At the 6th IMS breakfast on the new quality management standard, initial experiences of implementation were exchanged.
Time is running out - companies still have 1.5 years to further develop their quality management system in accordance with the requirements of the revised ISO 9001:2015. It's half-time, as the transition period started in September 2015 and lasts a total of 3 years.
After we provided information about the upcoming revision at the 2nd IMS breakfast in June 2015, the topic was taken up again at the 6th IMS breakfast at the request of the companies. This is because both auditors and companies now have initial experience of implementing the new standard requirements. These are quite demanding, as the companies have to deal with questions of environment and stakeholder analysis, risk and opportunity assessment as well as the management of quality-relevant knowledge.
A very well-founded specialist input on possible and, above all, pragmatic instruments was provided by Martin Sturm, Deputy Professor of Production Engineering, Production Metrology and QM. Sabine Nolting, Quality Management Officer at the Fraunhofer Institute for Organic Electronics, Electron Beam and Plasma Technology FEP in Dresden, gave a very clear insight into how the system changeover was implemented in practice. The FEP was successfully recertified according to the new standard in November 2015, making it one of the first organizations in Germany to do so.
The subsequent discussion with the regional company representatives showed that there is still a great need for knowledge and action in many companies. On the one hand, the standard requirements are quite general and the available range of methods is almost too diverse. On the other hand, many quality management representatives are initially left to their own devices when it comes to system conversion. It is therefore important to share good practice examples of how other companies have organized the changeover process, involved employees and implemented the standard requirements.
In terms of a continuous improvement process, the companies agreed that meeting the demanding standard requirements is a long-term process that does not end with successful recertification, but whose roadmap must be clear.
The IMS breakfast is a series of colloquia that has been held jointly by TÜV-Rheinland Akademie GmbH, Dresden, and the Chair of Integrated Management Systems since 2015 to discuss current issues relating to quality, environmental, energy, occupational health and safety and IT security management systems.
From August 2017, the colloquium series will be supplemented by an IMS training series, which TÜV Rheinland Akademie GmbH Dresden and the Chair of Integrated Management Systems have launched together with the ZWT.
