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News ArticlesASLM Advances Steadily Toward ISO 9001: 2015 Certification

ASLM Advances Steadily Toward ISO 9001: 2015 Certification

ASLM Advances Steadily Toward ISO 9001: 2015 Certification

Joshua Mwangi, Chief Operating Officer, ASLM

The African Society for Laboratory Medicine (ASLM) continues to make progress toward achieving ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System (QMS) certification by the end of 2025. This certification will mark a significant milestone in ASLM’s commitment to operational excellence, stakeholder satisfaction, and continuous improvement across all departments.

Since April 2023, ASLM has been undergoing a comprehensive capacity development process to align its systems, processes, and governance with international best practices. As part of this transformation, the organization has restructured its operations division to establish dedicated departments to streamline delivery of its operational services. These changes have been supported by the development and revision of key organizational policies, the automation of business processes using SharePoint, and an emphasis on data-driven decision making. In the first and second quarters of 2025, ASLM completed several foundational milestones in the ISO 9001:2015 journey, including setting up a QMS Project Team, identifying QMS Champions, and developing foundational documentation such as ASLM’s Quality Policy Statement, Quality Objectives, the QMS Manual and SOPs and Policies in each of ASLM’s core departments. ASLM has also identified process owners, KPIs and risk management plans.

The focus for the third quarter of 2025 includes the formal launch of the QMS, full implementation of the QMS, internal audits, and corrective actions.

ASLM will also initiate regular management review meetings and is working closely with external ISO consultants to prepare for the Stage 1 and Stage 2 audits. The implementation is guided by the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) model to ensure continuous feedback loops and performance improvement. By aligning with ISO 9001:2015, ASLM seeks to strengthen donor confidence, enhance cross-functional accountability, and institutionalize a culture of quality and transparency. This journey is also a critical enabler for ASLM’s 2023–2027 Strategic Plan, which prioritizes impact driven programming, systems strengthening, and value-for-money across Africa’s laboratory and diagnostics landscape.

We thank our board, staff and all other key stakeholders for their unending support as we work toward this important milestone. Updates and highlights will continue to be shared in upcoming editions of LabVoice and through our internal SharePoint QMS Hub.