ISO 9001:2000 Certified

In our continued endeavour to provide clients with effective and sophisticated financial management solutions, Locumsgroup has been granted an ISO 9001: 2000 Certification by SAI Global, an accredited Australian member of ISO (International Organisation for Standardisation).

What is ISO?

Head-quartered in Geneva, ISO is a worldwide federation of national standard bodies who provides benchmark reference for quality management systems in B2B dealings. It is responsible for creating standard for each member country. The objective of setting up this body is to encourage the formulation and practice of international standard. The creation of ISO 9000 standard is designed to ensure that the quality of products and services offered by the member countries are globally recognized and accepted.

What is ISO 9000 – Quality Management Systems?

Initially published in 1979, ISO 9000 has been being implemented by a large number of commercial organisations as the highest quality management tool. Before achieving ISO recognition, an organisation has to establish quality management systems and procedures as specified in the standard.

For the latest 2000 revisions, the ISO 9000 series of standards consist of:

• ◊ ISO 9000, which sets out the concepts, principles, fundamentals and vocabulary of quality management systems,
• ◊ ISO 9001, which sets out the requirements to be met for quality assurance management system, and
• ◊ ISO 9004, which provides guidance for improving the performance of the quality management system.

The ISO 9001: 2000 — Quality Management Systems give a guideline on how to establish, document and maintain an effective quality management system. This enables an organisation to demonstrate to its customers that it recognises and emphasises the importance of quality.

Success and Failure Factors in Implementing ISO 9000

There is a general trend for organisations to be resistant to change. Culturally, there can be negative associations to the idea of instant change. A common misconception when any ISO 9000 project is implemented is that it will change the organisation's entire operating procedures. This is not the case. Changes occur only where systems or documentary deficiencies are identified. Rectification and changes are then implemented.

To overcome this initial impediment, Locumsgroup has shown total commitment in carrying out its quality assurance exercise. As a result, during the time of design and implementation of ISO-based quality management systems within the organisation, there has been good co-operation and teamwork among each division and all of the staff.

ISO 9001: 2000 Accreditation

Locumsgroup gained an ISO 9000: 2001 Accreditation by SAI Global on 18th November 2004 after passing a final audit from the ISO independent expert ( SAI Global) in the certification assessment.

This certification shows the capability of Locumsgroup to provide products and services with the quality that is globally recognised and accepted.

The Sustainability of ISO 9001: 2000 Accreditation

Our commitment towards quality improvement will continue. Locumsgroup's ongoing business plan contains the commitment to deploy quality improvement as a continuous process of Total Quality Management. This includes internal quality audits on a periodic basis in the years following successful accreditation as required by the ISO Standard.

Conclusion

Locumsgroup is totally committed to providing competitive mortgage products, financial management advice, and taxation and accounting services to its clients. In an era of competition where importance is based on quality, achieving ISO 9000 certification will demonstrate Locumsgroup's capability to compete on the same basis as larger, less flexible organisations.