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Pre-assessment is not a required step in the certification process. However, a preliminary review will give the certification body a chance to pinpoint any obvious errors or omissions in your documentation. Clearing up these issues before the formal audit will help you focus your quality system and improve your chances of successfully meeting ISO certification standards.  If you opt to go through with a pre-assessment, you’ll need to provide your chosen certification body with a complete, up-to-date copy of your Quality Management System paperwork. Be aware that the pre-assessment period may add 2-4 weeks to the certification process. On the opening date of your inspection, your registrar will sit down with key company personnel to introduce themselves and briefly discuss the proceedings. They’ll then turn their attention to inspecting your company’s operations and making sure they adhere to the standards detailed in your Quality Management System. Be prepared to offer your assistance any way you can.   You or your employees may be separately interviewed or called upon to explain details of policies and procedures that are central to your operations.  The actual audit is an ongoing process that may take anywhere from days to weeks. The exact length will depend on the complexity of your Quality Management System and the size and organizational structure of your company. Following the audit, the certifying body will send out a detailed audit report by mail. The report will summarize the registrar’s findings throughout the audit and bring to your attention any areas where your company’s practices don’t match the standards listed in your Quality Management System (referred to as “non conformities.”) The registrar may cite two different types of issues—Minor Non-conformities and Major Nonconformities. Make sure your project supervisor, internal auditor, and all other key employees are present when you go over the findings of your audit report. This is a brief document explaining the nature of the issue and articulating the measures needed to correct it. It's primary purpose is to demonstrate to the certifying body that you understand how an oversight fails to live up to ISO standards. Most Minor Nonconformities can be cleared up without the need for additional inspections, and won’t hold up your certification. Minor Nonconformities refer to small procedural errors or instances where policy and practice don’t quite line up, but don’t ultimately impact that quality of your product or service. These citations point to glaring discrepancies in the way your business model is conceived and executed. Coming back from a Major Nonconformity most often involves a series of follow-up inspections, along with the costs associated with fixing the problem from within. Your company or product will not be approved for certification until all Major Nonconformity citations have been reexamined and cleared by the registrar.  Major Nonconformities could also leave you subject to fines or similar penalties if they are discovered to be in violation of the law. If your audit report comes back with more than one Major Nonconformity highlighted, you may need to reconsider the content of your Quality Management System to determine whether it's feasible in its current form. If the registrar is satisfied with their findings, they’ll report back to the certifying body with a recommendation that your company be awarded certification. You’ll then be sent your official certificate. The document will display your level of certification and the exact set of standards you were found to be in compliance with, along with an official stamp from the certifying body.  It may take 2-3 weeks for your certificate to arrive after you’ve gotten word of approval from the certifying body. Your business will also be added to a register of companies with ISO certification, which can be viewed by consumers as well as other businesses.
Submit your Quality Management System documentation for pre-assessment. Pass the external audit. Review your full audit report. Submit a plan of corrective action for resolving Minor Nonconformities. Tighten up your operations to deal with Major Nonconformities. Await your ISO certification.