Quality Management Systems

ISO 9000 standard is a set of standards for Quality Management Systems that is accepted around the world. Currently more than 90 countries have adopted ISO 9000 standard as national standards. When you purchase a product or service from an organization that is registered to the appropriate ISO 9000 standard, you have important assurances that the quality of what you receive will be as you expect. In addition, with the year 2000 revision of the standard, quality objectives, continual improvement, and monitoring of customer satisfaction provide the customer with increased assurances that their needs and expectations will be met. The standard intended for Quality Management Systems assessment and registration is ISO 9001.  The standards apply uniformly to organizations of any size or description.

This article introduces the eight quality management principles on which the Quality Management Systems standards of the revised ISO 9000:2000 series are based. These principles can be used by senior management as a framework to guide their organizations towards improved performance. The principles are derived from the collective experience and knowledge of the international experts who participate in ISO Technical Committee ISO/TC 176, Quality Management Systems and quality assurance, which is responsible for developing and maintaining the ISO 9000 standards.

The eight quality management principles are defined in ISO 9000:2000, Quality Management Systems fundamentals and vocabulary, and in ISO 9004:2000, Quality Management Systems guidelines for performance improvements. This document gives the standardized descriptions of the principles as they appear in ISO 9000:2000 and ISO 9004:2000. In addition, it provides examples of the benefits derived from their use and of actions that managers typically take in applying the principles to improve their organizations' performance.

·         Principle 1 Customer focus

·         Principle 2 Leadership

·         Principle 3 Involvement of people

·         Principle 4 Process approach

·         Principle 5 System approach to management

·         Principle 6 Continual improvement

·         Principle 7 Factual approach to decision making

·         Principle 8 Mutually beneficial supplier relationships

Now let’s see why are the ISO 9000 standards so important? Many companies require their suppliers to become registered to ISO 9001 and because of this, registered companies find that their market opportunities have increased. In addition, a company's compliance with ISO 9001 insures that it has a sound Quality Management Systems and that's good business.

Registered companies have had dramatic reductions in customer complaints, significant reductions in operating costs and increased demand for their products and services. Other benefits can include better working conditions, increased market share, and increased profits.