FAQ

The essential prerequisite for certification is an independent, impartial and objective assessment by a competent third party, such as DQS.

In the context of certification, the certification audit is always part of a certification process that is designed to last. This involves a full-scale system audit and system monitoring, which covers at least three years.

In the actual certification audit, our auditors check conformity with specific standards or sets of rules, usually on-site at the client’s location. In exceptional cases, certification can also be partially carried out, replaced or supplemented by remote audits (not on-site).

Usually, a certification audit ends with an audit report documenting the results of the audit. Once conformity has been established and confirmed by the DQS certification board, this is officially acknowledged with a document – the certificate. Both the scope and the validity period of the certification are noted on the certificate.

Both system and product certifications are relevant to DQS ‘ field of activity. The former are usually certifications of management systems according to recognized standards, industry specifications and technical rules. In addition, there are various audits in special areas such as process audits, supplier audits, mystery audits, etc., where usually no certificates are issued. Instead, customers receive confirmations or reports.

ISO standards concerning management systems are often known in companies by their numbering, first and foremost the quality management standard ISO 9001. Since 2012, all ISO management system standards have gradually been converted to a common basic structure, the High-Level Structure, which simplifies both the implementation and the auditing and certification of integrated management systems.

The following management system standards are the most widely used worldwide:

ISO 9001 – Quality Management

ISO 13485 – Medical devices

ISO 14001 – Environmental management

ISO 15378 – Primary packaging materials for pharmaceuticals

ISO 22000 – Food and feed safety

ISO 26000 – Sustainability management

ISO 27001 – Information security

ISO 45001 – Occupational health and safety

ISO 50001 – Energy management

Any company or organization that has introduced a management system in accordance with a certifiable standard, specification or technical rule can have it audited or certified by an approved (accredited) certification body in accordance with the requirements specified in that document. The size, type or industry of the company are irrelevant.

Certification is always useful and beneficial for a company when the effectiveness and efficiency of its management system, processes or products are to be guaranteed in the long term.

Certification of a management system by an independent third party such as DQS has many advantages that go far beyond mere confirmation of conformity with the requirements of a standard. A certified management system helps you to permanently improve your competitiveness and ultimately your business success. With an ISO certification, you show your customers, competitors, suppliers, employees and investors that you apply recognized standard procedures. And you demonstrate that your company is managed efficiently for the long term.

The regular certification process, from the certification audit and subsequent annual monitoring to recertification, promotes a sense of responsibility, commitment and motivation among employees, which leads to an overall increase in performance within the company.

Certification gives companies the opportunity to improve their market position. For example, an ISO-certified quality management system (ISO 9001) allows a company to demonstrate its high-quality standards with a certificate. Furthermore, certification can provide additional security in the area of product liability, as the certificate serves as proof that products are manufactured according to a certified process, among other things.

But companies can also benefit from certification internally, as the entire certification process reveals potential weaknesses that can be remedied. In addition, all employees are encouraged to adhere to the specified standards when certification is in place.

Other advantages at a glance:

Holistic, neutral view from the outside on people, processes, systems or products and results

A high degree of certainty in decision-making due to high-impulse audits

Certainty about the effectiveness of processes for leadership and improvement  

Internationally recognized certificate as proof of performance

Improved image and competitiveness

In addition to the value that certification has externally as a signal of full compliance with certain requirements of standards, specifications or technical rules, the external audits along the entire certification process also act as a valuable impetus internally.

Companies and organizations of all kinds, be they industrial enterprises, skilled trades, service providers or public authorities – all benefit from the innovative power of our audits, which provide top management and the entire executive team with certainty about the effectiveness of processes for leadership and change, and reveal where a company’s strengths lie. This knowledge allows products, services, sustainability or safety aspects to be improved in a targeted manner and adapted to customer requirements.

An external certification audit protects against blind spots. To this end, we take into account the individual situation of each organization: The company-specific goals, the special processes, the complexity of the business activity, different levels of maturity, and individual needs. And when a certification audit is accompanied by a certificate, it also paves the way to new supplier relationships and markets.

Since certifications always take place in line with a standard, a specification, a technical rule or other requirements, the respective requirements must already be implemented in the management system, and use. If it is determined during the assessment that this is fully the case and no other reservations apply, the responsible DQS board will issue a recommendation for certification.

Companies seeking certification should ensure that the requirements of the underlying regulations are largely met. This should be done via internal audits by trained auditors in the run-up to the actual certification audit. DQS also offers our customers corresponding pre-audits, GAP analyses or delta audits if required.

If a company wants to have its management system certified according to a certain standard, it must have the conformity with the requirements of this standard determined by an independent third party.

Depending on the scope of the management system to be certified, and individual processes or products to be certified, the audit days are agreed upon with the certification body. For certification according to certain management system standards, for example, ISO 9001, there are fixed specifications by the International Accreditation Forum (IAF), based on the number of employees.

The time required for a certification audit therefore varies greatly: In small organizations, an auditor may be able to arrive at an assessment result within a day. For large, international customers of DQS, teams of ten or more auditors and experts may be on site for several weeks.

Often, a so-called “pre-audit” takes place first. This can serve as an initial performance assessment or diagnosis to identify strengths and potential for improvement. If discrepancies or weaknesses are identified there, corrective measures should be planned and implemented within a certain period of time.

If the pre-audit leads to a favourable result, the certification audit can take place. As soon as the audit report confirms conformity with the underlying requirements, you receive the certificate. A certification is always valid for a limited period of time. Before it expires, a re-certification can be performed to reconfirm compliance and renew the certification.

The costs of certification cannot be quantified across the board. Among other things, they depend on the size of the organization, the number of employees, the locations to be audited, and the complexity and type of management system. The standard(s) on which certification is based can also influence the costs. Contact us and we will be happy to provide you with a quote that takes your individual goals into account.

Certification bodies should be accredited to perform conformity assessments in order to prove their professional competence, for example by the German Accreditation Authority (DAkkS), the ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB), the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS), or other national accreditation bodies.  Accreditations and authorizations also make a decisive contribution to ensuring the international comparability and recognition of certificates.

Certificates issued in accordance with an ISO management system standard are generally valid for three years. The certification process, which proceeds in a kind of spiral, provides for two surveillance audits during this period, after the first and after the second year.

After three years and well in advance of the certificate’s expiration, re-certification takes place. The certification process starts all over again, but without a system analysis, which is only necessary for initial certification.