What is IMS?

The business challenge today is to manage activities more holistically rather than the traditional approach of having ISO 9001, ISO 14001, OHSAS 18001 and other management systems as peripheral arrangements. In the past this has been problematical because of the structure of management system standards and the in-house barriers to such an approach. The revision to standards and their structure has enabled many of these obstacles to be overcome and allows organisations to create effective business wide integrated systems.

Integrated Management Systems (IMS): Case Studies In Sustainability And Generating Cost Savings And Process Improvements In Implementing Integrated EH&S And Quality Management Systems.

Integrating EH&S and quality management into a single, company-wide business management system creates significant efficiencies and savings. This is because the system becomes an integral part of the company-wide operation rather than EH&S and quality functions being merely a series of silos and islands operating independently within the company. When EH&S and quality are integrated into a single management system within an organization it is referred to as an Integrated Management System, or IMS.

An IMS built for a manufacturing operation cannot be successfully applied to a service organization business model without significant modifications. Service industries are typically built on the creativity and flexibility of their people and operations, and as a result they often have less standardized approaches to their business. Yet, service organizations can still benefit from implementing an IMS. The IMS in a service organization takes a more holistic approach, promoting standardization and consistency while allowing room for creativity and flexibility. The more holistic approach involves a greater level of documentation but fewer work instructions and standard operating procedures, thus allowing the business to track operations without stifling the creativity that is necessary to build and sustain its success.

Back to Our Services