Integrated Management Systems Consulting
Manage Multiple Standards Through One Coordinated Business Framework
Knowledge Kraft helps organizations combine multiple management systems into a practical and unified operating framework.
Instead of maintaining separate policies, procedures, audits and management reviews for every standard, we help organizations integrate common requirements while preserving the technical controls required by each discipline. The result is a more coordinated system that supports quality, environmental responsibility, workplace safety, information security and other business priorities without unnecessary duplication.
Support is available for new implementations, integration of existing certified systems and preparation for combined external audits.
IMS Consulting at a Glance
Service objective: To combine multiple management system requirements into one coordinated framework that improves governance, efficiency, accountability and continual improvement.
Suitable For
- ISO 9001 and ISO 14001
- ISO 9001 and ISO 45001
- ISO 14001 and ISO 45001
- ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001
- ISO 27001 and ISO 22301
- ISO 27001 and ISO/IEC 20000-1
- ISO 9001 and ISO 27001
- Quality, environmental, safety and information-security systems
- Other combinations based on organizational requirements
Knowledge Kraft Can Support
- IMS gap assessment
- Integration planning
- Common-process identification
- Unified policy and objectives
- Integrated risk management
- Process mapping
- Documentation consolidation
- Integrated internal audits
- Combined management reviews
- Certification-readiness assessment
- Existing-system improvement
- Ongoing IMS advisory
What Is an Integrated Management System?
An Integrated Management System combines the requirements of multiple management system standards within one organizational framework.
Many ISO management system standards follow a Harmonized Structure with common clause titles, terms and core requirements. This supports organizations that want one management system to meet the requirements of two or more standards.
Common requirements may include:
- Organizational context
- Interested parties
- Scope
- Leadership
- Policies
- Roles and responsibilities
- Risks and opportunities
- Objectives
- Competence
- Communication
- Documented information
- Operational planning
- Performance monitoring
- Internal audits
- Management review
- Corrective action
- Continual improvement
Discipline-specific requirements remain separate where necessary — for example, ISO 9001 addresses quality and customer requirements, ISO 14001 addresses environmental aspects and compliance, ISO 45001 addresses workplace hazards and worker participation, ISO 27001 addresses information-security risks, ISO 22301 addresses business continuity and ISO/IEC 20000-1 addresses service management. Integration means connecting these requirements intelligently — not removing important technical controls.
Separate Systems vs an Integrated System
Separate Management Systems
When systems are developed independently, the organization may have:
- Multiple policies
- Repeated procedures
- Separate document-control processes
- Different risk registers
- Duplicate training programmes
- Repeated internal audits
- Separate corrective-action systems
- Multiple management-review meetings
- Conflicting responsibilities
- Inconsistent performance reports
Integrated Management System
A practical IMS may use:
- One organizational-context process
- One interested-party framework
- One document-control procedure
- One competence and training process
- One internal-audit programme
- One corrective-action process
- One management-review framework
- One improvement system
- Coordinated risk registers
- Discipline-specific operational controls where required
ISO’s current practical guidance describes integration as creating one cohesive and efficient system rather than managing several disconnected systems.
Challenges We Help Customers Address
Organizations often approach Knowledge Kraft when they are facing challenges such as:
- Each standard is managed by a different department
- Common requirements are documented several times
- Policies and objectives are not aligned
- Responsibilities overlap or conflict
- Different systems use inconsistent terminology
- Risk assessments are conducted separately without coordination
- Employees receive repeated or contradictory instructions
- Internal audits duplicate the same work
- Corrective actions are tracked through different systems
- Management reviews are lengthy and repetitive
- New standards are being added to an existing system
- Certification audits require extensive coordination
- Documents do not reflect actual business processes
- The organization is unsure which processes should be integrated
What Knowledge Kraft Delivers
One Management Framework Designed Around Your Organization
Knowledge Kraft works with leadership, quality, environmental, safety, information-security, human-resources, operations and other relevant teams to develop a coordinated IMS. Our role may include:
- Reviewing existing management systems
- Identifying common and discipline-specific requirements
- Developing an integration roadmap
- Defining the IMS scope
- Mapping organizational processes
- Aligning policies and objectives
- Clarifying responsibilities
- Consolidating common procedures
- Coordinating risk-management processes
- Developing integrated performance indicators
- Establishing a combined audit programme
- Facilitating integrated management reviews
- Training employees and internal auditors
- Preparing the organization for combined certification activities
The final system is developed around the organization’s actual operating model rather than simply combining separate manuals.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. An IMS is one organizational management system designed to address the requirements of two or more management-system standards.
Standards such as ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, ISO 27001, ISO 22301 and ISO/IEC 20000-1 can be integrated where relevant to the organization.
Many ISO management system standards use a Harmonized Structure with common clauses, terms and core requirements, making it easier to operate one system that addresses several standards.
No. Common requirements can be addressed through unified procedures, but discipline-specific controls should remain separate where necessary. For example, environmental-aspect assessment and information-security risk assessment require different technical methods.
Yes. Existing systems can be reviewed, mapped and consolidated while retaining effective controls and certification evidence.
Not necessarily. Different standards may apply to different locations, activities or functions. The relationship between their scopes should be clearly defined.
Yes, provided the policy includes the relevant commitments required by each included standard and remains appropriate to the organization.
Yes. Integrated internal audits can examine common processes and multiple management disciplines together, provided all applicable requirements are covered and auditors have suitable competence.
Yes. A combined management review can address common and discipline-specific inputs and decisions within one coordinated meeting structure.
Certification arrangements vary. Certification is conducted against the individual standards included within the system. Certificate formats and combined-audit arrangements should be confirmed with the selected certification body.
Integration may reduce internal duplication and improve audit coordination. External audit duration and fees are determined by the certification body based on applicable accreditation requirements and the degree of system integration.
Yes. Existing systems can be reviewed and mapped regardless of who originally developed them.
The duration depends on the number of standards, locations, process complexity, maturity of existing systems and extent of required consolidation.
Yes. Knowledge Kraft can conduct an integrated audit or train the organization’s internal auditors to audit multiple standards through a process-based approach.