ISO 9001 Compliance

There are more than enough ISO standards to confuse any organization that's looking to get certified.  Today, there are over 16,000 standards being used by certifying bodies to assess, monitor and audit any organization seeking to improve its quality management system.  Here is a short explanation on what these standards are and their specific usages:

Obtaining an ISO certification is often a huge part of many organization's goals.  ISO certification is an indication of high standards in terms of products and services.  It's also the mark of excellence for many companies, a sign that they take their responsibilities very seriously.  If your organization is aiming to have an ISO certification before the year ends, here are things you need to know about the process:

Not every company applying for an ISO certification will be applying for the same standard.  There are different standards in place, depending on the type of industry a company or organization belongs to and the kind of products or services it offers.  Here are some of the most common types of ISO standards that organizations apply for:

ISO 9000

The ISO 9000 series is one of two very popular ISO standards.  In fact, many of the organizations and companies you'll find today are certified using this management system.  At present, there are hundreds of thousands of companies and organizations that have the ISO 9000 standard.

As a business considering an ISO 9000 certification, it is important to know which industries require certifications and in which instances compliance is an alternative.

AS 9100 is the Aerospace Quality Management System. Its foundation is ISO 9000:2000, with additional requirements specific to aerospace manufacturers. This is for companies that supply and work with the aerospace industry. Most companies that become registered are companies that work with the aerospace industry and are mandated to become AS9100 registered by their suppliers.

With the proliferation of companies claiming to conform to the requirements of this international Standard, we might well come to believe that product and service quality has reached its peak and every customer is satisfied with the performance of their ISO 9000 registered supplier. On the other hand we could have simply misunderstood the purpose of this Standard and the registration process. Maybe the Standard isn't about quality of service or product.