UM staff rally for ISO 9001 certification
In January, the University of Montpellier once again achieved ISO 9001 certification, with two new entrants this year: the economics degree and the science faculty's enrolment center. As the audit took place at the beginning of November, in the midst of reconfiguration, the UM management and the Quality and Internal Audit department would like to thank all staff and departments for their exemplary commitment.
Sylvie Narejos, head of the quality and internal audit department, insists: " We would like to thank all the staff, directors, managers and all the other staff who contributed to the audit's success. All staff were mobilized to prepare for the audit and give the auditor the best possible welcome. When the organization is well under control, the rest is much easier. And yet conditions were not the best. Scheduled for November 2, just a few days after the announcement of the reconfinement, the audit put the UM's departments to the test.
" The organization had to be reviewed in record time," explains the department manager, " and the people audited showed exceptional adaptability and involvement." Seventeen videoconferences had to be scheduled in a hurry, and " DSIN provided us with technical support for the microphones and Zoom registration, and everything went off without a hitch ". It has to be said that it was well worth the effort, since ISO 9001 certification is one of the most internationally recognized quality standards. This standard attests to the University's commitment to continuous improvement, particularly in terms of support services and community services.
A continuous improvement process
Initiated in 2010, this approach has already led to the certification of public procurement contracts, the continuing education service for the administrative management of trainees, the registration and graduation of doctoral students, and the registration of diplomas. As part of this last activity, it is worth noting the certification of the enrolment centre of the Faculty of Science, thus completing the certification of all the University's enrolment centres.
Courses can also apply for this certification, as is already the case for the political science degree, the health engineering master's degree, the safety, environment and quality degree and the latest entry: the economics degree. " The certification process is also underway in the field of research. Today, the odontology bioengineering and nanoscience laboratory has obtained ISO 9001 certification for its public research activities, as has the E-Cell France platform platform, which this year obtained certification for all its activities. We're going to continue to make progress," explains Sylvie Narejos.
To qualify for this standard, numerous criteria are observed during these audits, including the robustness of the quality system, staff involvement, and commitment to a dynamic of improvement that includes listening to users. " For example, for the certification of our enrolment centers, we carried out a student satisfaction survey for which over 4,500 questionnaires were collected. The student satisfaction rate for enrolments reached 86% ". In the end, the audit revealed only one weak point and 28 strong points. All the more reason to congratulate ourselves and start the new year on a high note. "We're going to continue in the same direction, always at the service of the establishment's strategy and our users," concludes Sylvie Narejos. The next audit is scheduled for June 2021.