2.3 The ISO 9000 series
This is a series of standards that addresses organisational structures, management procedures and work processes such that the customer is assured that certain standards of quality are being met through documentation of policies and procedures. Nowhere does the standard indicate achieving a quality higher than necessary.
The following table, taken from the ISO website, explains the numbering and context of each of the component standards in the ISO 9000 family.
Table 2.1: The ISO series
Standards and guidelines |
Purpose |
ISO 9000:2000, Quality management systems - Fundamentals and vocabulary |
Establishes a starting point for understanding the standards and defines the fundamental terms and definitions used in the ISO 9000 family which you need to avoid misunderstandings in their use. |
ISO 9001:2000, Quality management systems - Requirements |
This is the requirement standard you use to assess your ability to meet customer and applicable regulatory requirements and thereby address customer satisfaction. It is now the only standard in the ISO 9000 family against which third-party certification can be carried. |
ISO 9004:2000, Quality management systems - Guidelines for performance improvements |
This guideline standard provides guidance for continual improvement of your quality management system to benefit all parties through sustained customer satisfaction. |
ISO 19011, Guidelines on Quality and/or Environmental Management Systems Auditing (currently under development) |
Provides you with guidelines for verifying the system's ability to achieve defined quality objectives. You can use this standard internally or for auditing your suppliers. |
ISO 10005:1995, Quality management - Guidelines for quality plans |
Provides guidelines to assist in the preparation, review, acceptance and revision of quality plans. |
ISO 10006:1997, Quality management - Guidelines to quality in project management |
Guidelines to help you ensure the quality of both the project processes and the project products. |
ISO 10007:1995, Quality management - Guidelines for configuration management |
Gives you guidelines to ensure that a complex product continues to function when components are changed individually. |
ISO/DIS 10012, Quality assurance requirements for measuring equipment - Part 1: Metrological confirmation system for measuring equipment |
Give you guidelines on the main features of a calibration system to ensure that measurements are made with the intended accuracy. |
ISO 10012-2:1997, Quality assurance for measuring equipment - Part 2: Guidelines for control of measurement of processes |
Provides supplementary guidance on the application of statistical process control when this is appropriate for achieving the objectives of Part 1. |
ISO 10013:1995, Guidelines for developing quality manuals |
Provides guidelines for the development, and maintenance of quality manuals, tailored to your specific needs. |
ISO/TR 10014:1998, Guidelines for managing the economics of quality |
Provides guidance on how to achieve economic benefits from the application of quality management. |
Table 2.1 (cont'd)
ISO 10015:1999, Quality management - Guidelines for training |
Provides guidance on the development, implementation, maintenance and improvement of strategies and systems for training that affects the quality of products. |
ISO/TS 16949:1999, Quality systems - Automotive suppliers - Particular requirements for the application of ISO 9001:1994 |
Sector specific guidance to the application of ISO 9001 in the automotive industry. |
Source : http://www.iso.ch/iso/en/iso9000-14000/iso9000/selection_use/iso9000family.html
The ISO 9000 is based upon eight principles of management, which are expected to guide organisations towards improved performance. It is important to note that the first principle is customer focus. In the other principles, we see a focus on processes and people. Reading 2.1 details these principles.
Reading 2.1
"Quality management principles", which has been downloaded from the web site of the International Organization for Standardization.
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