In this blog we are going to explore clause 4.2 of the ISO 9001 standard which has some crossover with the previous requirement for context (clause 4.1). External interested parties may be, but equally may not be, highlighted as part of the context analysis.
So, what are and who are interested parties?
At this stage it might be useful to define what an interested party might be. An interested party is:
- A person or organisation that can affect, be affected by, or perceive itself to be affected by a decision or activity.
The “interested parties” clause then suggests that:
- Interested parties relevant to the quality system need to be identified.
- The requirements of these interested parties need to be determined.
- The organisation needs to monitor and review information about the interested parties and their requirements.
But why are they important?
As ISO 9001 “only” gives us the “requirements”, to find out “why” they are important we need to take a peek at ISO 9004. 9004 is essentially a set of guidance notes that are interestingly titled “guidance to achieve sustained success”. Here the emphasis is on building a company with a long term, sustainable future that makes an ongoing and positive contribution to society. No company operates in splendid isolation, so here we begin to define why interested parties are important; ISO 9004 says:
The organisation should determine which interested parties:
- a) are a risk to its sustained success if their relevant needs and expectations are not met
- b) can provide opportunities to enhance its sustained success.
Once the relevant interested parties are determined, the organisation should:
- Identify their relevant needs and expectations, determining the ones that should be addressed;
- Establish the necessary processes to fulfil the needs and expectations of the interested parties.
The 9004 standard goes on to suggest that the organisation should consider how to establish and develop ongoing relationships with interested parties in order to develop a common understanding of objectives, targets and values which might then in turn drive improved performance.
The relative importance of different interested parties
The importance of different interested parties will be different for different companies and sectors. In some highly regulated sectors external interested parties, like the regulators, may well be more important than the owners and shareholders of the business. However, for the most part we are interested in owner managers so we would suggest that you guys (and gals) are the most important interested party. From there we would work through other interested parties in an order where the final interested party was the one we are least interested in.
So, let’s take a look at different interested parties and their needs and expectations – starting with the shareholders!
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The above is just a sample of interested parties and others may include: Utility companies, trade unions, emergency services, charities, young people, NGO’s, advisors, accountants, the public and… oh, and last, but not least, certification bodies themselves!
Understanding the level of risk each interested party poses to an organisation, or indeed any opportunity they may be able to assist you with exploiting (in the nicest possible way) helps you in classify and address their needs.
Conclusion
Clearly interested parties covers a wide range of people and organisations, any one of which can potentially affect your ability to consistently provide products and services that meet customer requirements and, indeed, any statutory and regulatory requirements.
Clause 4.2 of the ISO 9000 standard requires that any organisation review, in detail, the impacts that these interested parties to establish the risk of not complying or indeed any opportunity that can be developed in a way that promotes growth and development.
Related tools and ideas
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