Management Systems – Important Cogwheels for Success

Quality, environment, energy, occupational health and safety – the demands on companies are not diminishing. Management systems help to deal with these issues effectively and in a structured manner. Each of these systems is a valuable management tool in its own right. However, those who operate the individual management systems in isolation risk their effectiveness and success.

The individual management systems could be compared to cogwheels: If they turn completely independently of each other, each one has an effect. However, they do not generate a joint benefit. Every effort ensures that only one of them turns. The cogwheels are therefore not connected to each other, they are not interlocked.

In this case, an Integrated Management System (IMS) ensures that the various wheels are dovetailed. It enables companies to make better use of the interfaces between the various systems and also increase the transparency and efficiency of their processes. As a result, the Integrated Management System can save time and money and minimize risks – to name just a few of the advantages of an IMS.

The starting point for the IMS is often a quality management system (QMS) in accordance with ISO 9001, one of the international management system standards published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). It defines requirements for quality management systems that ensure the quality of products and services and increase customer satisfaction through continuous improvement.

In principle, organizations can also introduce management systems without being certified according to a standard – however, many use one of the ISO standards for this purpose. Accordingly, no management system standard has more users worldwide than ISO 9001. Because numerous companies and other organizations around the globe are already certified accordingly, they consider the QMS to be the starting point for their Integrated Management System: by integrating other management systems step by step, they gradually create an effective, living IMS.

One of these systems – and one that is becoming increasingly important – can be the environmental management system (EMS). Its requirements are set out in ISO 14001. It forms the framework for the company's environmental policy and corporate environmental protection measures. The EMS helps organizations to set and achieve environmental protection targets and thus operate more sustainably.

ISO 50001, which regulates the requirements for energy management systems (EnMS), can also be seen in the context of the environment. This concerns the appropriate use of energy as an important resource and the improvement of the organization's energy balance, which also contributes to environmental protection.

The requirements for an information security management system (ISMS) are covered by ISO 27001, which focuses on the protection of confidential or critical information. The ISO standard helps organizations to establish suitable protective measures, such as security controls, to minimize risks associated with information processing, such as cybercrime.

Another safety issue that an Integrated Management System can address is occupational safety: ISO 45001 formulates requirements for a management occupational health and safety management system (OHSMS). The OHSMS is intended to help organizations prevent injuries and illnesses in the workplace by identifying and eliminating hazards and minimizing risks.

All of the standards mentioned have a few things in common that make integration easier: Firstly, they are not aimed exclusively at companies, but at all organizations that want to improve their performance in the respective area – regardless of their size and type and regardless of the products or services they offer. Accordingly, they do not contain specific success criteria for the respective subject area, but help organizations to define and achieve these themselves and to continue to improve.

Secondly, a uniform structure facilitates the integration of the various management systems: since the introduction of the High Level Structure in 2012, the ISO management system standards have each been given ten uniform chapters based on the PDCA cycle (Plan-Do-Check-Act). Its successor, the Harmonized Structure introduced in 2021, has adopted these core elements.

The management system standards described are only a selection of the most frequently implemented standards worldwide. In addition, there are often industry-specific standards from other standardization organizations that exist in parallel. Requirements outside of management system standards can also play an important role.

A variety of requirements for which an Integrated Management System forms the decisive interface. It not only ensures that all the gears move together optimally, but also helps to better master the challenges of the present and the future.