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ISO 9004:2000, Quality Management Systems - Guidelines for Performance Improvement

The 2000 version of the ISO 9000 group of standards establishes a management system model that is intended to continually improve customer satisfaction and the effectiveness of the management system. ISO 9004 provides guidance on the overall aspect of a quality management system to improve the organization’s quality performance. The ISO 9004:2000 manual serves as a link between the ISO 9001:2000 standard and TQM. ISO 9004 is a much broader approach to the issues of TQM than ISO 9001 alone. All your specific objectives related to overall performance and efficiency are included. ISO 9004 should not be viewed as a requirements document, but rather a guidance document for companies wishing to move beyond the requirements of ISO 9001 and implement a comprehensive quality system.

ISO 9004 as the Quality Management System Guidance standard is intended to adopt a broader view of quality management in pursuit of operational improvement and benefits to interested or involved parties in your business activities. This may include your employees, owners, suppliers and the society in general. ISO 9001:2000 and ISO 9004:2000 are harmonized in structure and terminology to assist you in going back and forth from one to the other. Both standards apply a process approach. Processes consist of one or more linked activities that require resources and effective management to achieve the predetermined output. The output of one process may directly form the input to the next process, and the final product is often the result of a network of processes. The nature of your business and your specific demands will determine how you apply the standards to achieve your objectives. The ISO 9004:2000 manual consists of guidance and recommendations, which are not intended for certification, regulatory or contractual use, or as a guide to the implementation of ISO 9001.

From the very beginning of its existence, Omnex has been encouraging its customers to pursue just this sort of Business Management System implementation. It has long been Omnex’s position that basic compliance to a standard should not be the final goal of an organization; going beyond the standard and implementing processes that impact the bottom line and affect company wide philosophy are much more likely to have a lasting impact.

Basic Changes to the ISO 9000 Series

Though the two international standards, ISO 9001:2000 and ISO 9004:2000 are designed for joint use, an organization can apply them as stand-alone documents.

In 2000, the ISO 9000 family was laid out so that primary standards would be supported by considerably fewer other documents (guidance standards, brochures, technical reports, technical specifications). To the extent possible, the key points in the original 27 documents have been integrated into four primary standards, while sector needs are addressed separately. In developing the ISO 9000:2000 revisions and to assist in their readability and translation, great care has been taken to use simple technically accurate terms, and to the greatest extent possible, rely on common dictionary definitions. The eight Quality Management Principles stated in ISO 9000:2000 and ISO 9004:2000 provide the basis for the performance improvement outlined in ISO 9004:2000, and reflect best the most effective management practices to-date. They are:

• Customer focus
• Leadership
• Involvement of people
• Process approach
• System approach to management
• Continual improvement
• Factual approach to decision making
• Mutually beneficial supplier relationships

The revised standards are being restructured in order to facilitate a more user-friendly approach to Quality Management Systems. The common structure of the two standards will follow the typical format of the main processes of an organization and enable the Quality Management System to be aligned to its operations.