4 Context of the organization T 19                    

• 4.1 The organization and its context
• 4.2 Needs and expectations of interested parties
• 4.3 Scope of the integrated management system
• 4.4 Integrated management system and its processes

4.1 The organization and its context

External and internal issues that affect the IMS

Requirements Q, S, E (see also the quizzes Q, S, E)

The two most important things in a company do not appear in its balance sheet: its reputation and its people. Henry Ford

To successfully implement an integrated QSEquality, safety, environment, management system, we must understand and evaluate everything that can influence the reason for being and business performance. You should think carefully about some key activities:

• develop a thorough diagnosis of the unique context in which your company exists, taking into account these issues:
  • the external environment, such as:
    • social
    • regulatory
    • economic
    • technology
    • competitive
  • the internal environment, such as:
    • specific aspects of the corporate culture:
      • vision
      • rationale, purpose and mission
      • core values
    • needs and expectations of:
      • workers
      • interested parties
    • products and services
    • infrastructure
    • work conditions
    • work organization
• analyze the factors that may influence the achievement of business objectives
• determine occupational health and safety hazards, perform an initial risk assessment
• establish the significant environmental impacts that could affect or be affected by the company

The SWOT and PESTEL analyses can be useful for relevant analysis of business context (cf. annex 05). 

A list of external and internal issues is created by a multidisciplinary team. Each issue is identified by its level of influence and control. Priority is given to issues with great influence and poor control.

Minute of relaxation. Game: Context of the company 

• diagnosis of the context includes the main external and internal issues
• the core values as part of the corporate culture are taken into account in the context of the company
• the list of environmental aspects and impacts is regularly updated
• the list of occupational health and safety hazards is regularly updated
• the SWOT analysis includes many relevant examples
• the SWOT analysis is a powerful tool for identifying the main threats and opportunities

• certain issues of the context of the company, such as the competitive environment, are not taken into account
• environmental impacts are not prioritized
• hazard identification is not exhaustive (some hazards were forgotten)
• in some cases, the corporate culture is not taken into account
• no clear link between the SWOT analysis and the actions undertaken
• risk analysis does not take into account strategic issues
• some environmental impacts are not taken into account

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4.2 Needs and expectations of interested parties

Understanding the requirements of interested parties

Requirements Q, S, E

There is only one valid definition of a business purpose: to create a customer. Peter Drucker

To understand the needs and expectations of interested parties, we must begin by determining those who may be affected by the integrated management system, such as:

• employees
• customers
• external providers
• owners
• shareholders
• bankers
• distributors
• competitors
• citizens
• neighbors
• social and political organizations
• legal authorities
• OH&S organizations
• occupational physicians

A list of interested parties is carried out by a multidisciplinary team. Every interested party is identified by its level of influence and control. Priority is given to interested parties with great influence and poor control.

Anticipating the reasonable and relevant needs and expectations of interested parties involves:

• meeting the requirements of the product or service offered
• meeting the requirements ofoccupational health and safety
• meeting the requirements ofprotection of the environment
• preparing to address risks
• finding improvement opportunities

When a requirementexplicit or implicit need or expectation (see also ISO 9000, 3.1.2) is accepted, it becomes an internal requirementexplicit or implicit need or expectation (see also ISO 9000, 3.1.2) of the IMSintegrated management system.

Quality means including the customer's point of view from design to final recycling

• the list of interested parties is updated
• the needs and expectations of interested parties are established through meetings on-site, surveys, roundtables and meetings (monthly or frequent)
• the application of statutory and regulatory requirements is a prevention approach and not a constraint

• statutory and regulatory requirements are not taken into account
• the delivery time is not validated by the customer
• Municipal wastewater regulation defining the discharge conditions to the network is not determined as a compliance obligation
• the expectations of interested parties are not determined
• the list of interested parties does not contain their area of activity 

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4.3 Scope of the integrated management system

Determining the scope of the IMS

Requirements Q, S, E

In many areas, the winner is the one who is best informed. André Muller

The scope (or in other words, the perimeter) of the integrated management system is defined. When a requirementexplicit or implicit need or expectation (see also ISO 9000, 3.1.2) cannot be applied, a justification is included in the documented information  that is maintained and is available to any interested party.

The specific context of the company is taken into account to determine the scope of the IMSintegrated management system including:

• issues (cf. sub-clause 4.1)
• dangerousness of products and services in a life cycle perspective
• corporate culture
• environment:
  • social
  • financial
  • technology
  • economic
• requirements of interested parties (cf. sub-clause 4.2)
• outsourced processes

• the scope is relevant and available upon request
• non applicable requirements are justified in writing
• the scope takes into account the entire life cycle of products

• some products are outside the scope of the IMS without justification
• the paint shop is not included in the scope of the IMS
• the requirements of a customer are not accepted and no justification is present
• the scope is obsolete (a new subsidiary is not included)
• an environmental aspect is taken into account

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4.4 Integrated management system and its processes

IMS requirements, processes and IMS interactions

Requirements Q, S, E

If you cannot describe what you are doing as a process, you do not know what you're doing. Edwards Deming

The requirementsexplicit or implicit need or expectation (see also ISO 9000, 3.1.2) of the QSEquality, safety, environment standards cover:

• management by quality
• personnel protection
• protection of the environment and
• the control of business processes

To do this:

• the integrated management system is:
  • established
  • documented (a simple and sufficient documentation system is set up)
  • implemented and
  • continually improved
• the QSE policy, objectives, resources and the work environment are determined
• risks are determined and actions to reduce them are established
• the core necessary IMS processes are controlled:
  • corresponding resources are ensured
  • the inputs and outputs are determined
  • the necessary information is available
  • owners are appointed (responsibilities and authorities defined)
  • sequences and interactions are determined
  • each process is measured and monitored (established criteria)
  • objectives are set and performance indicators analyzed
  • process performance is evaluated
  • environmental requirements are integrated into business processes
  • necessary changes are implemented to achieve the expected results
  • actions for continual improvement of processes are established
• the necessary minimum ("as much as needed") of documented information on the processes is maintained and retained (  )
• hazards to occupational health and safety are determined, risks are evaluated and the means of control are in place
• an environmental diagnosis is made, the environmental aspects are determined and significant environmental impacts are determined
• an action plan allows applying the QSE policy, to achieve the objectives and improve QSE performance of the company
• reviews and audits of the IMS are carried out regularly
• the history of emergencies, incidents and nonconformities are evaluated, potential emergencies are determined, evaluated and methods are in place to react

The QSEquality, safety, environment manual is not a requirementexplicit or implicit need or expectation (see also ISO 9000, 3.1.2) of QSE standards but it is always an opportunity to present the company, its IMSintegrated management system and its procedures and processes (cf. annex 07). 

The ISO guide “The integrated use of management system standards” of 2018, contains relevant recommendations on the integration of management systems.

 Pitfalls to avoid:

• going overboard on quality: 
  • a useless operation is performed without adding value and without the customer asking for it - it is a waste, cf. quality tools D 12
• having all procedures written by the QSE manager: 
  • quality is everybody's business, "the staff is conscious of the relevance and importance of each to the contribution to QSE objectives", which is even more true for department heads and process pilots
• forgetting to take into account the specificities related to the corporate culture: 
  • innovation, luxury, secrecy, authoritarian management (Apple)
  •  strong culture related to ecology, action and struggle, while cultivating secrecy (Greenpeace)
  • fun and quirky corporate culture (Michel & Augustin)
  • liberated company, the man is good, love your customer, shared dream (Favi)

The requirementsexplicit or implicit need or expectation (see also ISO 9000, 3.1.2) of the three standards ISO 9001, ISO 45001 and ISO 14001 are shown in figures 4-1, 4-2 and 4-3:

Figure 4-1. The requirements of the ISO 9001: 2015 standard

Figure 4-2. The requirements of the ISO 45001: 2018 standard

Figure 4-3. The requirements of the ISO 14001: 2015 standard

The requirements of the standards ISO 9001, ISO 45001 and ISO 14001 are complementary when they are not identical (cf. annex 08).  

• the process map has enough arrows to show who the customer (internal or external) is
• for a process, it is better to use a lot of arrows (several customers) rather than to forget one
• reveal the added value of the process during the process review
• the analysis of process performance is an example of continual improvement and evidence of the effectiveness of the IMS
• top management regularly monitors QSE objectives and action plans
• the purpose of each process is clearly defined

• some process outputs are not set correctly (customers not considered)
• process efficiency criteria are not established
• the process owners are not formalized
• outsourced processes are not determined
• control of outsourced services is not described
• very real activities are not determined in any process
• sequences and interactions of certain processes are not determined
• methods to ensure the performance of certain processes are not defined
• monitoring the performance of certain processes is not established
• the IMS resources do not allow achievement of objectives
• the IMS is not updated (new processes not determined)
• the threats and weaknesses in the SWOT analysis remain without actions

The rest of the T 19v18 IMS QSE readiness version 2018 training is accessible on this page.

See also the training T 39v18 Internal audit IMS QSE and the training package IMS QSE.

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