Home International ISO standards – general approach
The word ISO is formed from Greek word “isos”, that means «equal», which serves as prefix iso- and can be met mostly in terminology, for instance «isometry» (equlity of measures) and «isonomy» (equality of law).
The name «ISO» is used all over the world for the definition of «International Organization for Standardization». ISO was established in 1947, it is non-government organization and uses consultative status of UNO. The main goal of ISO is development of standardization and relative activities worldwide.
The key element of ISO standards is their generic approach towards management systems.
Generic means that the same standard can be applied to any organization, large or small, whatever its product or service, in any sector of activity, and whether it is a business enterprise, a public administration, or a government department.
Management system
Management system refers to what the organization does to manage its processes, or activities, so that its products or services meet the objectives it has set itself, such as:
- satisfying the customer's quality requirements,
- complying with regulations, or
- meeting environmental objectives.
Management system standards
Management system standards provide a model to follow in setting up and operating a management system. This model incorporates the features on which experts in the field have reached a consensus as being the international state of the art.
Plan – Do – Check – Act
The Plan – Do – Check – Act (PDCA) cycle is the operating principle of ISO's management system standards.
Plan – establish objectives and make plans (analyze your organization's situation, establish your overall objectives and set your interim targets, and develop plans to achieve them).
Do – implement your plans (do what you planned to).
Check – measure your results (measure/monitor how far your actual achievements meet your planned objectives).
Act – correct and improve your plans and how you put them into practice (correct and learn from your mistakes to improve your plans in order to achieve better results next time).
Application for commercial offer Declaration request for preliminary assessment / certification Annex to Declaration-Request for multi-sites organizations
