In December 2021, the International Organisation for Standardisation (the main ISO body) reported over a million valid ISO 9001:2015 certificates awarded to date around the globe. Since then, this number continues to increase year on year for many and varied good reasons. After all, it’s the ‘Rolls Royce’ standard for businesses that are determined to continuously benchmark and improve the quality of their products and / or services.
But there’s one not so small catch… ISO 9001 might just be the most confusing documents in business history!
The good news is that my forthcoming series of articles and accompanying free factsheets are purpose designed to:
- Cut through the jargon
- Debunk the myths
- Make smoother sailing of your journey to certification
So without further ado, let’s dive straight in to ISO 9001 Clause 4.1 – Understanding the Organisation and its Context.
What Does “Understanding the Organisation and its Context” in ISO 9001 Clause 4.1 Mean?
ISO 9001 Clause 4.1 gets you laser-focused on the internal and external issues that are relevant to your business and its strategic direction. So, think of it as taking a good look at what’s going on under the bonnet, in both the internal and external environments.
Essentially, you need to know where your business is currently at. It’s the logical place to start. The thing is, understanding the organisation and its context can be challenging to do impartially. Yet it’s brutal honesty that makes the exercise so valuable.
This is why I suggest starting with the following analyses:
- SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) to review the internal issues
- PESTLE (political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental) analysis to review the external issues
This helps you to uncover the relevant internal and external issues. But its potency depends on honesty and transparency. So, you need to get EVERYTHING on the table at this initial stage of preparation for ISO 9001 Clause 4.1, including but not limited to –
- Internal processes
- Values
- Culture
- Knowledge
- Financial health
- Clients / Customers
- Staff wellness
- Statutory requirements
- Anything and everything that matters to the business
For the record, the standard doesn’t require you to use this method, and documentation isn’t mandatory. But my argument is this – How can you review, monitor, communicate and start interpreting the results if you don’t have anything written down?
On the other hand, the standard does require that the above issues are monitored and reviewed at planned intervals. With that in mind, I’d strongly recommend documenting the review, to prevent it from just becoming hearsay.
How to Monitor and Review for ISO 9001 Clause 4.1
So, we’ve already established that ISO 9001 Clause 4.1 requires the monitoring and reviewing of the information from this process. But what does this mean in real terms?
In a nutshell, it’s keeping close tabs on any changes in the internal and external environments that might influence or change the organisation.
For example, think about how the world is changing. What impact do factors such as world events, supply chain and shifting consumer appetites have on your business? And don’t forget about internal factors and their impacts, too, such as variations to your services.
All monitoring and reviewing needs to be documented. And there’s no better forum for doing this than your management reviews.
Ultimately, the standard requires that any “changes in external and internal issues that are relevant to the quality management system” (ISO 9001:2015, clause 9.3.2b) are considered during the management review. But when all’s said and done, it’s a fast-paced world and the business environment shifts at breakneck rate. So, you might choose to review this on a more frequent basis to stay ahead of the game and avoid any gaping holes.
Summary
Let’s quickly recap the four fundamental steps of ISO 9001 Clause 4.1 – Understanding the Organisation and its Context –
- Complete the exercise honestly – nothing is off limits
- Examine both the internal and external environments
- Document the review (as mentioned previously, this isn’t a requirement of the standard, but it makes the process a whole lot more sustainable)
- Monitor and review the information
And beyond everything, cast your net wide when you’re completing a review. This is key to building solid foundations for your quality management system.
Next Steps
Found this article useful?
You won’t want to miss our accompanying free factsheet, which includes –
- Example questions to raise when understanding the organisation and its context
- Example SWOT and PESTLE analysis
You can download this invaluable free resource here.
And if you need any help or advice as you develop and evolve your management system, I’m here for you. Simply give me a call or drop me a note.
