1.4 ISO 9000 family ofstandards
19
to a number of study groups. The ITU has recently introduced an "Alternate Approval Procedure" that enables a standardisation procedure as fast as nine months between the start with a stable technical document and the final ballot. The deliverables are recommended standards for international use. As the UN is a treaty
organization the recommended standards become immediately nationallaws in many
countries.
1.3.5 Access to standard-documents
All deliverables and additional publications can be bought from the ISO, the IEC,
and the ITU. The deliverables of the ISOIIEC JTCl are available through the ISOand the IEC-channels.
All standards and other deliverables are available in paper. A growing number of
documents can also be ordered as CD-ROM or downloaded as a PDF-file. The
online accessed files are watermarked. The shipping of paper documents and CDROMs takes a few days only.
The details of the ordering procedure are published on the homepages of the three
standards developing organizations. The sections are called ISO Store, IEC Web
Store, and ITU publications respectively.
1.4 ISO 9000 family of standards
In non-technical areas ISO is often considered as a synonym for ISO 9000 (Quality Management Systems). The ISO 9000 family of standards sets roles for the efficient structure of the internal workflow of an enterprise. These standards can apply
to any type and size of company or institution. Being certified according to ISO 9000
has become an important factor in competition for markets.
Being ISO 9000 certified does not necessarily reflect on the quality of a company's products. It only proves that the internal work flows and their links to customers and suppliers were near optimal when the audit took place. The major challenge to a company remains its success in the market, and is dependent on many
factors inc1uding expertise ofthe personnei, sufficient capital, or good service.
Numbering of the ISO 9000 family of standards
There are several individual standards in the ISO 9000 family and, adding to the
confusion, the numbering system was changed in the year 2000. Therefore, the formalities are explained in the beginning followed by the concepts ofthe standard.
The version of ISO 9000 that is presently valid was published in the year 2000.
The previous version was published in 1994. The version of an ISO-standard is
shown by the year set behind the standard number. For example, ISO 9000:2000.
The ISO 9000:2000 (Quality Management Systems - Fundamentals and Vocabulary) is a basic document for the whole ISO 9000 family of standards.
19
to a number of study groups. The ITU has recently introduced an "Alternate Approval Procedure" that enables a standardisation procedure as fast as nine months between the start with a stable technical document and the final ballot. The deliverables are recommended standards for international use. As the UN is a treaty
organization the recommended standards become immediately nationallaws in many
countries.
1.3.5 Access to standard-documents
All deliverables and additional publications can be bought from the ISO, the IEC,
and the ITU. The deliverables of the ISOIIEC JTCl are available through the ISOand the IEC-channels.
All standards and other deliverables are available in paper. A growing number of
documents can also be ordered as CD-ROM or downloaded as a PDF-file. The
online accessed files are watermarked. The shipping of paper documents and CDROMs takes a few days only.
The details of the ordering procedure are published on the homepages of the three
standards developing organizations. The sections are called ISO Store, IEC Web
Store, and ITU publications respectively.
1.4 ISO 9000 family of standards
In non-technical areas ISO is often considered as a synonym for ISO 9000 (Quality Management Systems). The ISO 9000 family of standards sets roles for the efficient structure of the internal workflow of an enterprise. These standards can apply
to any type and size of company or institution. Being certified according to ISO 9000
has become an important factor in competition for markets.
Being ISO 9000 certified does not necessarily reflect on the quality of a company's products. It only proves that the internal work flows and their links to customers and suppliers were near optimal when the audit took place. The major challenge to a company remains its success in the market, and is dependent on many
factors inc1uding expertise ofthe personnei, sufficient capital, or good service.
Numbering of the ISO 9000 family of standards
There are several individual standards in the ISO 9000 family and, adding to the
confusion, the numbering system was changed in the year 2000. Therefore, the formalities are explained in the beginning followed by the concepts ofthe standard.
The version of ISO 9000 that is presently valid was published in the year 2000.
The previous version was published in 1994. The version of an ISO-standard is
shown by the year set behind the standard number. For example, ISO 9000:2000.
The ISO 9000:2000 (Quality Management Systems - Fundamentals and Vocabulary) is a basic document for the whole ISO 9000 family of standards.