Businesses that have held ISO certification for several years may be frustrated with the complexity of their daily operations due to over-documented systems, leading them to wonder if there’s a way to streamline and simplify processes.
There are many ways to build lean, low-burden systems, making them more efficient and less burdensome. One effective approach is to integrate the requirements of the ISO standards to cut down on duplication.
Design plays a pivotal role in creating an intuitive system that works seamlessly for both your business and your team.
In this article, we explore a practical approach for building a customised integrated management system that perfectly aligns with your unique needs.
What are integrated management systems?
Integrated management systems combine various aspects of managing an organisation’s operations, quality, environment, safety, and other key elements into one unified system. For example, ISO 45001 (occupational health and safety) and ISO 14001 (environmental) can be integrated to establish a streamlined HSE management system.
The aim is to streamline processes, improve efficiency, and ensure compliance with various standards and regulations.
Integrated management systems serve as a practical solution for organisations seeking a more seamless and efficient approach to management.
The characteristics of successful systems
Successful integrated management systems share several key characteristics:
- User-friendly: Simple and practical to operate and maintain.
- Relevance: Include only relevant and required information.
- Value-added documentation: Limit documentation to what genuinely adds value, reducing unnecessary paperwork.
- Confidentiality: Prioritise security by keeping confidential information under restricted access, safeguarding sensitive data.
- Data efficiency: Information only needs to be entered once into the unified system, minimising redundancy and errors.
- Simple to use: Don’t need excessive IT expertise to install, operate, and support, making them accessible to a wide range of users.
- Adaptability: Flexible and adaptable to meet evolving ISO standard and regulatory requirements, allowing for easy review and change as needed.
These characteristics ensure that your integrated management system is not only effective but also user-friendly and responsive to your business’s changing needs.
Why streamline your systems?
Integrating management systems offers a range of benefits that can positively impact your organisation’s efficiency and reputation. Here are some key reasons to consider integration:
- Establish consistency across all operations: Integration helps ensure that your various management systems, such as quality, environmental, and health and safety, align seamlessly. This consistency simplifies processes and promotes uniformity in how your organisation operates.
- No document duplication: Integrating systems reduces the need for duplicate documents, reducing the risk of errors and saving valuable time and resources. With integrated systems, you can maintain a single source of truth for your documentation.
- Cost and time savings: Streamlining your management systems can lead to cost savings by eliminating busy work and reducing administrative overhead. In addition, the time saved on managing multiple systems can be redirected toward more strategic activities.
- Become a business that people want to work with and in: Integrated management systems demonstrate your commitment to efficiency, quality, and sustainability. This can enhance your reputation, making your business more attractive to customers, partners, and employees.
- Integrated auditing: Conducting audits across integrated systems can be more efficient and effective. It allows for a comprehensive assessment of your organisation’s performance, identifying areas for improvement and ensuring compliance with multiple standards and regulations.
11 steps for successful integrated management systems
- Define the scope: Clearly outline which management systems you intend to integrate.
- Utilise integration tools: Consider using tools to help you integrate the requirements and streamline the process, such as this one for ISO 9001 (Quality Management), ISO 14001 (Environmental Management), and ISO 45001 (Occupational Health and Safety).
- Conduct a gap analysis of your system against the standards: Identify areas of overlap and inconsistencies in the management system design and documentation by completing a gap analysis.
- Design a common framework: Develop a unified framework that includes all policies, procedures, and processes required for managing the integrated management system.
- Address stakeholder needs: Ensure that you incorporate key stakeholder requirements to avoid overlooking critical aspects during integration.
- Develop an integration plan: Define objectives, timelines, and responsibilities to guide the integration process effectively.
- Establish performance metrics: Determine metrics to measure the effectiveness of your integrated management system. Seek input from internal stakeholders, such as managers and employees, to ensure practicality and completeness without excessive documentation.
- Employee training: Train your employees to familiarise them with the changes and their respective roles and responsibilities.
- Implementation: Integrate the policies, procedures, and processes into your daily operations.
- Monitor and measure: Continuously monitor and measure performance using the established metrics.
- Continuous improvement: Identify opportunities for improvement, take corrective action, and implement preventive measures to enhance your integrated management system over time.
Contact us to streamline your management systems
If you’re ready to start working towards integrating numerous ISO standards, get in touch with our team of consultants today. We provide expert guidance every step of the way and take the difficulty out of achieving your certification objectives.
Alternatively, ask about our compliance software, legislative updates, and ISO internal auditing services.