What ISO 9000 Means to You

No doubt you have seen ads with an ISO 9001:2000 logo. Take a look at any one of the A1 Teletronics ads and you will see it, usually on the bottom right. It is an inconspicuous little logo but it means a lot to us, and it should to you too.

It is a sign that a company is continuing to manage their business so as to provide you with consistent top quality goods and services. It indicates that they have applied a systematic approach to quality management that will benefit you.

ISO is a network of national standards institutes from 153 countries. Because so many countries are involved, they have settled on the name ISO, from the Greek word isos, meaning equal. All over the world the program is known as ISO.

The specific ISO 9001:2000 standard provides a methodology for the management of an organization’s Quality Management System (QMS).

The ISO organization, managed from Switzerland, provides standards for everything from environmental issues, to electronics and telecommunications, to quality management systems. A number of independent auditors around the world monitor the compliance process. In order to be ISO certified, an organization must pay an independent auditor to come in and monitor their processes on a regular basis. Additional internal audits are also required.

Neither the ISO organization nor the auditors provide the Quality Management System. They merely guide the organization in implementing it. The business itself must determine what affects the quality of their products. They must also be able to identify the sources of variability in quality. An important part of the process is extensive data gathering. The data is systematically reviewed to determine if any changes need to be made. The change process is also a rigorous, well documented procedure ensuring that changes result in the desired effect. All this benefits the customer.

The process is not a guarantee that no errors will occur. However, when one does, it is thoroughly documented and a search ensues for a root cause. If appropriate, new procedures are put into place to ensure the same thing does not happen again.

Some organizations will advertise ISO compliance. This is not to be confused with ISO Certification. While compliance indicates that they have a quality management system in place, they have not gone through the rigors of becoming certified. An ISO Certified business has invested time and money in making sure that their customers consistently get what they want.

This should matter to you as a customer.

For additional information about ISO, go to www.iso.org.