Implementing a quality management such as ISO 9001:2008 requires transforming the culture. It will affect the entire company, not just the quality department. More people in the organization are affected by it than just the management representative, or the person spearheading the effort. Implementing a quality system to the point of certification and registration is a daunting task but is achievable with your current resources. Implementation times can vary but it can be accomplished. Quality Assurance Systems

Why implement a quality management system such as ISO 9001:2008 To understand why you would consider implementing a quality management system, let us understand the various quality management systems. There is the ISO 9001:2008 standard along with the industry specific standards such as ISO/TS 16949 (Automotive), TL 9000 (Telecommunications) and AS9100 (Aerospace).

The ISO 9000 standards cover all areas of control which has a potential to impact the degree of compliance of a product or service. The standard is not a cookie cutter quality system that means you will have the same quality system as your competitor, or customer. It means you will have quality systems that meet the minimum requirements but the details of how the requirements are met can vary dramatically.

ISO 9000 is a combination of three quality system standards, ISO 9000, ISO 9001 and ISO 9004. The ISO 9000 standard covers the concepts and vocabulary. The ISO 9004 standard is guideline for improvement. The ISO 9001 standard is for quality system requirements and is the only standard with requirements. ISO 9001:2008 means the ISO 9001 standard with the revision year of 2008. From this point forward when I reference the standard I am referring to the ISO 9001:2008 requirements standard.

When considering implementation of a quality system such as ISO 9001:2008 you should consider "why are you doing it?" Companies pursue quality system implementation for various reasons, to become better, their customer's are requesting it, they are having quality problems or they would like the recognition of being certified. In either scenario, the circumstances are different as will be the driving force to implement the quality management system. An organization should consider the benefits of having an ISO 9001:2008 quality system and are not concerned about flying the flag.

The ISO 9001:2008 quality system standard provides an organization with a solid quality management system to build upon and improve. The objective of the ISO 9001:2008 standard is to provide a guideline which enables an organization to deliver a consistent product or service that meets the customer's requirements and strive to enhance customer satisfaction. The requirements within the standard are developed for a company to maintain a predictable output from their key business processes and continually improve those processes. Quality Management System

What are the ISO 9000 standards? We discussed this previously; ISO 9000 is a combination of three quality system standards, ISO 9000, ISO 9001 and ISO 9004. The ISO 9000 standard covers the concepts and vocabulary. The ISO 9004 standard is guideline for improvement. The ISO 9001 standard is for quality system requirements and is the only auditable standard.

The ISO 9000 standards are internationally recognized. They are developed, maintained and revised by the International Organization for Standardization or ISO. ISO maintains thousands of standards. The ISO 9000 standards deal with quality management. You may have heard of ISO 14000 which deals with environmental management.