International standard outlines how to achieve sustained success in organizations of any size or sector

BSI, the business standards company, has published the recently revised international standard, ISO 9004:2018 Quality management – quality of an organization – guidance to achieve sustained success. ISO 9004 provides practical guidance to managers who wish to improve their organization’s overall performance and achieve sustained success.

ISO 9004 provides a framework for proactively building the quality of the organization itself by examining and shaping organizational identity, culture, vision and values. Strategy, leadership, resources and processes are all covered in the standard with guidelines to help deliver lasting results.

The standard has been substantially revised to take into account the fast moving world we operate in, recognizing that success depends on more than just traditional elements such as efficiency and process management, but also such factors as social responsibility, environmental management and, ultimately, reputation.

The standard is applicable to all organizations, from a small start-up to a multi-national, multi-site conglomerate. It goes beyond the idea of quality management for products and services as set out in ISO 9001 and focuses instead on the quality of the organization itself and meeting the needs and expectations of all relevant interested parties, rather than just those of customers.

ISO 9004 includes practical self-assessment tools to assist the user in evaluating where they are now and steps for improvement.

Anne Hayes, Head of Governance and Resilience at BSI, said: “Whole-business thinking and regular self-assessment is critical to achieving long-term success. This edition of ISO 9004 will prove indispensable to those users who strive for organizational excellence.”

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