What is Integrated Management System – A Practical Guide about?
Integrated Management System – A Practical Guide is a handbook that helps you integrate multiple management system standards (MSS) into a single, coherent Integrated Management System (IMS). This includes standards such as ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 27001, ISO 45001 and others.
It’s designed to meet user demand for clarity, simplicity and practical implementation support when you use, or plan to use, more than one management system standard.
Who is Integrated Management System – A Practical Guide for?
This handbook is for organizations of any size that use or plan to use several MSS simultaneously. It’s especially relevant if you are:
- Already operating an IMS and want to sharpen, streamline and improve it.
- Using one MSS today and preparing to add a second (or more) without duplicating processes.
- A small organization that needs an easy, practical tool to minimize workload and documentation.
What does Integrated Management System – A Practical Guide cover?
The handbook provides a straightforward model for integrating multiple MSS through three phases:
- Prepare
- Connect
- Integrate
It distils integration into five essential elements to help you structure and maintain a cohesive IMS:
- governance;
- risk and opportunities;
- conformity;
- operations; and
- performance and improvement.
You also get practical checklists and reusable tools, plus guidance that supports integrated audits and management reviews. Case studies are included to show application across organizations from micro-organizations to global enterprises.
Why should you use Integrated Management System – a Practical Guide?
If you rely on multiple management system standards, this guide helps you turn integration into a clear, step by step process. It’s designed to help you:
- Streamline processes and strengthen coherence across standards.
- Reduce duplication and non value added work.
- Improve alignment between governance, risk, compliance and operations.
- Maintain and improve your IMS through day to day practices and continual improvement activities.
What are the changes in this edition?
This is a fully revised handbook that replaces the previous publication Integrated Use of Management System Standards (IUMSS). What’s changed:
- It shifts from a 140‑page conceptual foundation to a concise 20‑page guide, while staying practical and usable.
- It introduces an easy‑to‑apply Prepare, Connect, Integrate model.
- It is positioned as market‑driven, actionable and user‑centric, providing clear steps, checklists and practical tools