ISO 9000
Encyclopedia
The ISO 9000 family of standards relates to quality management systems and is designed to help organizations ensure they meet the needs of customers and other stakeholders (Poksinska et al, 2002 ). The standards are published by ISO, the International Organization for Standardization
, and available through National standards bodies. ISO 9000 deals with the fundamentals of quality management systems (Tsim et al, 2002 ), including the eight management principles (Beattie and Sohal, 1999; Tsim et al, 2002 ) on which the family of standards is based. ISO 9001 deals with the requirements that organizations wishing to meet the standard have to fulfill.
Third party certification bodies provide independent confirmation that organizations meet the requirements of ISO 9001. Over a million organizations worldwide are independently certified, making ISO 9001 one of the most widely used management tools in the world today. Despite widespread use, however, the ISO certification process has been criticized as being wasteful and not being useful for all organizations.
compared to otherwise similar organizations without certification. Heras et al (2002) found similarly superior performance
and demonstrated that this was statistically significant and not a function of organization size. Naveh and Marcus (2007) showed that implementing ISO 9001 led to superior operational performance. Sharma (2005) identified similar improvements in operating performance and linked this to superior financial performance. Chow-Chua et al (2002) showed better overall financial performance was achieved for companies in Denmark. Rajan and Tamimi (2003) showed that ISO 9001 certification resulted in superior stock market performance and suggested that shareholders were richly rewarded for the investment in an ISO 9001 system.
While the connection between superior financial performance and ISO 9001 may be seen from the examples cited, there remains no proof of direct causation, though longitudinal studies
, such as those of Corbett et al (2005) may suggest it. Other writers, such as Heras et al (2002), have suggested that while there is some evidence of this, the improvement is partly driven by the fact that there is a tendency for better performing companies to seek ISO 9001 certification.
The mechanism for improving results has also been the subject of much research. Lo et al (2007) identified operational improvements (cycle time reduction, inventory reductions, etc.) as following from certification. Buttle (1997) and Santos (2002) both indicated internal process improvements in organizations leading to externally observable improvements. Hendricks and Singhal (2001) results indicate that firms outperform their control group during the post-implementation period and effective implementation of total quality management principles and philosophies leads to significant wealth creation. The benefit of increased international trade and domestic market share, in addition to the internal benefits such as customer satisfaction, interdepartmental communications, work processes, and customer/supplier partnerships derived, far exceeds any and all initial investment, according to Alcorn.
that were proposed to ISO in 1979. However, its history can be traced back some twenty years before that, to the publication of the Department of Defense
MIL-Q-9858 standard in 1959. MIL-Q-9858 was revised into the NATO AQAP series of standards in 1969, which in turn were revised into the BS 5179 series of guidance standards published in 1974, and finally revised into the BS 5750 series of requirements standards in 1979 before being submitted to ISO.
BSI has been certifying organizations for their quality management systems since 1978. Its first certification (FM 00001) is still extant and held by Tarmac, a successor to the original company which held this certificate. Today BSI claims to certify organizations at nearly 70,000 sites globally. The development of the ISO 9000 series is shown in the diagram to the right.
Source: ISO Survey 2009
In recent years there has been a rapid growth in China, which now accounts for approximately a quarter of the global certifications.
Source: ISO Survey 2009
In effect, users need to address all sections 1 to 8, but only 4 to 8 need implementing within a QMS.
The standard specifies six compulsory documents:
In addition to these, ISO 9001:2008 requires a quality policy
and Quality Manual (which may or may not include the above documents).
does not itself certify organizations. Many countries have formed accreditation bodies to authorize certification bodies, which audit organizations applying for ISO 9001 compliance certification. Although commonly referred to as ISO 9000:2000 certification, the actual standard to which an organization's quality management can be certified is ISO 9001:2008. Both the accreditation bodies and the certification bodies charge fees for their services. The various accreditation bodies have mutual agreements with each other to ensure that certificates issued by one of the Accredited Certification Bodies (CB) are accepted worldwide.
The applying organization is assessed based on an extensive sample of its sites, functions, products, services, and processes. A list of problems ("action requests" or "non-compliance") is first made known to management. If there are no major problems on this list, or after it receives a satisfactory improvement plan from the management showing how any problems will be resolved, the certification body will issue an ISO 9001 certificate. The certificate is limited by a certain scope (e.g. production of golf balls) and names the locations covered.
An ISO certificate is not a once-and-for-all award, but must be renewed at regular intervals recommended by the certification body, usually around three years. There are no grades of competence within ISO 9001: either a company is certified (meaning that it is committed to the method and model of quality management described in the standard) or it is not. In this respect, ISO certification contrasts with measurement-based quality systems such as the Capability Maturity Model
.
ISO 9000:1987 was also influenced by existing U.S. and other Defense Standard
s ("MIL SPECS"), and so was well-suited to manufacturing. The emphasis tended to be placed on conformance with procedures rather than the overall process of management, which was likely the actual intent.
via preventive actions, instead of just checking final product, and continued to require evidence of compliance with documented procedures. As with the first edition, the down-side was that companies tended to implement its requirements by creating shelf-loads of procedure manuals, and becoming burdened with an ISO bureaucracy. In some companies, adapting and improving processes could actually be impeded by the quality system.
front and center ("Process management" was the monitoring and optimisation of a company's tasks and activities, instead of just inspection of the final product). The 2000 version also demanded involvement by upper executives in order to integrate quality into the business system and avoid delegation of quality functions to junior administrators. Another goal was to improve effectiveness via process performance metrics: numerical measurement of the effectiveness of tasks and activities. Expectations of continual process improvement
and tracking customer satisfaction were made explicit.
The ISO 9000 standard is continually being revised by standing technical committees and advisory groups, who receive feedback from those professionals who are implementing the standard.http://iso9001-consultant.co.uk/
ISO 9001:2008 only introduced clarifications to the existing requirements of ISO 9001:2000 and some changes intended to improve consistency with ISO 14001:2004. There were no new requirements. For example, in ISO 9001:2008, a quality management system being upgraded just needs to be checked to see if it is following the clarifications introduced in the amended version.
s). The aim is a continual process of review and assessment to verify that the system is working as it is supposed to; to find out where it can improve; and to correct or prevent problems identified. It is considered healthier for internal auditors to audit outside their usual management line, so as to bring a degree of independence to their judgments.
Under the 1994 standard, the auditing process could be adequately addressed by performing "compliance auditing":
The 2000 standard uses a different approach. Auditors are expected to go beyond mere auditing for rote compliance by focusing on risk, status, and importance. This means they are expected to make more judgments on what is effective, rather than merely adhering to what is formally prescribed. The difference from the previous standard can be explained thus:
is not like making cheese
or offering counseling services, yet the ISO 9001 guidelines, because they are business management guidelines, can be applied to each of these. Diverse organizations—police departments (US), professional soccer teams (Mexico) and city councils (UK)—have successfully implemented ISO 9001:2000 systems.
Over time, various industry sectors have wanted to standardize their interpretations of the guidelines within their own marketplace. This is partly to ensure that their versions of ISO 9000 have their specific requirements, but also to try and ensure that more appropriately trained and experienced auditors are sent to assess them.
Effectiveness of the ISO system being implemented depends on a number of factors, the most significant of which are:
According to Seddon, ISO 9001 promotes specification, control, and procedures rather than understanding and improvement. Wade argues that ISO 9000 is effective as a guideline, but that promoting it as a standard "helps to mislead companies into thinking that certification means better quality, ... [undermining] the need for an organization to set its own quality standards." Paraphrased, Wade's argument is that reliance on the specifications of ISO 9001 does not guarantee a successful quality system.
The standard is seen as especially prone to failure when a company is interested in certification before quality. Certifications are in fact often based on customer contractual requirements rather than a desire to actually improve quality. "If you just want the certificate on the wall, chances are you will create a paper system that doesn't have much to do with the way you actually run your business," said ISO's Roger Frost. Certification by an independent auditor is often seen as the problem area, and according to Barnes, "has become a vehicle to increase consulting services." In fact, ISO itself advises that ISO 9001 can be implemented without certification, simply for the quality benefits that can be achieved.
Abrahamson argues that fashionable management discourse such as Quality Circles tends to follow a lifecycle
in the form of a bell curve, possibly indicating a management fad
.
International Organization for Standardization
The International Organization for Standardization , widely known as ISO, is an international standard-setting body composed of representatives from various national standards organizations. Founded on February 23, 1947, the organization promulgates worldwide proprietary, industrial and commercial...
, and available through National standards bodies. ISO 9000 deals with the fundamentals of quality management systems (Tsim et al, 2002 ), including the eight management principles (Beattie and Sohal, 1999; Tsim et al, 2002 ) on which the family of standards is based. ISO 9001 deals with the requirements that organizations wishing to meet the standard have to fulfill.
Third party certification bodies provide independent confirmation that organizations meet the requirements of ISO 9001. Over a million organizations worldwide are independently certified, making ISO 9001 one of the most widely used management tools in the world today. Despite widespread use, however, the ISO certification process has been criticized as being wasteful and not being useful for all organizations.
Reasons for use
The ISO family of standards is the only international standard that addresses systemic change. The global adoption of ISO 9001 may be attributable to a number of factors. A number of major purchasers require their suppliers to hold ISO 9001 certification. In addition to several stakeholders’ benefits, a number of studies have identified significant financial benefits for organizations certified to ISO 9001, with a 2011 survey from the British Assessment Bureau showing 44% of their certified clients had won new business. Corbett et al (2005) showed that certified organizations achieved superior return on assetscompared to otherwise similar organizations without certification. Heras et al (2002) found similarly superior performance
and demonstrated that this was statistically significant and not a function of organization size. Naveh and Marcus (2007) showed that implementing ISO 9001 led to superior operational performance. Sharma (2005) identified similar improvements in operating performance and linked this to superior financial performance. Chow-Chua et al (2002) showed better overall financial performance was achieved for companies in Denmark. Rajan and Tamimi (2003) showed that ISO 9001 certification resulted in superior stock market performance and suggested that shareholders were richly rewarded for the investment in an ISO 9001 system.
While the connection between superior financial performance and ISO 9001 may be seen from the examples cited, there remains no proof of direct causation, though longitudinal studies
Longitudinal study
A longitudinal study is a correlational research study that involves repeated observations of the same variables over long periods of time — often many decades. It is a type of observational study. Longitudinal studies are often used in psychology to study developmental trends across the...
, such as those of Corbett et al (2005) may suggest it. Other writers, such as Heras et al (2002), have suggested that while there is some evidence of this, the improvement is partly driven by the fact that there is a tendency for better performing companies to seek ISO 9001 certification.
The mechanism for improving results has also been the subject of much research. Lo et al (2007) identified operational improvements (cycle time reduction, inventory reductions, etc.) as following from certification. Buttle (1997) and Santos (2002) both indicated internal process improvements in organizations leading to externally observable improvements. Hendricks and Singhal (2001) results indicate that firms outperform their control group during the post-implementation period and effective implementation of total quality management principles and philosophies leads to significant wealth creation. The benefit of increased international trade and domestic market share, in addition to the internal benefits such as customer satisfaction, interdepartmental communications, work processes, and customer/supplier partnerships derived, far exceeds any and all initial investment, according to Alcorn.
Background
ISO 9000 was first published in 1987. It was based on the BS 5750 series of standards from BSIBSI Group
BSI Group, also known in its home market as the British Standards Institution , is a multinational business services provider whose principal activity is the production of standards and the supply of standards-related services.- History :...
that were proposed to ISO in 1979. However, its history can be traced back some twenty years before that, to the publication of the Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
MIL-Q-9858 standard in 1959. MIL-Q-9858 was revised into the NATO AQAP series of standards in 1969, which in turn were revised into the BS 5179 series of guidance standards published in 1974, and finally revised into the BS 5750 series of requirements standards in 1979 before being submitted to ISO.
BSI has been certifying organizations for their quality management systems since 1978. Its first certification (FM 00001) is still extant and held by Tarmac, a successor to the original company which held this certificate. Today BSI claims to certify organizations at nearly 70,000 sites globally. The development of the ISO 9000 series is shown in the diagram to the right.
Global adoption
The growth in ISO 9001 certification is shown in the table below. The worldwide total of ISO 9001 certificates can be found in the ISO Survey of 9001 in 2003, 2007, 2008 and 2009.| Dec 2000 | Dec 2001 | Dec 2002 | Dec 2003 | Dec 2004 | Dec 2005 | Dec 2006 | Dec 2007 | Dec 2008 | Dec 2009 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 457,834 | 510,349 | 561,767 | 497,919 | 660,132 | 773,867 | 896,929 | 951,486 | 982,832 | 1,064,785 |
In recent years there has been a rapid growth in China, which now accounts for approximately a quarter of the global certifications.
| Rank | Country | No. of certificates |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | 257,076 |
| 2 | Italy | 130,066 |
| 3 | Japan | 68,484 |
| 4 | Spain | 59,576 |
| 5 | Russian Federation | 53,152 |
| 6 | Germany | 47,156 |
| 7 | United Kingdom | 41,193 |
| 8 | India | 37,493 |
| 9 | USA | 28,935 |
| 10 | Korea, Republic of | 23,400 |
Contents of ISO 9001
ISO 9001:2008 Quality management systems — Requirements is a document of approximately 30 pages which is available from the national standards organization in each country. It is supplemented by two other standards, ISO 9000:2005 Quality management systems — Fundamentals and vocabulary and ISO 9004:2009 Managing for the sustained success of an organization — A quality management approach, which do not contain specific requirements and are not used directly in certification. Outline contents for ISO 9001 are as follows:- Page iv: Foreword
- Pages v to vii: Section 0 Intro
- Pages 1 to 14: Requirements
- Section 1: Scope
- Section 2: Normative Reference
- Section 3: Terms and definitions (specific to ISO 9001, not specified in ISO 9000)
- Pages 2 to 14 132 1
- Section 4: Quality Management System
- Section 5: Management Responsibility
- Section 6: Resource Management
- Section 7: Product Realization
- Section 8: Measurement, analysis and improvement
In effect, users need to address all sections 1 to 8, but only 4 to 8 need implementing within a QMS.
- Pages 15 to 22: Tables of Correspondence between ISO 9001 and other standards
- Page 23: Bibliography
The standard specifies six compulsory documents:
- Control of Documents (4.2.3)
- Control of Records (4.2.4)
- Internal Audits (8.2.2)
- Control of Nonconforming Product / Service (8.3)
- Corrective Action (8.5.2)
- Preventive Action (8.5.3)
In addition to these, ISO 9001:2008 requires a quality policy
Quality policy
In quality management a quality policy is a document jointly developed by management and quality experts to express the quality objectives of the organization, the acceptable level of quality and the duties of specific departments to ensure quality...
and Quality Manual (which may or may not include the above documents).
Summary of ISO 9001:2008 in informal language
- The quality policy is a formal statement from management, closely linked to the business and marketing plan and to customer needs.
- The quality policy is understood and followed at all levels and by all employees. Each employee works towards measurable objectives.
- The business makes decisions about the quality system based on recorded data.
- The quality system is regularly audited and evaluated for conformance and effectiveness.
- Records show how and where raw materials and products were processed to allow products and problems to be traced to the source.
- The business determines customer requirements.
- The business has created systems for communicating with customers about product information, inquiries, contracts, orders, feedback, and complaints.
- When developing new products, the business plans the stages of development, with appropriate testing at each stage. It tests and documents whether the product meets design requirements, regulatory requirements, and user needs.
- The business regularly reviews performance through internal audits and meetings. The business determines whether the quality system is working and what improvements can be made. It has a documented procedure for internal audits.
- The business deals with past problems and potential problems. It keeps records of these activities and the resulting decisions, and monitors their effectiveness.
- The business has documented procedures for dealing with actual and potential nonconformances (problems involving suppliers, customers, or internal problems).
- The business (1) makes sure no one uses a bad product, (2) determines what to do with 'a' bad product, (3) deals with the root cause of problems, and (4) keeps records to use as a tool to improve the system.
Certification
ISOInternational Organization for Standardization
The International Organization for Standardization , widely known as ISO, is an international standard-setting body composed of representatives from various national standards organizations. Founded on February 23, 1947, the organization promulgates worldwide proprietary, industrial and commercial...
does not itself certify organizations. Many countries have formed accreditation bodies to authorize certification bodies, which audit organizations applying for ISO 9001 compliance certification. Although commonly referred to as ISO 9000:2000 certification, the actual standard to which an organization's quality management can be certified is ISO 9001:2008. Both the accreditation bodies and the certification bodies charge fees for their services. The various accreditation bodies have mutual agreements with each other to ensure that certificates issued by one of the Accredited Certification Bodies (CB) are accepted worldwide.
The applying organization is assessed based on an extensive sample of its sites, functions, products, services, and processes. A list of problems ("action requests" or "non-compliance") is first made known to management. If there are no major problems on this list, or after it receives a satisfactory improvement plan from the management showing how any problems will be resolved, the certification body will issue an ISO 9001 certificate. The certificate is limited by a certain scope (e.g. production of golf balls) and names the locations covered.
An ISO certificate is not a once-and-for-all award, but must be renewed at regular intervals recommended by the certification body, usually around three years. There are no grades of competence within ISO 9001: either a company is certified (meaning that it is committed to the method and model of quality management described in the standard) or it is not. In this respect, ISO certification contrasts with measurement-based quality systems such as the Capability Maturity Model
Capability Maturity Model
The Capability Maturity Model is a development model that was created after study of data collected from organizations that contracted with the U.S. Department of Defense, who funded the research. This model became the foundation from which CMU created the Software Engineering Institute...
.
1987 version
ISO 9000:1987 had the same structure as the UK Standard BS 5750, with three 'models' for quality management systems, the selection of which was based on the scope of activities of the organization:- ISO 9001:1987 Model for quality assurance in design, development, production, installation, and servicing was for companies and organizations whose activities included the creation of new products.
- ISO 9002:1987 Model for quality assurance in production, installation, and servicing had basically the same material as ISO 9001 but without covering the creation of new products.
- ISO 9003:1987 Model for quality assurance in final inspection and test covered only the final inspection of finished product, with no concern for how the product was produced.
ISO 9000:1987 was also influenced by existing U.S. and other Defense Standard
Defense Standard
A United States defense standard, often called a military standard, "MIL-STD", "MIL-SPEC", or "MilSpecs", is used to help achieve standardization objectives by the U.S...
s ("MIL SPECS"), and so was well-suited to manufacturing. The emphasis tended to be placed on conformance with procedures rather than the overall process of management, which was likely the actual intent.
1994 version
ISO 9000:1994 emphasized quality assuranceQuality Assurance
Quality assurance, or QA for short, is the systematic monitoring and evaluation of the various aspects of a project, service or facility to maximize the probability that minimum standards of quality are being attained by the production process...
via preventive actions, instead of just checking final product, and continued to require evidence of compliance with documented procedures. As with the first edition, the down-side was that companies tended to implement its requirements by creating shelf-loads of procedure manuals, and becoming burdened with an ISO bureaucracy. In some companies, adapting and improving processes could actually be impeded by the quality system.
2000 version
ISO 9001:2000 combined the three standards—9001, 9002, and 9003—into one, called 9001. Design and development procedures were required only if a company does in fact engage in the creation of new products. The 2000 version sought to make a radical change in thinking by actually placing the concept of process managementProcess management
Process management is the ensemble of activities of planning and monitoring the performance of a process. The term usually refers to the management of business processes and manufacturing processes...
front and center ("Process management" was the monitoring and optimisation of a company's tasks and activities, instead of just inspection of the final product). The 2000 version also demanded involvement by upper executives in order to integrate quality into the business system and avoid delegation of quality functions to junior administrators. Another goal was to improve effectiveness via process performance metrics: numerical measurement of the effectiveness of tasks and activities. Expectations of continual process improvement
Process improvement
In organizational development , process improvement is a series of actions taken by a process owner to identify, analyze and improve existing business processes within an organization to meet new goals and objectives. These actions often follow a specific methodology or strategy to create...
and tracking customer satisfaction were made explicit.
The ISO 9000 standard is continually being revised by standing technical committees and advisory groups, who receive feedback from those professionals who are implementing the standard.http://iso9001-consultant.co.uk/
ISO 9001:2008 only introduced clarifications to the existing requirements of ISO 9001:2000 and some changes intended to improve consistency with ISO 14001:2004. There were no new requirements. For example, in ISO 9001:2008, a quality management system being upgraded just needs to be checked to see if it is following the clarifications introduced in the amended version.
Auditing
Two types of auditing are required to become registered to the standard: auditing by an external certification body (external audit) and audits by internal staff trained for this process (internal auditInternal audit
Internal auditing is an independent, objective assurance and consulting activity designed to add value and improve an organization's operations. It helps an organization accomplish its objectives by bringing a systematic, disciplined approach to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of risk...
s). The aim is a continual process of review and assessment to verify that the system is working as it is supposed to; to find out where it can improve; and to correct or prevent problems identified. It is considered healthier for internal auditors to audit outside their usual management line, so as to bring a degree of independence to their judgments.
Under the 1994 standard, the auditing process could be adequately addressed by performing "compliance auditing":
- Tell me what you do (describe the business process)
- Show me where it says that (reference the procedure manuals)
- Prove that this is what happened (exhibit evidence in documented records)
The 2000 standard uses a different approach. Auditors are expected to go beyond mere auditing for rote compliance by focusing on risk, status, and importance. This means they are expected to make more judgments on what is effective, rather than merely adhering to what is formally prescribed. The difference from the previous standard can be explained thus:
- Under the 1994 version, the question was broad: "Are you doing what the manual says you should be doing?", whereas under the 2000 version, the questions are more specific: "Will this process help you achieve your stated objectives? Is it a good process or is there a way to do it better?"
Industry-specific interpretations
The ISO 9001 standard is generalized and abstract; its parts must be carefully interpreted to make sense within a particular organization. Developing softwareSoftware development process
A software development process, also known as a software development life cycle , is a structure imposed on the development of a software product. Similar terms include software life cycle and software process. It is often considered a subset of systems development life cycle...
is not like making cheese
Cheese
Cheese is a generic term for a diverse group of milk-based food products. Cheese is produced throughout the world in wide-ranging flavors, textures, and forms....
or offering counseling services, yet the ISO 9001 guidelines, because they are business management guidelines, can be applied to each of these. Diverse organizations—police departments (US), professional soccer teams (Mexico) and city councils (UK)—have successfully implemented ISO 9001:2000 systems.
Over time, various industry sectors have wanted to standardize their interpretations of the guidelines within their own marketplace. This is partly to ensure that their versions of ISO 9000 have their specific requirements, but also to try and ensure that more appropriately trained and experienced auditors are sent to assess them.
- The TickITTickITTickIT is a quality-management certification program for software development, supported primarily by the United Kingdom and Swedish software industries through UKAS and SWEDAC respectively....
guidelines are an interpretation of ISO 9000 produced by the UK Board of Trade to suit the processes of the information technology industry, especially software development. - AS9000AS9000AS9000, Aerospace Basic Quality System Standard, was developed by a group of US aerospace prime contractors, including Allied-Signal. Allison Engine Company, Boeing, General Electric Aircraft Engines, Lockheed Martin. McDonnell Douglas, Northrop Grumman, Pratt Whitney, Rockwell Collins, Sikorsky...
is the Aerospace Basic Quality System Standard, an interpretation developed by major aerospace manufacturers. Those major manufacturers include AlliedSignal, Allison Engine, Boeing, General Electric Aircraft Engines, Lockheed-Martin, McDonnell Douglas, Northrop Grumman, Pratt & Whitney, Rockwell-Collins, Sikorsky Aircraft, and Sundstrand. The current version is AS9100AS9100AS9100 is a widely adopted and standardized quality management system for the aerospace industry.It was released in October, 1999, by the Society of Automotive Engineers and the European Association of Aerospace Industries....
. - PS 9000 * QS 9000 is an interpretation agreed upon by major automotive manufacturers (GM, Ford, Chrysler). It includes techniques such as FMEAFailure mode and effects analysisA failure modes and effects analysis is a procedure in product development and operations management for analysis of potential failure modes within a system for classification by the severity and likelihood of the failures...
and APQPAdvanced Product Quality PlanningAdvanced product quality planning is a framework of procedures and techniques used to develop products in industry, particularly the automotive industry. It is quite similar to the concept of Design For Six Sigma ....
. QS 9000 is now replaced by ISO/TS 16949. - ISO/TS 16949:2009 is an interpretation agreed upon by major automotive manufacturers (American and European manufacturers); the latest version is based on ISO 9001:2008. The emphasis on a process approach is stronger than in ISO 9001:2008. ISO/TS 16949:2009 contains the full text of ISO 9001:2008 and automotive industry-specific requirements.
- TL 9000TL 9000TL 9000 is a quality management practice designed by the QuEST Forum in 1998. It was created to focus on supply chain directives throughout the international telecommunications industry, including the USA domestically...
is the Telecom Quality Management and Measurement System Standard, an interpretation developed by the telecom consortium, QuEST Forum. The current version is 5.0; unlike ISO 9001 or other sector standards, TL 9000 includes standardized product measurements that can be benchmarked. In 1998 QuEST Forum developed the TL 9000 Quality Management System to meet the supply chain quality requirements of the worldwide telecommunications industry. - ISO 13485:2003 is the medical industry's equivalent of ISO 9001:2000. Whereas the standards it replaces were interpretations of how to apply ISO 9001 and ISO 9002 to medical devices, ISO 13485:2003 is a stand-alone standard. Compliance with ISO 13485 does not necessarily mean compliance with ISO 9001:2000.
- ISO/IEC 90003:2004 provides guidelines for the application of ISO 9001:2000 to computer software.
- ISO/TS 29001 is quality management system requirements for the design, development, production, installation, and service of products for the petroleum, petrochemical, and natural gas industries. It is equivalent to API Spec Q1 without the Monogram annex.
Effectiveness
The debate on the effectiveness of ISO 9000 commonly centers on the following questions:- Are the quality principles in ISO 9001:2000 of value? (Note that the version date is important; in the 2000 version ISO attempted to address many concerns and criticisms of ISO 9000:1994).
- Does it help to implement an ISO 9001:2000-compliant quality management system?
- Does it help to obtain ISO 9001:2000 certification?
Effectiveness of the ISO system being implemented depends on a number of factors, the most significant of which are:
- Commitment of senior management to monitor, control, and improve quality. Organizations that implement an ISO system without this desire and commitment often take the cheapest road to get a certificate on the wall and ignore problem areas uncovered in the audits.
- How well the ISO system integrates into current business practices. Many organizations that implement ISO try to make their system fit into a cookie-cutter quality manual instead of creating a manual that documents existing practices and only adds new processes to meet the ISO standard when necessary.
- How well the ISO system focuses on improving the customer experience. The broadest definition of quality is "Whatever the customer perceives good quality to be." This means that a company doesn't necessarily have to make a product that never fails; some customers will have a higher tolerance for product failures if they always receive shipments on-time or have a positive experience in some other dimension of customer service. An ISO system should take into account all areas of the customer experience and the industry expectations, and seek to improve them on a continual basis. This means taking into account all processes that deal with the three stakeholders (customers, suppliers, and organization); only then will a company be able to sustain improvements in the customer's experience.
- How well the auditor finds and communicates areas of improvement. While ISO auditors may not provide consulting to the clients they audit, there is the potential for auditors to point out areas of improvement. Many auditors simply rely on submitting reports that indicate compliance or non-compliance with the appropriate section of the standard; however, to most executives, this is like speaking a foreign language. Auditors that can clearly identify and communicate areas of improvement in language and terms executive management understands facilitate action on improvement initiatives by the companies they audit. When management doesn't understand why they were non-compliant and the business implications associated with non-compliance, they simply ignore the reports and focus on what they do understand.
Advantages
It is widely acknowledged that proper quality management improves business, often having a positive effect on investment, market share, sales growth, sales margins, competitive advantage, and avoidance of litigation. The quality principles in ISO 9000:2000 are also sound, according to Wade and also to Barnes, who says that "ISO 9000 guidelines provide a comprehensive model for quality management systems that can make any company competitive." Implementing ISO often gives the following advantages:- Creates a more efficient, effective operation
- Increases customer satisfaction and retention
- Reduces audits
- Enhances marketing
- Improves employee motivation, awareness, and morale
- Promotes international trade
- Increases profit
- Reduces waste and increases productivity.
Problems
A common criticism of ISO 9001 is the amount of money, time, and paperwork required for registration. According to Barnes, "Opponents claim that it is only for documentation. Proponents believe that if a company has documented its quality systems, then most of the paperwork has already been completed." Wilson suggests that ISO standards "... elevate inspection of the correct procedures over broader aspects of quality," and therefore, "the workplace becomes oppressive and quality is not improved."According to Seddon, ISO 9001 promotes specification, control, and procedures rather than understanding and improvement. Wade argues that ISO 9000 is effective as a guideline, but that promoting it as a standard "helps to mislead companies into thinking that certification means better quality, ... [undermining] the need for an organization to set its own quality standards." Paraphrased, Wade's argument is that reliance on the specifications of ISO 9001 does not guarantee a successful quality system.
The standard is seen as especially prone to failure when a company is interested in certification before quality. Certifications are in fact often based on customer contractual requirements rather than a desire to actually improve quality. "If you just want the certificate on the wall, chances are you will create a paper system that doesn't have much to do with the way you actually run your business," said ISO's Roger Frost. Certification by an independent auditor is often seen as the problem area, and according to Barnes, "has become a vehicle to increase consulting services." In fact, ISO itself advises that ISO 9001 can be implemented without certification, simply for the quality benefits that can be achieved.
Abrahamson argues that fashionable management discourse such as Quality Circles tends to follow a lifecycle
Enterprise Life Cycle
Enterprise Life Cycle in enterprise architecture is the dynamic, iterative process of changing the enterprise over time by incorporating new business processes, new technology, and new capabilities, as well as maintenance, disposition and disposal of existing elements of the enterprise.- Overview...
in the form of a bell curve, possibly indicating a management fad
Management fad
The term management fad is used to characterize a change in philosophy or operations that sweeps through businesses and institutions. Some fads may become established aspects of business, sustaining themselves over several years...
.
See also
- Conformity assessmentConformity assessmentConformity assessment, also known as compliance assessment , , , is any activity to determine, directly or indirectly, that a process, product, or service meets relevant technical standards and fulfills relevant requirements....
—Containing ISOInternational Organization for StandardizationThe International Organization for Standardization , widely known as ISO, is an international standard-setting body composed of representatives from various national standards organizations. Founded on February 23, 1947, the organization promulgates worldwide proprietary, industrial and commercial...
published standards - ISO 10006ISO 10006ISO 10006:2003, Quality management systems - Guidelines for quality management in projects, is an international standard developed by the International Organization for Standardization....
—Quality management—Guidelines to quality management in projects - ISO 14001—Environmental management standards
- ISO 19011ISO 19011ISO 19011 is an international standard that sets forth guidelines for:*quality management systems auditing*environmental management systems auditingIt is developed by the International Organization for Standardization....
—Guidelines for quality management systems auditing and environmental management systems auditing - ISO/TS 16949—Quality management system requirements for automotive-related products suppliers
- ISO/IEC 27001ISO/IEC 27001ISO/IEC 27001, part of the growing ISO/IEC 27000 family of standards, is an Information Security Management System standard published in October 2005 by the International Organization for Standardization and the International Electrotechnical Commission...
—Information security management - ISO 39001ISO 39001The ISO 39001 "Road Traffic Safety Management" is an upcoming ISO standard for a management system for road traffic safety...
—Road traffic safety management - AS 9100 - aerospace industry implementation of ISO 9000/1
- List of ISO standards
- Quality management systemQuality management systemA quality management system can be expressed as the organizational structure, procedures, processes and resources needed to implement quality management.-Elements of a Quality Management System:# Organizational structure# Responsibilities# Methods...
- Test managementTest managementTest management is the activity of managing some tests. A test management tool is software used to manage tests that have been previously specified. It is often associated with automation software...
- Verification and ValidationVerification and ValidationIn software project management, software testing, and software engineering, verification and validation is the process of checking that a software system meets specifications and that it fulfills its intended purpose...
Further reading
- Bamford, Robert; Deibler, William (2003). ISO 9001: 2000 for Software and Systems Providers: An Engineering Approach (1st ed.). CRC-Press. ISBN 0849320631, ISBN 978-0849320637
- Naveh. E., Marcus, A. (2004). "When does ISO 9000 Quality Assurance standard lead to performance improvement?", IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, 51(3), 352–363.
- http://www.iso.org/iso/survey2007.pdf - An abstract of the 2007's ISO survey of certificates.
- http://www.iso.org/iso/survey2008.pdf - An abstract of the 2008's ISO survey of certificates.
External links
- ISO 9001 overview: British Standards Institution
- http://www.iasiso.comIntegrated Assessment.
- ISO Management and leadership standards.
- International Organization for Standardization.
- FAQs on ISO 9000 - General
- FAQs on ISO 9001 - General
- ISO's Technical Committee 176 on Quality Management and Quality Assurance.
- Technical Committee No. 176, Sub-committee No. 2, which is responsible for developing ISO 9000 standards.
- Basic info on ISO 9000 development.
- ISO 9000 FAQs.