Why is a process approach important for ISO 9001?

In your preparation to getting ISO 9001 certified, you will likely have come across the term ‘process approach’. If you’re a little stumped as to what the process approach is, we’re here to explain what it means and why it’s important for ISO 9001 certification.

What is the process approach?

The process approach is a management strategy which places emphasis on viewing your organisation’s processes as an integrated system.

In other words, you need to understand what each core process is and how it works, but also how they interrelate with each other.

ISO 9001 promotes the process approach, which encourages you to define all the important processes needed to create or deliver your product or service from beginning to end.

Why is the process approach important?

Departments are encouraged to work towards a common goal

As the processes in a project become increasingly interconnected, horizontal management is introduced, and departments are encouraged to see the whole picture. This means department heads aren’t only focused on reaching their own KPIs. Instead, departments are made to understand that they are all responsible for the satisfaction of the customer or client.

Reduces costs and cycle time

With all departments working together under the process approach, you should see increased efficiency as resources are being used more effectively. As a result of this increased efficiency, you should see reduced costs and shorter cycle times. This means you can offer more competitive prices and deliver more in the same space of time.

Improves consistency in your performance

The nature of the process approach encourages consistency in project delivery. This should give your clients more confidence in you as they know exactly what quality of service to expect every time they deal with your organisation.

Improves transparency of department operations within your business

As the process approach relies on knowing how all processes are interrelated, this should naturally increase the transparency of all operations in your organisation. This can help to increase employer trust in the company, as well as increase accountability.

The process approach is important to ISO 9001 as it places an overall focus on all processes in the quality management system. This approach aims to iron out any inefficiencies, making it easier for your organisation to work on continual improvement. The identification of all processes in the system makes it easier to monitor and control how they function, improving your organisation’s overall efficiency.