Subject to consensus among
quality and industry experts nominated by International
Organization for Standardization (ISO) member bodies,
the ISO Technical Committee (ISO/TC) 176 is formulating
a revision to the ISO 9000 family of standards. The revised
quality management system standards are scheduled for
publication in the fourth quarter of 2000.
The idea of a "consistent
pair" of standards drives the revision process.
The alignment of ISO 9001:2000 and ISO 9004:2000 encourages
organizations not only to look at their activities as
a process, but to look beyond certification to systems
that will improve their operational performance.
Laragh Courseware, producers of the
three-CD Quality
Assurance Training Series, incorporate
changes reflected in the ISO's Draft International Standard
(DIS) into their CBT courseware. Laragh's recently released
Quality Assurance Training
Series fosters enterprise-wide
awareness of the need for Quality Management Systems,
an in-depth overview of ISO standards, and the mechanics
of their implementation.
"What this revision
means," explains Laragh CEO Tom O'Neill, "Is
that the ISO's Technical Committee, ISO/TC 176, will
reduce ISO 9000, containing over 27 standards and documents,
to four primary standards - ISO 9000, ISO 9001, ISO
9004, and ISO 19011. ISO 9001:2000 will replace the
current ISO 9001, ISO 9002, and ISO 9003 standards."
According to the ISO, the
requirements of ISO 9001:2000 will apply to small, medium,
and large organizations. All organizations will certify
to it, the scope of their certification reflecting the
activities covered by their Quality Management System.
How will these revisions
affect most organizations?
"These revisions certainly
don't call for wholesale changes to quality systems,"
says O'Neill. "The ISO's objective is to add value
to a leaner package. While it's a good idea for all
involved in implementation, assessment, or certification
to look at the draft standards, there's no need to completely
restructure systems or re-write procedures."
The publication of Draft
International Standards (DIS) indicates that the new
or more clearly defined requirements likely to appear
in the revised ISO 9001:2000 standard include:
continual improvement
increased emphasis on
the role of top management
consideration of legal
and regulatory requirements
establishment of measurable
objectives at relevant functions and levels
monitoring of information
of customer satisfaction or dissatisfaction as a measure
of system performance
increased attention
to resource availability
determination of training
effectiveness
measurements extended
to system, processes, and product
analysis of collected
data on the performance of the quality management
system
"Implementation is
a question of time and little else," O'Neill says
confidently. "The process of upgrading certification
should be a smooth transition incorporated into the
applicable registration or certification body's regular
audit routine.
"The International
Accreditation Forum (IAF) has a set of guidelines for
certification bodies or registrars to follow, and this
specifies a transition period of up to three years after
publication of the new standards."
The upshot of this is that
accredited certification to the 1994 standards will
be possible for up to three years after ISO 9001:2000's
publication. Although the ISO encourages organizations
to make the transition to ISO 9001:2000 certification
as soon as possible, organizations may continue or even
seek new certification to the 1994 versions of ISO 9001,
ISO 9002, and ISO 9003.
"Some organizations
might well feel that it would be better to wait for
ISO 9001:2000's publication before they implement their
certification programs," says Laragh's O'Neill.
"However, the ISO feels differently. They contend
that any organization looking to ISO 9000 certification
during 2000 shouldn't delay the introduction of their
quality management system."
Why so? "Anything
an organization does now to install a quality management
system will be of immediate benefit to them," says
O'Neill. "If anybody has any doubts, they should
speak to organizations currently seeking certification."
"Besides," adds Laragh's CEO, "Would
we produce such a course if the revision of their content
negated their value? There is far more to the ISO 9000
family of standards than the size and nature of the
forthcoming amendments. And that's where, through education,
our courses add immense value to organizational Quality
Management Systems at every level of the enterprise."
