What is ISO 9001 2000?
ISO 9000 is a set of international standards for quality system management that
has been adopted by over 90 countries worldwide.
The ISO 9001 2000 standard applys to all types of organizations be they large or small, manufacturing
and service industries, software houses and hospitals etc.
The standards require:
|
A standard language for documenting quality practices. |
|
A system to track and manage evidence that these practices are instituted throughout the
organization. |
|
A third-party auditing model to review, certify and maintain certification of organizations. |
The ISO 9001 2000 uses the word "Product" to explain the output from your processes. The product from a
process can of course be a service such as the services of your doctor, solicitor bank manager etc. Or
it can be an actual physical product like a car or washing machine.
The standards are published in two booklets, each covering a specific area:
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ISO 9001 2000 - Quality Management Systems - Requirements |
|
ISO 9004 - Guidelines for Performance Improvements. |
Organizations choose the clauses of the ISO 9001 2000 standard which are applicable to their
operation, certain clauses are mandatory.
Selecting the appropriate clauses is an important decision
and if for example part of your product includes a design function then you must include this clause.
It is no longer acceptable to omit the design function from your registration.
Documentation is at the core of ISO 9001 2000 conformance. In fact, the standards have been described
as this:
"Say what you do. Do what you say. Write it down."
Though the latest version of the ISO 9001 2000 standard allows many process not to be documented you
must still be able to demonstrate control of your process. Where documentation is not employed control
is usually demonstrated with quality management system records.
This Article was Provided by a Driso Consultant.
Driso provide ISO 9001 2000
consultancy,
auditing,
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training
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