ISO’s guide to integrating management system standards has just been updated.

First published in 2008, The integrated use of management system standards brings together international expertise, diverse industry case extracts and implementations, and best-practice guidance on integrating management system standards. It has been updated to reflect the vast number of changes to ISO and non-ISO standards.

Michael McLean, convenor of the ISO working group that developed the handbook, said having effectively integrated management systems can assist an organization in a variety of ways.

“Many organizations benefit from multiple management systems to help them ensure their systems and processes are in line with their objectives and help them maintain their business model through ever-changing environments,” McLean said.

“This handbook provides a practical guide for organizations to effectively align their management systems with their strategies, plans and operations. It features illustrations as applied in real-world organizational contexts and relevant case studies, all of which can be applied to all kinds of sectors and industries. It is applicable to any kind of management system standards, not just those published by ISO.”

The number of management systems has risen dramatically in recent years as more organizations look to improve their performance across a range of areas and sectors, with most companies now adopting more than one management system.

ISO 9001 (quality), ISO 50001 (energy), and ISO 14001 (environment) are some of ISO’s most well-known and used management system standards. They are among more than 60 that make up the ISO portfolio, which covers areas such as organizational health and safety (ISO 45001), food safety (ISO 22000), education (ISO 21001) and information technology (ISO 27001). Unlike other types of standards, management system standards have an impact on many different aspects and functions of an organization and, increasingly, companies have more than one.