ISO 9004 was finally published on the 30th October 2009. As mentioned in previous blogs, the revised ISO 9004 departs significantly from ISO 9001 and the standards are no longer considered a ‘consistent pair’. The title for ISO 9004 is ‘Managing for the sustained success of an organization—A quality management approach’ – also a significant difference.
So what is in ISO 9004:2009?
The standard includes quality management as a concept but also deals with concepts including Organisational Learning, Customer Relationship Management, Innovation Management, Investment Management, Financial Management, Risk Management, Human Resources and Ecology.
Sustainability – what is it?
Sustainability of an organisation is now becoming a key issue for the economic community at large – there is even a Dow Jones sustainability index – so this is a genuine attempt to take quality management well and truly into the board room. There is also a project now underway to list the top 100 sustainable companies. Just go to The Global 100 for more information.
9004:2009 – why bother there is no certification available…
So why should we bother with the new ISO 9004, after all it’s not a certifiable standard and sustainability something to do with ISO 14001:2004 right?
Well not quite – ISO 9004 is referring to overall business sustainability and in reality providing a structure and frame work to make sure that your business is around in the next few years and that your organisation can responds to any changes that may occur.
But the new ISO 9004 is more than just a benchmark for your own organisation; the standard is focused on your organisation as part of a larger supply chain.
Although many supplier assurance audits are contractual and maybe even based on ISO 9001 compliance, street wise organisations also look at financial stability, the organisations ability to grow , environmental management and health & safety risks as an overall picture of potential new suppliers.
So best practice yes, but with the inclusion of a self assessment tool could ISO 9004:2009 make it out of the Quality Managers office and into the organisation at large? Only time will tell.