What is ISO 9001:2015?

The Quality Management System Standard ISO 9001 has been used by Government Organizations for many years. ISO 9001:2015 has the important addition of ‘service’ which makes its application in government far easier. Typical examples of municipal processes include its role in the social and economic environment and the provision of the community services and processes needed to maintain the work environment. There is then the preparation of development plans and work programmes, the need for transparent internal and external communication processes and also processes to address emergency preparedness and response to crises. These should all include dialogue with internal and external parties for a shared understanding on the municipal issues. ISO 9001:2015 aligns with ISO18091 Guidelines on the application of ISO 9001 in Local Government. Quest brings years of experience with standards to enable you to achieve registration.

How can ISO 9001:2015 help your organization?

ISO 9001:2015 takes you into running your organization as a management system. System thinking enables you to integrate the many processes in a government department and ensure they are linked. Linkage is vital. One of the fundamental principles of system thinking is that a small event at the front end of a system can lead to major consequences at the delivery end. If that event is an incorrect requirement or missing data input, the service delivery result could be disastrous. An integrated Management System significantly reduces the chance of that happening. 

How can Quest Help?

Quest experience in ISO 9001:2015, enables us to work effectively with Government Organizations. Quest support in developing the Leadership Role speeds up the process significantly. We enable you to set measurable objectives in areas such as environmental scan and strategic priorities (clause 4), project performance (clause 8) and risk management (clause 6). The unique Internal Audit approach which Quest follows secures widespread employee involvement in the quality system. Quest developed a Guidebook for Sagamok, First Nations enabling them to share their experience in applying ISO 9001 to their Government with other First Nations. 

Quest Experience in Government

The Quest President was a member of the Working Group which developed ISO 17582 Quality Management for Electoral bodies. A Gap Analysis for Elections Ontario enabled refinement of the relationship with the legislature, the electorate and political parties. Risk points such as back up for returning officers during events were identified. Comprehensive training and consulting support of the Scarborough, Ontario branch of the Human Resources Department (H.R.D.C.) of the Canadian Government enabled the branch to substantially improve client service. The techniques of process mapping, process definition and cycle time reduction, were successfully employed here.

Our other Experience

Our broader experience of standards such as ISO 17582, Electoral Bodies and ISO 18091, Local Government, enables us to address the specific issues of Government. As global leaders in Innovation Management, Quest has been deeply involved in developing ISO 56002, the guidelines on Innovation Management. We bring that innovation experience to the table with all our work in Government, most particularly in the trending of new technology in areas such as Big Data, Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence.