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Segmented, Combined and Integrated Systems


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While every business has only one (1) management system, certain factors such as timing, resources and particular customer demands may require us to consider part of the system for a particular stakeholder. These are called segmented management systems. Examples of segmented management systems include:

Segmented Systems Stakeholders
Quality Management Systems (QMS) Customers
Environmental Management Systems (EMS) Local and Global Community (often represented by regulators)
Health and Safety Management Systems (H&SMS) Employees
Maritime Management Systems (Safety and Security) Ship Owners, Ship Operators, Charterers, Customers, Contracting Governments, Administrations and Global Business
Business Continuity Management Systems (BCMS) Customers, Employees, Shareholders, Global Business and Supply Chains
Information Security Management Systems (ISMS) Shareholders, Customers, Employees, Suppliers
Financial Management Systems (FMS) Shareholders, Employees (particularly managers), Customers, Suppliers

The particular stakeholder requirements an organization must manage determine the scope of the management system. Scope defines the bounds of the management system – where it begins and ends for the purpose of fulfilling stakeholder requirements.

For instance, let us consider a Quality Management System. If we define the scope by physical location, all customers and their needs handled by those locations fall within scope of the system. However, we may choose to further define the scope by technology, further limiting to system to only include customers using and purchasing those technologies from those locations. We can bind scope by anything that makes sense for our business, including: processes, assets, products, etc.

Segmented Management Systems can be very effective tools for focusing valuable resources on particular stakeholder requirements. Below are working definitions for several types of segmented management systems:

Quality Management System (QMS): management system to direct and control an organization with regard to quality

Environmental Management System (EMS): management system to direct and control an organization with regard to the environment

Health and Safety Management Systems (H&SMS): management system to direct and control an organization with regard to employee and visitor health and safety

Maritime Management Systems (Safety and Security): management systems to direct and control shore-based and ship-based organizations with regard to ISM and ISPS compliance

Business Continuity Management Systems (BCMS): management systems to enable organizations and their suppliers to prepare for and recover from natural and man-made disasters

Information Security Management Systems (ISMS): the part of the overall management system, based on a business risk approach, to establish, implement, operate, monitor, review and improve information security

Financial Management System (FMS): management system to direct and control an organization with regard to financial control, accounting and cash management

Combined Management Systems are two or more segmented management systems sharing resources within their scopes. A typical example is a QMS and EMS in the same organization using the same internal audit process, corrective and preventive action processes and perhaps using the same tools to monitor and review system performance.

LE94, QEH&S Combined Systems and Auditing

Integrated Management Systems (often confused with combined management systems) are when the segmented management systems are integrated with the financial management system, linking process and performance directly to financial performance. Integrated management systems are also referred to as business management systems.

LE19, Why We Should Care About Our EMS

LE13, Why We Should Care About Our QMS


ISO Standards on this site have been provided by ANSI, the U.S. Member of the ISO