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About ISO 9000:2000

Environmental Management Systems (EMS) - ISO 14000

Quality Management Systems
(QMS) 

ISO 9000:2000 is a management system standard that grew out of a number of individual country standards in the 1980's. Prior to that time, the standards that were used in Canada were called Z299 Standards. ISO 9000 was first issued in 1987. It was revised in 1994 and more recently in 2000. It has become the common standard of management in every major serious trading country in the world. An ISO 9000:2000 system will reduce costs, increase business efficiency, reduce waste and will establish a clear set of guidelines and processes for all employees.

An ISO management system is defined as a collection of capital, people, processes and procedures which, when taken together, will ensure that quality requirements are met and that customers will be satisfied. The proper terminology for such a system is a "quality management system or QMS" since the audited process measures quality and its change.

The following ISO Standards and their applications currently apply:

ISO 9000:2000 - 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 are needed to avoid misunderstandings in their use.

ISO 9001:2000 - Requirements for design, development, production, installation and servicing

This is the requirement standard used to assess the ability to meet customer and applicable regulatory requirements and thereby address customer satisfaction requirements.

ISO 9001:2000 is now the only standard in the ISO 9000 family against which third-party certification can be carried out.

ISO 9002:2000 - Production and installation QMS only

This standard is limited to quality management in production and installation.  Both include contract review, document control, purchasing, process control, handling, storage, packaging and delivery, training and internal quality audits.

ISO 9003:2000 - Supplier guidelines

This covers quality assurance obligations of the supplier in the areas of final inspection and testing, assessment and registration procedures

ISO 9004:2000 - Guidelines for performance improvement

This guideline standard provides guidance for continual improvement of a quality management system that will benefit all parties through sustained customer satisfaction

Quality in management is not like quality in a fresh apple. Quality in management is not about goodness or attraction. In ISO 9000:2000 terms it is all about how performance, price and/or delivery conform to pre-determined and well-defined terms.

A quality management system provides the means and methodology that allows a company to plan the delivery of a quality good or service to customers by providing everyone involved with the training and techniques needed to do just that. The processes and methods that are put in place to co-ordinate design, materials purchasing, production, delivery and order handling are only a few in a manufacturing facility that form part of an effective quality management system.

The ISO 9000:2000 system used to achieve this end has been adopted because it works and because it is effective in improving quality and the bottom line.