How Do I Attain Registration or Compliance?
After determining on which requirements standard - ISO 9001, ISO 9002 or ISO 9003 - it should base its quality system, an organization performs two primary tasks:
- The documentation of its business processes in light of the requirements of each of the applicable 20 elements of the ISO 9000 standard.
- The implementation of these documented processes throughout the organization.
Upon completion of these two tasks, the organization then has the option of:
- Contracting with an accredited independent third-party (usually referred to
as a registrar) to obtain registration. This third-party, or registrar, audits
the organization to ensure that:
- The documentation of its business processes meets all the requirements of each of the applicable 20 elements of the ISO 9000 standard.
- Actual business practices in the organization reflect these documented business practices.
- Performing a self-registration audit. The company determines that its quality management system complies with the requirements of the chosen standard (ISO 9001, ISO 9002 or ISO 9003).
In the first instance if the company passes its registration audit the registrar issues a certificate and the company is registered to the appropriate standard. In the second, the company itself simply states that its quality management system is ISO 9001, 9002 or 9003 compliant, as appropriate. The following flowchart demonstrates the process:
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