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ISO 9000 is a series of international standards that deals with quality systems that are used to ensure that the customers receive what they are expecting to receive. It sets the standards and provides guidelines on how to implement a quality management system. It was revised in December 2000 with the updated standard referred to as ISO 9000:2000.
ISO 9001:2000 is the requirement standard and its main objective is to focus organizations on achieving their quality requirements, fulfilling applicable regulatory requirements, enhancing customer satisfaction and having a system for achieving continuous improvements in reaching their objectives.
ISO 9001:2000 includes the following main sections:
- Quality Management System: An organization needs to establish its processes, determine how the processes interact, what resources are required to maintain them and how they are measured and improved. When this has been done then a system for controlling the documentation and the quality manual has to be developed
- Management Responsibility: Senior management in the organization needs to be familiar with this section as it is they who are responsible for setting policy, objectives, reviewing the systems and promoting the effectiveness of the systems within their organization
- Resource Management: The organization needs to allocate the necessary resources to ensure that the customer receives what has been agreed. It covers people, equipment, premises and support services
- Product Realisation: These are the required processes to produce and deliver the products and/or services. Activities such as receiving instructions from customers, designing and developing the products, purchasing the materials and services and, finally, the delivery are included.
- Measurement Analysis and Improvement: This covers the process of measuring product performance against the quality standards, customer satisfaction, the effectiveness of the management systems and ensuring continual improvement of the systems
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