Integrated Management Systems
In today’s complex business environment, organisations frequently need to focus on new issues beyond quality management. Energy efficiency, the environment, occupational health and safety information, cyber security, and many other topics can prompt organsiations to take a structured, holistic approach by implementing integrated management systems.
What is an integrated management system?
To meet the growing regulatory, societal, and business demands the range of management standards emanating from the ISO and other standards bodies has ballooned in recent years. The ISO alone now offers more the 30 management system standards. Some are applicable to almost any organisation, while others are industry specific.
When embarking on the road to implementing a management system in line with an ISO standard, most organisations begin with an integrated quality management system in accordance with ISO 9001. Later, they may consider standards such as environmental (ISO 14001), organisational health and safety (ISO 45001), and energy management (ISO 50001).
In this digital era, the implementation of an information security management system (ISO 27001) aimed at preventing cyber-crimes and business recovery after a cyberattack, could also be of relevance and value. These standards are the cornerstones of ESG, and as a result, an Integrated Management System covering the aforementioned, these would truly highlight an organisation's commitment to ESG.
While it is possible for each of these systems to exist in isolation, far greater value for the organisation is derived when implementing an integrated management system. Essentially combining all aspects of an organiaation's systems, processes, and standards into one coherent system. This allows for a more efficient management process - reducing duplication and ensuring that different standards and overlapping requirements are aligned and working in harmony.
The ISO has facilitated the implementation of integrated management systems by enforcing a common harmonised structure for all their management system standards. This means they use the same clause structure and similar core content in addition to topic specific requirements. This common structure helps improve the alignment of different ISO standards by means of a cross-standard structure, which in turn facilitates implementation for users.
A handbook entitled ‘The integrated use of management system standards’ is available from the ISO. It brings together international expertise and best-practice guidance on integrating management system standards. It features illustrations as applied in real-world organisational contexts and relevant case studies, all of which can be applied to all kinds of sectors and industries.
Types of integrated management systems
An organisations' Integrated Management Systems can vary depending on the standards they incorporate. The integration of these systems allows for a more cohesive approach to managing an organsation's diverse aspects. Some examples of the types of individual management systems that can be combined into an integrated system include:
Quality Management System (QMS)
A Quality Management System (QMS) integrates the principles of quality control and assurance across all departments, ensuring consistent quality in products and services.
Environmental Management System (EMS)
An Environmental Management System (EMS) focuses on reducing environmental impact and ensuring compliance with environmental regulations.
Occupational Health and Safety Management System (OHSMS)
An Occupational Health and Safety Management (OHSMS) aims to minimise risks and enhance employee safety in the workplace.
Information Security Management System (ISMS)
An Information Security Management System (ISMS) aims to minimise cybersecurity risks and enhance IT security and privacy protection.
Energy Efficiency Management System (EnMS)
An Energy Management (EnMS) aims to assist organisations manage their energy related aspects and to achieve improvement in their energy performance, e.g. such as reducing energy consumption and improving energy efficiency. Other positive effects can be reduced costs and reduced carbon emission.
This is by no means an exhaustive list as there is also sector specific standards available such as food safety management (ISO 22000). It is even possible for an integrated management system to cover systems from different standard bodies.
Benefits of an integrated management system: why is it important?
An IMS allows for a more structured, comprehensive approach to manage the complex issues organisations frequently face. An IMS offers numerous other benefits, including improved efficiency, reduced costs, and enhanced performance. Moreover, it simplifies compliance with various standards and facilitates continuous improvement, leading to better decision-making and strategic planning.
An example of this is the possibility to adopt IMS audits rather than audit each separate system individually, both for internal audits as well as for external third-party audits. An IMS audit can lower certification costs and provide a more holistic approach to auditing and thereby adding value.
Another benefit of an IMS is that it allows the organisation to gain a better understanding of the relationship between processes, and product and service development. This alone can create an environment where improvements to products and services can be adopted at a quicker and more frequent cadence.
Management integration and certification
The ISO has not developed a specific standard for integrated management systems. Following a successful integrated certification audit, separate certificates are normally issued for each individual standard where compliance with requirements has been verified. As an integrated audit must cover the requirements of multiple standards, it is typically more extensive than an audit for a single standard. However, as many of the requirements have been combined, also due to the common harmonised structure, there will be an overall time saving. How large this might be will of course depend upon the number of standards in the IMS.
Certification of the various ISO standards that might be included in an IMS demonstrates an organisation's commitment to meeting these standards and enhancing its reputation and competitiveness.
