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    Implementing an Integrated Management System (IMS): The strategic approach
    Implementing an Integrated Management System (IMS): The strategic approach
    Implementing an Integrated Management System (IMS): The strategic approach
    Ebook79 pages1 hour

    Implementing an Integrated Management System (IMS): The strategic approach

    By Alan Field

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    About this ebook

    Understand how to implement an IMS (integrated management system) and how it can benefit your organisation

    Achieving certification to multiple ISO standards can be time consuming and costly, but an IMS incorporates all of an organisation’s processes and systems so that they are working under – and towards – one set of policies and objectives. 

    This guide discusses the benefits of an IMS, and the strategies you should consider before implementing one. It references a vast number of standards that can be integrated but stresses the need for senior management to lead the implementation.

    Ideal for the c-suite, directors, compliance managers, auditors and trainers, this pocket guide will explain:

    • What an IMS is – even if you have no prior knowledge, this book will help you envisage what an IMS is and how it works;
    • How to develop a strategy for IMS implementation – this guide emphasises the importance of effectively planning your IMS implementation by having objectives set by senior management to encourage a unified approach; and
    • The benefits of an IMS – information on how an IMS can benefit your organisation, e.g. avoiding duplication of effort as management systems are no longer working in silos and reducing the number of audits required.

    Key features:

    • An easy-to-follow introduction to an IMS, and advice on IMS implementation strategies.
    • Discusses the challenges you may face during implementation and how to prepare for and overcome them.
    • Advice on audits and IMS certification.

    Your strategic guide to implementing an IMS – buy this book today to get the help and guidance you need!

    LanguageEnglish
    Publisheritgovernance
    Release dateMay 21, 2019
    ISBN9781787781269
    Implementing an Integrated Management System (IMS): The strategic approach
    Author

    Alan Field

    Alan Field, LL.B (Hons), PgC, MCQI CQP, MIIRSM, AIEMA, GIFireE, GradIOSH is a Chartered Quality Professional, an IRCA Registered Lead Auditor and Member of The Society of Authors. Alan has particular expertise in auditing and third party assessing Anti-bribery Management Systems (ABMS) to BS10500 and counter fraud systems in the public sector to ISO 9001 requirements. Alan has many years’ experience with Quality and Integrated Management Systems in the legal, financial, property services and project management sectors in auditing, assessment and gap analysis roles.

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      Excellent content.Looking forward to more book related to this IMS.

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    Implementing an Integrated Management System (IMS) - Alan Field

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    INTRODUCTION

    This pocket guide is a strategic overview of what an integrated management system (IMS) is, and the leadership implications of implementing one. It explains what an IMS can be and how it can help an organisation achieve its goals, with the key concepts that underpin it.

    What an IMS actually is varies from organisation to organisation, so this pocket guide is aimed at readers who are either interested in or actively involved with achieving what their IMS will become and the strategic decisions to be made.

    The guide is not a detailed discussion of the standards and their requirements that could create an IMS. ITGP produces a number of excellent guides on standards such as ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 14001:2015, which detail what these standards require and how they can be useful to an organisation.

    Like the mythical creature Cerberus, an IMS is often seen as a many-headed beast to confront; in fact, with strategic planning the meeting can be the reverse. Ongoing contact can be a lot friendlier and more positive when the various approaches to, and interpretations of an IMS, are understood upfront.

    A ‘bottom-up’ implementation of an IMS might be possible in some smaller organisations, but with leadership involvement from day one an IMS journey will be more focused. This guide approaches implementation in a leadership-driven way.

    If key planning decisions are not taken at the outset, the IMS journey can become unnecessarily slow or even misdirected. This book not only helps that journey but also – just as importantly – helps interpret needs to be decided upfront.

    This is also why this guide explores the ideas and concepts that an IMS is based upon. This is for two reasons:

    1.All these concepts can be interpreted by each organisation and each leadership team for their own circumstances and goals; and

    2.A lot of the practical issues involved with integrating operational processes are informed by the risk and opportunities-based objectives.

    After all, organisations that have adopted Standards such as ISO 27001:2013 or ISO 9001:2015 are already doing this to a greater and lesser extent, so integration will be more straightforward at every level if these matters are clear from the outset. Shortcuts in the strategic process will usually prove a false promise.

    As figure 1 will show, the number of management systems that can be integrated is almost exhaustive. Many organisations start with ISO 9001:2015 and then integrate it with, say, ISO 14001:2015, but, as we will discuss later, an IMS can develop without ISO standards and there is no minimum or maximum that can be integrated. However, the decision to integrate only some standards might be due to differences in management responsibility or sometimes, areas such as information security, require different risk treatments to say, quality or environmental management.

    In broad terms, risk and opportunities cross both processes and scenarios. While much has been written about how an IMS can reduce bureaucracy and duplication, the real benefit can come from minimising risks and maximising opportunities.

    Also, an IMS isn’t the goal in itself; it is a servant – albeit a very important one – to what the organisation is attempting to achieve be it financial, reputational, ethical or technical objectives or of course, meeting stakeholder expectations.

    What is an IMS?

    In broad terms, an IMS is an integration of all an organisation’s processes and systems working under – and towards – one set of policies and objectives. In other words, risk and opportunities are no longer managed in silos within the organisation, but instead with one unified, or integrated, approach from the leadership team.

    Figure 1: An example of standards that can be incorporated into an IMS

    In reality, an IMS is often an ongoing integration of the management systems that currently support the organisation. Creating an IMS isn’t like flicking a switch. Rarely is it achieved by slavishly sticking to one particular system or approach; it will often be influenced by the good, the bad and occasionally the

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