MSS 1000:2014 – THE WORLD'S FIRST UNIVERSAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM STANDARD

MSS 1000:2014 is a free one-stop universal management system standard facilitating fully integrated management systems without boundaries. Download a free copy of MSS 1000:2014 now.

MSS 1000:2014 is a universal management system standard enabling organisations to create fully integrated management systems directing and guiding their total strategic, tactical and operational management processes. It avoids the need to comply with multiple management system standards covering separate aspects of performance such as goods and services quality, health and safety, environment and security. Commercial and human resource aspects are also covered that are not normally explicitly addressed in management system standards.

Options are provided to self and externally certify against the standard and achieve bronze, silver and gold award. It has an integral innovative scoring system that enables the organisation to gauge its progress against the standard and to conduct internal and external performance benchmarking.

MSS 1000:2014 contains nearly three hundred pages. However, the requirements for compliance are contained within the sixty pages occupied by its sections B and C, the rest of the document is supporting information and guidance.

MSS 1000 was written by an international team of integrated management experts in order to:

1. Support the significant demand for integrated management systems which has grown since the turn of the millennium,
2. Demonstrate to doubters that a universal management system standard is possible and practicable,
3. Act as a robust foundation to stimulate further research, innovation, and continual improvement in the practice of integrated management.

MSS 1000 transcends silos and fragmented management approaches allowing disparate disciplines to jointly own and cooperate in the creation of an integrated management system fully focused on optimally delivering the organisation’s purpose through its structures and processes rather than attempting to independently manage multiple dimensions of performance.

Implementing MSS 1000 will significantly improve:

• Stakeholder satisfaction while making the best use of resources,
• The effectiveness, efficiency and control of the organisation’s structures and processes,
• Prospect and risk management,
• Commercially responsible and socially responsible performance,
• The organisation’s robustness, agility and resilience.

The widespread adoption of MSS 1000 can make a significant contribution to global economic, social and environmental performance and its sustainability. The publication of this standard is not intended to mark the end of a journey but to initiate a process of unifying management concepts, principles and practice. It invites individuals and organisations to participate in its improvement.

Anyone feeling motivated to tweet may like to include the hashtag #MSS1000

*TIP*

Use the Word version of MSS 1000. To aid navigation, install a back arrow in the navigation bar as follows:

• Select drop down menu at end of quick access toolbar.
• Select ‘More Commands’.
• On left at top, select ‘Commands not in Ribbon’.
• Within list on left scroll down to ‘Back’ (back arrow icon) and select.
• Click ‘Add’ in middle of screen (‘Back’ will then appear in right-hand list).
• Use ‘up arrow’ on extreme right-hand side and repeatedly click until ‘Back is at the top of the list (this ensures that ‘Back’ will appear in top left-hand corner of toolbar when displayed).
• Press OK.

MSS 1000 Benefits and Features

1. MSS 1000 IS A ONE STOP SOLUTION

MSS 1000 is a one-stop royalty free solution facilitating the creation of fully integrated management systems without boundaries in all types of organisation whether they be profit or not for profit. It addresses the total management of an organization by focusing on optimising an organizations structures and processes rather than focusing on different aspects of performance in isolation of the whole.

The publication of MSS 1000:2014 has permitted one of the greatest coherent concentrations of management system knowledge to be freely and almost instantly accessed by anyone on the planet with access to the web.

2. ALIGNS WITH STAKEHOLDER NEEDS AND ASPIRATIONS

The standard aligns with stakeholder’s needs and aspirations by permitting them to create fully integrated management systems, which surveys suggest, will become the norm. IMC sponsored research in 2012 showed that 4/5 organisations surveyed already had or were intending to have an IMS.

3. USER FRIENDLY

Although a large 300-page document, it has a logical and interlinked structure that is readily navigated via thousands of hyperlinks. It has a full glossary and index and is supported by appendices containing practical examples of good practice. The document uses the same 12-element structure (and hierarchical substructures) for the requirements and guidance sections. Hyperlinks facilitate toggling between requirements and guidance. In electronic form, the document is highly navigable and ideal for handheld tablets etc.

4. UNIFIED LANGUAGE AND CONCEPTS

MSS 1000 contains a universal set of definitions of management concepts and terminology that is visible throughout the document and instantly accessible via hyperlinking for instant lookup. In particular, a unified concept of prospect (likely gain) and risk (likely loss) is used to describe management under uncertainty including the tolerability of prospect and risk both individually and as an aggregate. The term negative risk and its confusing impacts are avoided making the standard more accessible to general managers.

5. LEVELS OF COMPLIANCE AND INCREASED OBJECTIVITY

MSS 1000 provides a lot of flexibility in the way that it is used. Organizations can achieve bronze, silver and gold compliance. Bronze demonstrates basic effective and efficient functionality. Silver demonstrates enhanced functional performance plus commercial responsibility. Gold demonstrates even higher functional performance plus social responsibility. Self-certification and declaration is permitted for bronze only and third-party certification for all levels. The certifications enable more transparency in how organizations are operating and can facilitate better supply chain management and customer decision making.

MSS 1000 employs a novel structured scoring system that aids more objectivity in compliance judgements. The system can also be applied to other standards.

6. OVERT AND COVERT ARRANGEMENTS

As well as the conventional overt management systems, the standard also addresses any requirement for covert arrangements.

7. TRIED AND TESTED STRUCTURE

The standard contains a structure that has been extensively tried and tested within fully integrated management systems. The structure used in the standard may also be used by organisations to structure their management procedures if they wish to do so.

8. CREATES CHOICE

The introduction of a universal management system standard provides choice in the marketplace. Use of MSS 1000 is compatible with other standards and management system regulations. It contains valuable free guidance that can assist organisations complying with the common fragmented management system standards.

9. STIMULATES INNOVATION

MSS 1000 is a significant innovation (containing several innovations) and will act as a basis for others to learn from and produce further innovatory improvements.

10. SUPPORTS IT APPLICATIONS

The requirements and guidance within this standard will greatly assist management system software producers who up to now have had to make sense and take account of multiple diverse management system standards. The situation is now much simpler because MSS 1000 takes a completely generic joined up thinking management approach.

All sections of the document contain electronic bookmarks to allow MSS 1000 to be directly interfaced with other documents, databases and management software. Management system software can seamlessly interface with the standard requirements and guidance.

11. PRACTICAL AND PRAGMATIC

The standard takes a very practical and pragmatic approach to management because the development was informed by actual fully integrated management systems that had achieved multiple standards certification.

12. SUPPORTS SIMPLER CERTIFICATION

Operating with a single standard facilitates simpler and potentially more efficient certification processes.

13. STIMULATES ACADEMIC RESEARCH

In the past, it has often been debated as to whether a single universal management system standard was possible, let alone practicable. This standard, by example, dispels these myths and will encourage more research in this area.

14. POWERFUL IMPROVEMENT VEHICLE

MSS 1000 is an open freeware universal management system standard. It actively invites participation in its improvement and transcends silos. It facilitates a much faster and dynamic continual improvement cycle that is not currently observable within standards making institutions. MSS 1000 has not been created to be in direct competition with other management systems standards but to drive improvements in the practice of integrated management in all its forms of application. This aligns with the Integrated Management Community (IMC) objective of equitably meeting societal needs through the making best use of resources. This fully aligns with the CQI’s and other organisation's Royal Charters.

Those interested in joined-up thinking approaches to governance, management and problem solving may care to:

• Visit www.integratedmanagement.info
• Join the Integrated Management Community LinkedIn Group
• Download the free Universal Management System Standard MSS 1000