A management system is, for the vast majority of organizations, a description of how an organization is governed and functions—and quite often a description of how one wishes it to function.

But a management system can be so much more than that. It is both a tool for top management to ensure that operations are conducted according to established procedures and a support for employees in their daily work.

What all companies have in common is that they consist of a set of processes that work together to ensure that the company achieves its goals and becomes successful. These processes include everything from project management to employee management, customer relations and more.

How standardized these processes are varies greatly from company to company — but processes are always there.

A management system also includes an organization's policies, goals and measurement criteria — which of course all companies have in one form or another.

What do we mean by an “analog” management system?

Too many people are still stuck with a visualization of their management system that is a pile of PDFs, emails and hard-to-work Excel sheets that are only dusted off from the file server in an audit. It is not something that is used daily by all employees and hardly conveys a feeling of “high quality”.

Now you may think that it is wrong to claim that a management system is set up in Word, Excel and/or Power Point or yes t.o. Visio and which one stores in Windows Explorer or other file server is an analog system? And in a way you're right about that but we dare to claim that it is not the storage that makes it digital or analog but the focus on documents that makes it analogous.

If you can print it without losing anything except access, it's still a very analog system.

What is a “digital management system”?

If we already think digital at the time of introduction, we can create a set of IT tools that not only meet the requirements of selected standards, but also increase efficiency and provide smart ways to collaborate and constantly improve the organization. The management system goes from being a description of how things should work to the way things actually work. It becomes a working tool.

If everything is where the employees are already working, then the things will be used. Logical, right?

Then, of course, there is the advantage that it is more cost-effective, runs faster and gives better results as well.

What does “certifiable management system” mean?

Depending on the purpose, management systems have different orientations.

For example, ISO 9001 is a quality management standard that emphasizes customer focus and provides a common language for working together as a team and 14001 is a standard for environmental management.

Both have in common that they make a number of demands on the company. And the way the company meets these requirements is made visible through the management system.

In addition to quality management and the environment, management systems for example work environment and information security are also common. As you can imagine, the list of standards can be long.

Certifying against a standard means proving to an external auditor in a certification audit that your management system meets the requirements of the standards against which you want to certify.

Common misconceptions about management systems

“It is largely due to create lots of documents“

Management systems are used to control and streamline operations. It is, in fact, not uncommon for organizations to reduce the amount of documentation by working with these questions.

“ISO certification is a one-time activity”

Meeting ISO 9001 is a process, not an event. It is a way for you to demonstrate your commitment to the highest standards of product and service quality, employee competence and efficiency, continuous improvement and innovation, environmental awareness and overall operational efficiency.

It also requires that the company actually work and have an effect in the way that the standard requires.

A standard in itself, such as ISO 9001 for quality management, requires you to get a little better all the time and you need to continuously prove that you are getting it.

Summary

The main point of a digital management system is that IT is not an afterthought in the management system project but a central part of the process and system. It's something that takes the management system to the next level through smartly integrated functions that work together to truly create a living management system that everyone wants and can work for.

Because isn't that the dream? That everyone actually works according to the system!