Don’t Use ‘ISO Certified’ term

Organizations inadvertently use the term ‘ISO Certified’ when they wish to communicate that they have obtained certification to an ISO standard. The fact remains that International Organization for Standardization (ISO) does not perform certification activity. It should be noted that ISO does not assess the conformity of quality management system to ISO 9001:2008 QMS Standard and also ISO does not issue certificate of conformity to ISO 9001:2008 QMS Standard. Certification is carried out by independent certification or registration bodies.

If any organization has obtained Certificate of conformity to ISO 9001:2008 QMS Standard, then it should use ‘ISO 9001:2008 Certified Organization’ or 'ISO 9001:2008 Registered Company' term, not just ‘ISO Certified’ or ‘ISO 9001 Certified’. Please don’t use the term ‘ISO Certified’ or ‘ISO Certification’.

It should be noted that certification to ISO 9001:2008 QMS Standard is a system certification; it is not a certification mark of conformity on products, product labels or product packaging.

Request - Please make your reaction to the write-up. Thanks.

Keshav Ram Singhal

‘Identify processes’ versus ‘Determine processes’

The word ‘identify’ (mentioned in clause 4.1 in ISO 9001:2000 QMS Standard) has been replaced by the word ‘determine’ in the present standard ISO 9001:2008 QMS Standard. Accordingly, as per ISO 9001:2008 QMS Standard, now the organization needs to determine processes needed for the quality management system and their application throughout the organization. ISO 9001:2008 QMS Standard has made the requirement more clearly in meaning.

The changes appeared in ISO 9001:2008 QMS Standard are more editorial improvement. If we look to the intent of the requirements of clause 4.1 in both standards, there has been no change. However, the word ‘identify’ has limited meaning that means ‘to establish the identity’, while the word ‘determine’ means ‘to decide or settle conclusively and authoritatively’, ‘’to give direction to …’.

As people may understand that earlier version of the standard (ISO 9001:2000) wants to establish the identity of processes needed for the quality management system, while the new version (ISO 9001:2008) wants to decide or settle conclusively and authoritatively processes needed for the quality management system and to give direction to such processes.

The difference between ‘identify’ and ‘determine’ appears to be quite large. In identifying processes, just find out and name processes, while in determining processes, it needs to apply some formula or criteria to those processes that may have impact on the quality management system of the organization.

Request - Please make your reaction to the write-up. Thanks.

Keshav Ram Singhal