A guide to understanding the Integrated Management System (IMS)

Integrated Management Systems Guide: An Overview of IMS

Integrated Management Systems guide. An Integrated Management System (IMS) incorporates the entirety of an organisation’s systems and practices into one complete framework thus facilitating the organisation to act as an individual unit with unified objectives.

Organisations tend to shift their attention to management systems independently; the common issue with this approach is that these matters are often regarded in silos and sometimes even in conflict. The separate units are usually set up as the quality team concerning themselves with the Quality Management System (QMS), Environmental and Health and Safety (EHS) issues tend to be dealt with by an EHS Manager, and a SHEQ Manager managing Safety, Health, Environment and Quality, and so on.

Integrated Management Systems largely consist of:

• QMS – Quality Management System: A quality management system (QMS) is a set of policies, processes and procedures required for planning and execution (production, development, service) in the core business area of an organization, (i.e., areas that can impact the organization’s ability to meet customer requirements). ISO 9001:2015 is an example of a Quality Management System.
• EMS – Environmental Management System: The Environmental Management System, habitually known as an EMS, is a collection of core guidelines that are characterised by a set of policies, processes, procedures, and records. This system identifies how a company will detect, evaluate, observe, and sustain the interfaces with the ecosystem to counteract adverse environmental influences.
• SMS – Safety Management System: A Safety Management System (SMS) is a methodical and pre-emptive method to controlling safety risks. Risk management activities are at the heart of SMS and these activities include the detection of safety concerns, risk assessments and risk mitigation. An SMS usually follows an outline and is managed like any other component of corporate culture, such as with marketing or engineering functions.
• EnMS – Energy Management System: An Energy Management System (EnMS) is a collection of factors that interact and aid an organisation in instituting practices, strategies as well as objectives to accomplish its energy targets. These factors could be inclusive of positions, duties, practices, performance indicators, and an intended plan to judge if the strategy is working.  An EnMS determines and aims to persistently enhance an organisation’s energy use and influence.
• FSMS – Food Safety Management System: A Food management System is identified as a set of interconnected factors that determine an organisations strategy and aims. With the aim to accomplish goals, some strategies are used to address and control the organisation so that food safety can be retained. A Food Safety Management System verifies that organisations in the food industry understand and maintain specific practices and regulations to guarantee that their goods are safe for consumer intake.
• ISMS – Information Security Management System: An Information Security Management System determines how your organisation should organize and manage its information security. The ISMS has a set of policies and procedures to aid in analytically supervising an organisation’s sensitive data. The goal of an ISMS is to reduce risk and ensure business continuity by constraining the force of a security breach. It typically addresses employee behaviour and procedures as well as data and technology. It can be directed towards a distinct form of data, such as customer data, or may be implemented in a comprehensive way that becomes part of the company’s culture.

Preferably, an organisation should have an IMS that addresses all objectives at once. However, it can be challenging to meet the demands of the numerous management systems operating within one industry.

How does Integrated Management Systems help me?

The Integrated Management Systems established a way to integrate multiple pertinent systems into any organisation, regardless of the industry they are situated in. Integrating several management systems into a unified system (who share documentation, policies, procedures, and processes) makes sense and is a way of making sure all the protocols and guidelines your organisation carry out are constant and reliable.

Here at ABAC^®, we know how to provide you with the training and certification for an Integrated Management System that suits all corporate needs, whether you are a national firm or an international one. ABAC^® works with clients of all industries, sizes, and organisation types to acquire programs utilizing the latest techniques and best practices that help foster an ethical business culture.

The ISO options available at ABAC^® merge popularity with the flexibility to give organisations a streamlined route to multiple ISOs. You would simply have to choose the best solutions for your organisation’s goal and our team will adapt them in accordance with your organisation’s obligations. We offer the following certifications under our Integrated Management System:

• ISO 37001:2016 ABMS
• ISO 37301:2021Compliance Management Systems
• ISO 37000:2021 Governance of organisations — Guidance
• ISO 31000:2018 Risk Management

You can easily align various corporate operations with one singular system to supervise, saving you time and unwarranted work. This is sure to positively influence your proficiency by enhancing output through fewer processes and expanding the use of your core resources. By conducting just one audit and one management review, you can save time and money, and senior staff can move on to other essential tasks. In other words, it’s a time-saver as well as a money-maker.

If you’re still unsure of what the integrated management systems guide could mean for your organisation or have any other queries surrounding the discussion of auditing, why not reach out to our team for a free 30-minute consultation? Our team of experts range from all fields and industries thus tailoring your solutions perfectly to your needs.