ISO 9001 Consulting, Training
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ISO 9001 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

(For an in-depth understanding of the ISO 9001 standard, read our free e-book Understanding ISO 9001:2008)

1.0 What are ISO 9000 Quality Management Standards?

2.0 What are the ISO 9000 family of standards?

3.0 Who does ISO 9001:2000 apply to?

4.0 What are the benefits of implementing an effective QMS based on the ISO 9001:2000 standard?

5.0 Why is ISO 9001 Important?

6.0 What are ISO 9001:2000 requirements?

7.0 How and why is the ISO 9001:2008 standard generic?

8.0 What is Quality management?

9.0 How can ISO 9001 help you select and manage a supplier?

10.0 How can you have confidence that your supplier meets ISO 9001:2000?

11.0 Does ISO 9001:2008 certification ensure you get quality product on a consistent basis from your suppliers?

12.0 How should you handle a complaint with your supplier?

13.0 What is ISO 9001 Certification?

14.0 What is Accreditation?

1. What are ISO 9000 Quality Management Standards?
The ISO 9000 standards are internationally recognized management concepts, principles and practices that have been formalized into a set of standardized requirements for a quality management system (QMS). These standardized requirements define controls that focus on improving an organization’s ability to deliver products or services that:

Consistently meet customer’s quality requirements
Meet applicable regulatory requirements
Enhance customer satisfaction
Achieve continual improvement of its performance in pursuit of these objectives.

The ISO 9001 standard focuses on improving an organization’s management sytem and processes. It does not specify any requirements for product or service quality. Customers typically set product and service quality requirements. However, the expectation is that an organization with an effective ISO 9001 based QMS will indeed improve it’s ability to meet customer and regulatory requirements.

ISO 9001requirements are complementary to contractual and applicable regulatory requirements. Those implementing a QMS conforming to ISO 9001 must ensure that the specific requirements of their customers and regulatory agencies are met.

2.0 What are the ISO 9000 family of standards?
The ISO 9000 QMS series comprise the following three documents:

ISO 9000:2005 Quality management systems - Fundamentals and vocabulary. This is a guidance document that defines the concepts, principles, terms, definitions and relationships that form the basis for quality management.
ISO 9001:2008 Quality management systems - Requirements. This document is the standard that defines a generic set of requirements for organizations wishing to develop a quality management system.This is the only standard to which an organization may obtain certification. Because requirements are generic and not specific, organizations have flexibility in tailoring their quality management systems to fit their business, culture and risks. To get an in-depth understanding of this key standard, read this free eBookUnderstanding ISO 9001:2000.
ISO 9004:2000 Quality management systems - Guidelines for performance improvements. As the title indicates, this is a guidance document for organizations wishing to move beyond the requirements of ISO 9001, in pursuit of continual improvement of overall business performance. Its use is not intended for certification or contractual purposes.

3.0 Who does ISO 9001 apply to?
The ISO 9001 standard is generic and meant to be applied to all organizations, without regard to their business, size, profit or no-profit, or whether in the private, or public sector.

In the past few years, industry groups have developed sector specific applications of the ISO 9001 standard. These include the automotive, aerospace, environmental, telecommunications, health and safety, etc. All these sector-specific standards incorporate the full requirements of ISO 9001 as their foundation and then add new requirements or amplify ISO requirements.

4.0 What are the benefits of implementing aneffective QMS based on the ISO 9001 standard?

Benefits include:

External

Improves customer confidence and satisfaction in an organization’s QMS capability and consistency in meeting requirements.
Improves conformity to quality requirements
Increases competitive edge and market share
Increasingly recognized as a requirement for contractual relationships in the global arena.

Internal

Improves business efficiency and productivity
Reduces organizational waste, inefficiencies, and defects
Facilitates continual improvement in business processes and customer satisfaction
Improves process consistency and stability
Facilitates employee competence and consistency of performance
Improves employee motivation and empowerment through improved participation
communication and interaction
Generates objective evidence to support the assessment of QMS conformity and effectiveness
Improves supplier performance by developing relationships that foster cooperative interaction in understanding and fulfilling customer requirements.