ISO has just published an attractive new paper edition of its popular brochure of advice for managers,
Selection and use of the ISO 9000 family of standards.
ISO Secretary-General Rob Steele comments: "With an estimated one million users worldwide, ISO 9001 tends to overshadow
the rest of the ISO 9000 family and that means lost opportunities because integrated use of these standards can multiply the
benefits for organizations and their customers. This new edition of the Selection and use brochure will give managers
ideas on how to achieve such benefits."
The brochure includes concise examples of the integrated use of ISO 9000 family standards in the following manufacturing
or service organizations:
• A metal parts fabricating company
• A welfare agency
• An electrical appliance manufacturer
•
A chemical processing company
• A firm of international lawyers
• A computer software developer
•
A bank
• A franchise organization.
It provides an overview of the standards in the ISO 9000 family and demonstrates how, collectively, they form a basis for
continual improvement and business excellence. In addition to the user examples, it includes sections on the following topics:
• A description of the ISO 9000 core series standards
• A step-by-step process for implementing a quality
management system
• Maintaining benefits and continual improvement
• The future of the ISO 9000 family.
The brochure has been authored by ISO technical committee ISO/TC 176, Quality management and quality assurance,
which is responsible for developing and maintaining the ISO 9000 family. The best known standard in the family is ISO 9001,
which specifies the basic requirements for a quality management system that an organization must fulfil to demonstrate its
ability to consistently provide products (which include services) that enhance customer satisfaction and meet applicable statutory
and regulatory requirements. The standard can be used for certification by organizations seeking independent verification
that their quality management system meets the requirements of ISO 9001. ISO 9001 certificates of conformity have been issued
to public and private sector organizations of all types in some 170 countries.
The family currently consists of 17 international quality management standards and guidelines (plus a corrigendum). As
a whole, the ISO 9000 family forms a strong base for establishing effective and efficient quality management systems.
The ISO/TC 176 authors advise managers: " You will obtain the greatest value by using the entire family of standards in
an integrated manner. It is highly recommended that you use ISO 9000 to become familiar with the basic concepts and the language
used before you adopt ISO 9001 to achieve a first level of performance.
“The practices described in ISO 9004 may then be implemented to make your quality management system more effective
and efficient in achieving your business goals and objectives.
“The ISO 9001 and ISO 9004 standards have been written to enable you to relate them to other management systems (e.g.
environmental), or to sector specific requirements (such as ISO/TS 16949 in the automotive industry) and to assist you in
gaining recognition through national or regional award programmes."
