ISO 9000
ISO 9000 is a family of International Standards that specify various elements of "quality management".
Everyone may have a slightly different idea as to what "quality" is, but in the standard the definition refers to all those features of a product or service which are required by the customer.
"Quality Management" means what the organization does to ensure that its products or services satisfy the customer's quality requirements and comply with any regulations applicable to those products or services.
Used together the standards form a coherent quality management system (QMS), although they can also be used independently.
- ISO 9000 describes fundamentals of a QMS, which form the basis of the ISO 9000 family, and defines related terms;
- ISO 9001 assists an organisation effectively manage its business and meet its customers' requirements. It helps any organization to succeed through improved customer satisfaction, staff motivation and continual improvement;
- ISO 9004 assists an organisation to implement continuous improvement after initial ISO 9001 implementation;
- TickIT uses ISO 9001 for 'Software Quality Management System Construction, Certification and Continuous Improvement'.
ISO 9001 follows the Deming Cycle for continuous improvement;
ISO 9001specifies requirements for a QMS where an organization:
- aims to enhance customer satisfaction through the effective application of the system
- needs to demonstrate its ability to consistently provide product that meets customer requirements
- needs to demonstrate its ability to consistently provide product that meets applicable regulatory requirements
This includes processes for continual improvement of the system and the assurance of conformity and applicable regulatory requirements.
International Standards can be purchased from the British Standards Institutive Shop (BSi)