ISO 9001 Training And Requirements

Getting to know those first steps in ISO 9001 will involve training. There are training guides available for those who would like to learn.

ISO 9001 Beginnings

An introduction for any newcomer to ISO 9001 training standards will require getting to know terms. The first one is of course is the most basic of all. The "ISO" in "ISO 9001" stands for "International Organization for Standardization". It does not match exactly because "ISO" is taken from the Greek word "isos", which means "equal". This organization is the world's largest organizer and publisher of international standards and was begun in 1946 from a consortium of 25 countries. The standards are simply documents that contain ISO requirements for the development, manufacture and supply of both products and services. If this is done across many languages it bolsters the world marketplace and allows for more business growth across countries.

More ISO 9001 Training

The number "9001" in the term "ISO 9001" is a reference to a particular standard focused on quality management system. It is the definition of what a quality management system is. The 2008 version is the most current and was released in November of that same year. Audits must use the latest standards of this version to be valid. The last version ( or revision ) was released in 2000 and expired in November of 2009.

Basic Terms and Definitions

It is necessary to understand the idiosyncracies or "language" of the ISO 9001 standards. Any good ISO 9001 training will teach the basic terms in a clear manner. For instance, the term "accreditation body" means a group authorized by a nation's government to grant accreditation to certification brokers. These are also called registrars. A registrar can have more than one accreditation. A multilateral agreement using the International Accreditation Forum ( IAF ) is also available to ensure the uniformity in ISO requirements and its recognizance in other settings, such as in other countries. The term "approval body" means close to the same as "accreditation body" but is applicable to districts or sectors. Automotive sectors will be different from medical sectors or food sectors, for example. An International Automotive Task Force ( IATF ) already exists with oversight boards in the world. There are more groups over the IATF that provide and administer the ISO 9001 standards.

Another group to learn about that is involved in accreditation is called a "certification body". This is an organization that is accredited by other accreditation groups. They are approved based on the registrar's management system and ISO requirements. This is in relation to the other ISO standards, for example, the ISO Guide 62. This level of accreditation grants the power to issue certifications to organizations in other recognized standards. The term "accreditation body", "approval body" and "certification body" can all be grouped under "third party organizations".

ISO Requirements And Standards Nomenclature

There are many acronyms used in the ISO 9001 standard and any ISO 9001 training or ISO requirements would not be complete without them. Here are some examples of a few acronyms and what they stand for. The "IMS" acronym will stand for "Integrated Management System". The acronym "DQMS" stands for "Dual Quality Management System". The term "CMS" stands for Combined Management System". The acronym "EMS" stands for "Environmental Management System". The last, "QMS", stands for "Quality Management System".