CONSULTANCY SERVICES

General Management System Standards

Integrated Management System

Introduction

An Integrated Management System (IMS) refers to one system which meets the requirements of two or more standards. A organisation may choose to integrate any combination of management systems. Typically, systems which are integrated include:

• ISO 9001 : Quality Management System
• ISO 14001 : Environmental Management System
• OHSAS 18001 : Occupational Health & Safety Management System
• ISO/TS 16949 : Quality Management System for the Automotive Industry
• HACCP : Food Safety System
• ISO 22000 : Food Safety Management System
• ISO 13485 : Quality Management System for Medical Devices
• ISO/IEC 17025 : Competence of Testing & Calibration Laboratories
• TL 9000 : Telecommunication Management System
• AS 9100 : Quality Management System for the Aerospace Industry
• ISO/PAS 28000 : Security Management System for the Supply Chain
• ISO/IEC 27001 : Information Security Management System
• ISO 20000 : Information Technology - Service Management System

Benefits of Implementation

An Integrated Management System provides uncountable benefits - both tangible and intangible. A typical organisation would enjoy the following:

• easier maintenance of the various management systems by eliminating redundancies in documentation and reduce duplication of efforts by integrating several portfolios and processes together
• when it comes to certification, such a system can be assessed in a single audit, while achieving certification to a number of different standards
• the elimination of multiple audits helps to save time, reduce cost of audit fees and minimize disruptions to the organisation’s business
• with a single system, there is better utilisation of resources, lesser ambiguities and conflicts in responsibilities and priorities, and a more unified focus

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What are the management systems that can be integrated ?

An organisation can choose to integrate any combination of management systems. The common ones include: ISO 9001, ISO 14001, OHSAS 18001, HACCP, ISO/TS 16949, ISO 22000, ISO 13485, ISO/IEC 17025, TL 9000, AS 9100, ISO/PAS 28000, ISO/IEC 27001 and ISO 20000.

Why do we need to integrate the various management systems?

By integrating all the systems into one, the organisation will be able to enjoy many benefits including better utilisation and management of resources, clarity of purpose and responsibilities, and overall improvement of the system.

What are the common areas that can be integrated ?

An organisation can integrate the following processes commonly found in management systems: Document Control, Records Control, Internal Audit, Management Review, Training and the Corrective and Preventive Actions. In so doing, the organisation can combine some of the documentation, reduce the amount of documentation and simplify its document management.

Which certification body can conduct an integrated audit ?

Any Certification Body, which has Auditors from multi-disciplines and experience in the various management systems, will be able to perform the integrated audit upon a client’s request.