Astutis Gains ISO 9001 Certification

Astutis is delighted to announce that it is has secured ISO 9001 (1) certification having spent the past year working towards this global quality standard. 

Achieving this quality accreditation has been central to Astutis’ strategy; Operations Director Brenig Moore who has led the project, comments; 

“We recognise the importance of a quality management system to underpin our operations and ensure we consistently provide a successful learning experience to all our customers, wherever they are based”.

More and more organisations of all sizes and industry sectors are working to ISO 9001 benefiting from its principles: 

• A strong customer focus
• The motivation and implication of top management 
• The process approach 
• Continual improvement

ISO health and safety, and environmental management systems constitute a key component of the NEBOSH and IEMA qualifications for which Astutis provides training; therefore integrating quality management principles into the strategy, culture and day to day operations at Astutis should come naturally. 

Planning and Implementing ISO 9001 at Astutis

Brenig Moore, and Operations Consultant/ Health and Safety Trainer Tom Lea, worked closely with Certification Company SGS to enable the staff to meet the standards set by ISO 9001 and secure its accreditation. 

A hands-on approach was adopted to implementing the quality principles across the business. As a chartered health and safety consultant, this was not the first time Brenig has embedded ISO 9001 into an SME so he was fully aware of what was required. As a Director, he was well placed to get buy-in from the management team. The team were trained in what was required for ISO 9001. The necessary ISO documentation had to be developed before implementation took place. 

The Astutis Directors value the importance of employees understanding the benefits of the ISO 9001 requirements and that it is fundamental to what everyone does and not a bureaucratic strait jacket. 

“Some changes were made to how staff worked which was readily adopted as every staff member understood the overall business benefits and improved efficiencies," Bren remarked. Internal audits were carried out by the management team who also benefited from understanding what other functions do in their roles.

At this point, the independent ISO 9001 auditor from SGS carried out the ISO 9001 certification audit. 

Benefits for customers

Astutis’ quality objectives and key performance indicators place customer satisfaction at the heart of what everyone does. Customer feedback enables every staff member and process to look to improve their service. Bren comments, “We strive to offer a superior service measured in our course evaluations, to enable customers to achieve high pass rates and enjoy a positive learning experience.” 

Notes

(1)    ISO 9001 is an internationally recognised quality management system. ISO is the International Organisation for Standardisation an independent, non-governmental membership organisation and the world’s largest developer of voluntary International Standards.