific Certification Body just because you engage an ISO consultant.
How Streamline can help
Streamline ISO 9001 Consultants can design, develop and implement a certification-ready Quality Management System from the ground up to meet ISO 9001 requirements. If you already have an existing management system in place we will help you integrate ISO 9001:2015 into your current management system (eg ISO 45001 Safety or ISO 14001 Environmental) to form an Integrated Management System (IMS).
Our trained and experienced ISO Certification Consultants have a 100% track record achieving certification for our clients and we guarantee your ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System will get certified by a JAS-ANZ accredited Certification Body.
Streamline ISO Certification Consultants can also help develop, implement and internally audit other ISO Management Systems such as:
Please use the form to the right and one of our ISO Consultants will contact you within one business day. Alternatively, you are welcome to contact us directly by emailing hello@streamline.business or by calling:
