ISO 9000 is an international standard providing an assessment model for a
Quality Management System. Organisations can be registered as conforming to
the standard by undergoing regular assessments by accredited third party
auditors.
Its aims are to assure consistency in the quality of products and services
combined with continual improvement in customer satisfaction and error
rates. It also demands conformance to the relevant regulatory requirements.
It is an excellent starting point for new or established organisations to
develop or improve their internal performance and efficiency as well as
satisfying customer requirements.
The new version of the standard issued in 2000 requires a process approach
to defining how the requirements will be met consistently and continually
improved.
This means that you can ( and should ) structure the formally defined system
and procedures in a way that addresses how the organisation really works.
This approach means that the management of quality becomes an integral part
of how you manage the organisation and achieve its commercial and technical
objectives.