PPA Undergoes QMS Readiness Assessment for ISO Certification

To determine the extent of conformance of the established Quality Management System (QMS) of the Parole and Probation Administration (PPA) against the ISO 9001:2015 requirements, eight offices of the Agency underwent the Readiness Assessment conducted by the project team of the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP).

The assessment which was held last May 22-23, 2018 and May 31-June 1, 2018 also aimed to provide opportunity for the officers and staff of the PPA to recognize the adequacy of the current QMS documentation against the requirements of ISO 9001:2015, determine the levels of accuracy of documented information against the actual practices, identify existing gaps between the established QMS and ISO 9001 standard requirements and understand and prepare for the auditing approach to be used in a third party certification audit.

The scope of the QMS covers the core functions of investigation, supervision and rehabilitation services of the Agency. For the pilot implementation of the PPA-QMS, the sites covered were Central Office, National Capital Region and Region VII Regional Office, Manila PPO Nos. 3, 5 and 6, Cebu City PPO No. 1, and Lapu-Lapu City PPO.

During the Readiness Assessment, the project team utilized procedures or methods specified in ISO 19011 or the Guidelines for Management System Auditing and Readiness Assessment Itinerary. These procedures included review of the documented approaches of the established QMS with reference to the PPA Quality Manual; evaluation of the management and staff understanding for establishing and implementing quality objectives, citizen’s charter, manual of procedures and process flowcharts; interviewed personnel and reporting of the results of the assessment.

The DAP project team composed of Ms. Eden Agdon-Arago (ISO Technical Expert), Ms. Angela C. Vargas (Project Manager and QMS Assessor) and Ms. Samantha Chico (Project Staff).