What is the full form of IMS

(i) IMS: Integrated Management System

IMS stands for Integrated Management System. IMS is the system which integrates different organisational systems like Quality management systems, Environmental management systems, etc., and processes into a unified system that enables the organisation to operate as a single unit with common objectives.

A perfect integrated management system unifies various elements and processes to work as a whole, increasing efficiency and saving time and cost for an organisation. This system eliminates unnecessary practices in the organisation's operational structure, like multiple audits every time for each standard. All the audit work can be done for all the standards in a single audit.

Advantages of Integrated Management System

• IMS balances and circumvents conflicting objectives of the organisation.
• IMS helps in the reduction of costs as it avoids duplication of processes.
• IMS creates consistency as the whole organisation works on a single framework.
• IMS coordinates all the processes within the organisation at both types of levels of an organisation, that is Vertical level of organisation and the Horizontal level of organisation.
• IMS harmonises practices of the workplace in the organisation.
• IMS improves the channels of communication.
• IMS helps in the achievement of the goals of the organisation through the integrated efforts of all the standards of the organisation.

Management systems that can be integrated

Different management systems can be integrated to form an effective integrated management system for an organisation; they are as follows:

• ISO 9001 (Quality management)
• ISPO 14001 (Environmental management)
• ISO 22000 (Food Safety management)
• ISO 45001 (Occupational Health & Safety)
• ISO/IEC 20000 (IT Service Management)
• ISO/IEC 27001 (Information Security management.

Process of IMS

There are majorly four steps involved in the process of integration of management systems; they are:

• Combining different systems currently operational in the organisation.
• Determining common elements that can be integrated among different management systems to form the system.
• Integrating the identified common element.
• In the last phase, the Integrated Management System is incorporated into the organisation.

(ii) IMS: Information Management System

IMS also stands for Information Management System. The information management system is the structure of software that provides collection, storage, classification, and distribution of data. Information for any organisation is like an asset, so it needs to be handled carefully to extract maximum benefit from it. An effective Information management system helps the organisation to make the correct decision and work efficiently and effectively. IMS provides easy access to data for different stakeholders of an organisation.

Benefits of Information Management System

• It facilitates effective decision-making.
• It improves the efficiency and delivery of services.
• It helps in achieving the organisation's objective.
• It eases access to data.

(iii) IMS: Inventory Management System

IMS also stands for Inventory Management System. The inventory management system is a system of software used for managing inventory. Inventory management involves keeping records and tracking the purchase of raw materials, production of goods, storage of goods, delivery of goods and sales of goods. It is mainly used in organisations involved in the manufacturing sector and businesses engaged in the sales of goods. So, the IMS provides the organisation with a system of software where user can easily track their interests which help them in keeping a check on over-stocking and under-stocking.

Features of Inventory Management System

• It helps businesses to reduce the chances of understocking as it shows the reorder point, which indicates when is the right time to reorder the product.
• It regularly keeps checking on the level of inventory available in the warehouses.
• It helps to identify different products available in the warehouse through barcodes, QR codes and NFC tags.
• It helps businesses keep records of goods' sales and provides immediate intimation about the availability of products to avoid any out-of-stock situations.
• It saves costs as the management of inventory is done completely through software.
• It helps in warehouse management.
• It provides real-time stock information and keeps businesses updated about their inventory.

(iv) IMS: Indian Maritime Services

IMS stands for Indian Maritime Services. Indian Maritime Services is a Navi Mumbai-based company founded in 2007 which provides all essential services needed by marine vessels. It is a private company that offers technical assistance, repair equipment for boats, cargo facilities and other services required for maintaining vessels at Indian seaports.