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.
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