Quality Standards:

WHAT ARE STANDARDS?

Standards are documented agreements containing technical specifications or other precise criteria to be used consistently as rules, guidelines, or definitions of characteristics, to ensure that materials, products, processes and services are fit for their purpose.

International Standards thus contribute to making life simpler, and to increasing the reliability and effectiveness of the goods and services we use.

 


WHY IS INTERNATIONAL STANDARDIZATION NEEDED?

-  Worldwide progress in trade liberalization
Interpenetration of sectors
-  Worldwide communications systems  
-  Global standards for emerging technologies 
-  Developing countries


HOW IT ALL STARTED?

International standardisation began in the electromechanical field in 1906

In other fields standardisation was carried out by the International Federation of the National Standardising Associations (ISA) in 1926. The emphasis within ISA was laid heavily on mechanical engineering.

ISA's activities ceased in 1942, owing to the Second World War, followed by a meeting in London in 1946. The object was to facilitate the international coordination and unification of industrial standards.

The new organisation, ISO, began to function officially on 23 February 1947.


WHAT IS ISO?

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is a worldwide federation of national standards bodies from some 130 countries, one from each country.

ISO is a non-governmental organization established in 1947. The mission of ISO is to promote the development of standardization and related activities in the world with a view to facilitating the international exchange of goods and services, and to developing cooperation in the spheres of intellectual, scientific, technological and economic activity.

ISO's work results in international agreements which are published as International Standards.


ISOS ACHIEVEMENTS

  • ISO film speed code

  • telephone and banking cards

  • internationally standardised freight container

  • paper sizes.

  • symbols for automobile controls

  • safety of wire ropes

  • ISO international codes for country names, currencies and languages

  • ISO metric screw threads

  • universal system of measurement known as SI

  • paper sizes

  • ISO 9000 & ISO 14000 and so on.


WHAT FIELDS ARE COVERED?

The scope of ISO is not limited to any particular branch; it covers all technical fields except electrical and electronic engineering, which is the responsibility of IEC. The work in the field of information technology is carried out by a joint ISO/IEC technical committee.

    

ISO 9000:

ISO 9000

     Most widely known quality standards are ISO 9000 series of standards. They help organizations establish a foundation for a comprehensive quality management program.

     ISO standards for the International Organization for Standardization which consist of nearly 100 member countries.

     A series of five international standards: ISO 9000-1, ISO 9001, ISO 9002, ISO 9003, and ISO 9004-1, constitutes the core of the ISO 9000 standards.

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The ISO 9000 series of standards is compromised of individual yet related, standards for quality management and quality assurance.

ISO 8402 :

  • The international standard defines the fundamental terms relating to quality
    concepts as they apply to all areas .

ISO 9000-1 :

  • Quality management and quality assurance standards - part 1

  • guidelines for selection and use. provides guidelines and basic definition.

  • helps in the selection and use of the appropriate ISO standard (9001, 9002, or 9003)

ISO 9000-2 :

  • Generic guidelines for the application of ISO 9001, ISO 9002,and ISO 9003.

ISO 9000-3 :

  • Guidelines for the application of ISO 9001 to the development, supply, installation and maintenance of computer software.

ISO 9000-4 :

  • Guide to dependability program management.

ISO 9001 :

  • Quality systems-model for quality assurance in design, development, production, installation and servicing.

ISO 9002 :

  • same as ISO 9001 except it omits the requirement of documenting design/development process.  

  • Quality systems-model for quality assurance in production, installation and servicing.

ISO 9003 :

  • used if the organization needs only to show, through inspection and testing, that they are delivering the desired product/service.

  • Quality systems-model for quality assurance in final inspection and test.

ISO 9004-1 :

  • Quality management and quality systems elements-part 1 guidelines.

  • a basic set of guidelines helps organizations develop and implement their quality management system

ISO 9004-2 :

  • Quality management and quality system elements-part 1 : guidelines.

ISO 9004-3 :

  • Guidelines for processed materials.

ISO 9004-4 :

  • Guidelines for quality improvement.

      Complying with ISO 9000 standards does not mean that every product/service meets the customers' requirements. It only shows that the quality system in use is capable of meeting them.

               Registration procedure:

  1. Organize for registration (establish a steering team, training, selecting a registrar)
  2. Prepare for registration
  3. Experience the registration audit
  4. Continue registration through surveillance audits.

 

ISO 9000:2000 Revision

 

ISO 9000 underwent a minor update in 1994 and faced with a major structural revision in 2000.

 

ISO 9000:2000 revision consists of three documents:

ISO 9000: Fundamentals and vocabulary
ISO 9001: Requirements
ISO 9004: Guidance for performance improvement

The old ISO 9002:1994 and ISO 9003:1994 have been dropped.

 

8 Principles:

The most important new requirements in ISO 9001:2000 concern customer- related processes and continual improvement. With regard to customer processes, the new requirements call for identifying customer requirements, needs and expectations; determining customer satisfaction; establishing procedures for customer communication; and making employees aware of the importance of meeting customer requirements.

In the area of continual improvement, the new requirements concern the quality policy, quality objectives, quality planning, quality performance data and management reviews. There are also miscellaneous new requirements for process control, measuring and monitoring devices, training and awareness, internal communication, work environment, and legal and regulatory requirements.

In ISO 9000:2000 revision a guideline document featuring eight principles of quality is published.

1. Customer focused organization
2. Leadership
3. Involvement of people
4. Process approach
5. System approach to management
6. Continual improvement
7. Factual approach to decision making
8. Mutually beneficial supplier relationship

The 8 management principles, together with something called the "process model", have become the backbone of the new standart's equipments.

The 20 elements that form the structure of ISO 9000:1994 series standarts are folded into a new structure with four main sections.

Process Model

In order to get details about each criteria, move cursor on the desired one on the graph.

process model

 

For more details, visit this link.

These four main sections which describe the four phases of a fundemental concept for the new standarts referred as the Process Model, which was mentioned above. This model is intended to function similar to the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) model for the continual improvement process of business management popularized by W. Edwards Deming in the 1980's.

1. Management Responsibility (Plan)
2. Resource Management (Plan)
3. Product Realization (Plan and Do)
4. Measurement, Analysis and Improvement (Check or Verify and Act to Improve)

 

For comparison of ISO 9000:1994 and ISO 9000:2000 revision, visit this link.

Some ISO statistics around the world

Certification procedure of ISO

    

ISO 14000 SERIES STANDARDS

  ISO 14000 is An international standard on environment management. It is based on the premise that economic development can only happen in a healthy environment. It standardises worldwide environmental management systems, environmental auditing, environmental labelling, environmental performance evaluation, life cycle assessment, terms and definitions, and environmental aspects in product standards. The ISO 14000 series is appropriate for companies whose materials, processes or products impact our environment.

  What is the ISO 14000 Series Composed of ?

The work of ISO is TC 207 encompasses the development of a standard and guidelines in two general categories: organisation evaluation and product and process evaluation, as follows:

Organisation Evaluation:

  • Environmental management systems

  • Environmental auditing

  • Environmental performance evaluation

The EMS standard and guidelines provide the basic framework for the management system. Environmental auditing and environmental performance evaluation are management tools necessary for the successful implementation of the EMS.

Product and Process Evaluation:

  • Life cycle assessment

  • Environmental labelling

  • Environmental aspects in product standards

The emphasis in the areas of life cycle assessment, environmental labelling and environmental aspects in product standards is on the evaluation of product and process characteristics.

 

  What is an Environmental Management System ( EMS ) ?

An EMS, according to the ISO 14001 International Standard, is the part of the overall management system that includes organisational structure, planning activities, responsibilities, practices, procedures, processes and resources, for developing, implementing, achieving, reviewing and maintaining the environmental policy.

 

The basic elements of an effective environmental management system will enable an organisation to:

  • Establish an appropriate environmental policy;

  • Identify its most significant environmental impacts;

  • Identify relevant legislative, regulatory and industry specific requirements;

  • Set appropriate environmental objectives and targets;

  • Establish programs to implement the environmental policy and achieve objectives and targets, and;

  • Continuously improve the environmental performance through improvement of the EMS.

 

  What is ISO 14001?

Currently, it is the only standard in 14000 series that a company can be registered to. The principal use of ISO 14001 is likely to be third-party registration ( through a registrar ) and/or self-declaration. It contains only those requirements of an EMS that can be audited for registration purposes, and/or self-declaration purposes. It also contains an informative annex that is not part of the requirements. The main body of the International Standard is compromised of the following elements:

  •   Environmental Policy

  • Planning

  • Implementation and Operation

  • Checking and Corrective Action

  • Management Review

The environmental policy is a documented statement of commitment articulating the organisations position on environmental protection. It outlines the intentions of the organisation to effectively plan, manage, evaluate and improve the environmental performance of the company. The policy must be endorsed by top management.

There are five basic steps in planning phase:

  • Identify the environmental aspects of your business;

  • Determine the significant impacts;

  • Identify and maintain access to legal and other requirements;

  • Establish environmental objectives and targets; and

  • Establish environmental management programs to accomplish the objectives.

When you know what significant impacts your organisation has, and have determined how you will address them, the next step in the EMS process is to implement the program. This can be accomplished through the following:

  • Documentation of roles responsibilities, authority and competence;

  • Effective training and awareness of personnel;

  • Communication with stakeholders;

  • Development of environmental management system documentation;

  • Implementation for procedures for document control;

  • Implementation of procedures for operational control; and

  • Adequate emergency preparedness and response.

The next major step to implementing the EMS is to check and monitor the system,  and if any problems are discovered to correct them. This can be accomplished through the following:

  • Monitoring and measurement of performance vs objectives and targets;

  • Development of systems to effect corrective action and procedural improvement;

  • Ensuring records are retained; and

  • Ensuring effective internal environmental management system audits are conducted.

The final step in the EMS process is to review the EMS itself. This is  accomplished through a top management review of the effectiveness, suitability and adequacy of the EMS.

 

  What is ISO 14004?

ISO 14004 is a guidance document, developed primarily to assist an organisation in the development and implementation of an environmental management system. It provides examples and descriptions of each element, outlines key principles and discusses how to coordinate these activities with other management systems in place in an organisation. It is intended to be used as a guidance document, not as requirement.

 

 

For more on ISO 9000 revisions and ISO 14000 see International Organisation For Standardization.

Also visit ISO 9000 Translated into Plain English.

 

 

QS 9000 / TS/ISO 16949:

QS 9000 establishes a set of standards for the automotive industry. This standard incorporates ISO 9001 plus the automotive requirements. The QS-9000 3rd Edition expired 14 Dec 2006 (and ISO 9000:1994 expired 15 Dec 2003). Beyond that date ISO/TS 16949:2002 replaced QS-9000. TS 16949 is more process driven and is expected to help streamline the quality systems further.
developed by Chrysler, Ford and General Motors
the automotive industry manufacturers are requiring their suppliers to adopt the QS 9000 requirements.
In addition, five reference manuals are published on:
  1. Production part approval process
  2. Advanced product quality planning and control plan
  3. Potential FMEA
  4. Measurement system analysis
  5. Fundamental SPC

 

OHSAS 18001:

OHSAS 18001 is an occupational health and safety management standard. It defines a set of occupational health and safety (OH&S) management requirements for occupational health and safety management systems (OHSMS). The purpose of OHSAS 18001 is to help organizations to manage and control their OH&S risks and to improve their OH&S performance. Since it was first published in 1999, OHSAS 18001 has rapidly become the most widely used international OH&S management standard. OHSAS 18001 applies to all types of organizations. An OHSMS is a network of interrelated elements. These elements include responsibilities, authorities, relationships, functions, activities, processes, practices, procedures, and resources. These elements are used to establish OH&S policies, plans, programs, and objectives.

 

TSE CERTIFICATION :

The Turkish Standards Institution initiated for the conformity to standards certification with the TSE Mark System launched in 1964, with a view to inculcating among the producers the consciousness of conferment goods, protecting the life and property of the consumers facilitating the comparison and selection in purchases and avoiding unfair trade practices. Producers requesting conformity certificates from the Turkish Standards Institution obtain this privilege under a contract with the latter if the examination of the production facilities and products indicates that their practices justify the grantal of this right. Areas of Certification

  • Production facilities
  • Products Party goods
  • Imported goods
  • Laboratories
  • Service areas
  • Quality systems
  • Environmental management systems

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