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ISO 9001:2000

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ISO 9000 QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (QMS)

ISO 9001 is a quality management system standard created by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), a federation of 132 national standards bodies. The ISO 9001 quality management systems (QMS) standards are not specific to products or services, but apply to the processes that create them. The standards are generic in nature so that they can be used by manufacturing and service industries anywhere in the world. First released in 1987 and revised in a limited manner in 1994, they underwent a major overhaul in 2000.

The most important revised standard, ISO 9001:2000, uses a simple process-based structure, which is more generic than the old 20-element structure of ISO 9001:1994, is consistent with the plan-do-check improvement cycle used in the ISO 14000 environmental management systems standards, and adopts the process management structure widely used in business today. ISO 9001:2000 addresses an organization’s quality management system requirements, in order to demonstrate its capability to meet customer requirements, and applies to all generic product categories, such as hardware, software, processed materials and services.

ISO 9001:2000 registration gives the organization the benefit of an objectively evaluated and enforced quality management system. It is a tangible expression of a firm’s commitment to quality that is internationally understood and accepted. ISO 9001:2000 registration is carried out by registrars, accredited organizations that review the organization’s quality manual and other documentation to ensure that they meet the standard, and audit the firm’s processes to ensure that the quality management system described in the documentation is in place and is effective.

TC 176 has been entrusted by the ISO Technical Management Board with the function of Auditor to all ISO/TCs in the application of quality management and quality assurance in their specific technologies to ensure the integrity of the generic quality system standards, and prevent proliferation of sector-specific ISO quality systems standards that may lead to fragmentation of the quality systems of companies in multiple assessments and thus to increased costs. For TC 176 information, see:

http://www.tc176.org/About176.asp

For more information on ISO 9001:2000:

http://www.asq.org/stand/types/iso9000.html

http://www.iso.ch/iso/en/iso9000-14000/iso9000/iso9000index.html