MMSU is now preparing for the registration to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9001:2015 Quality Management System (QMS).

This eight-month preparation, which started this April, came after MMSU was selected as one of the two state universities and colleges (SUCs) and 12 government institutions in the country to become recipient of the Government QMS scholarship from the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP).

This means that the DAP will facilitate MMSU and other implementing institutions and beneficiary agencies in the effective establishment, implementation, and sustenance of ISO 9001:2015 QMS, and advocate for a culture of quality and continual improvement in the Philippine government.

As an initial step toward attaining this goal, MMSU submitted itself to the Process Walkthrough and Orientation on ISO 9001:2015 QMS conducted by DAP on April 10-12.

The three-day activity sought to familiarize the top management and employees of MMSU on the process of and requirements for the ISO 9001:2015 QMS; assess the MMSU's management system; and determine baseline date of measurable and relevant key performance indicators.

The Project Team, which serves as consultant of MMSU on QMS, are composed of three officials from the DAP -- Evangeline M. Macariola, Director for Advocacy and Institutional Development Office; Arnel C. Nuñez, Senior Consultant under Productivity and Development Center; and Leanne Kym Jane J. Lozañes, Associate Project Officer of Government QMS Office.

During the opening program at the University Training Center, MMSU President Shirley C. Agrupis thanked the DAP "for helping the university prepare for ISO in eight months so that it will be ready during the ISO audit by the end of the year."

"Quality service should be part of our operations, and it should be embedded in our activities in order to benefit our stakeholders," Dr. Agrupis said, while encouraging university administrators and employees to cooperate with this undertaking.

Dr. Agrupis claimed that through ISO 9001:2015 QMS, MMSU will become more effective in serving the people of Ilocos Norte and those in neighboring provinces through its four-fold functions - instruction, research, extension, and resource generation.

Prior to this, the MMSU Extension Directorate became the first unit of the university to be granted with ISO 9001:2015.

Meanwhile, the QMS shall cover all processes of all offices and units in the MMSU's main campus, including pilot external or satellite campuses.

An institution is given an ISO 9001:2015 certification based on the number of quality management principles including a strong customer focus, motivation and implication of top management, process approach and continual improvement.  ISO helps the institution ensure that customers get consistent, good quality products and services