Introduction to ISO 9000 Standards

"Total Quality means

Achieving Balance in

In the world of increasing multinational cross-border trade, quality of the product is the only criteria to remain competitive in the international market. Pakistan is no exception to this. That is why it has undergone a drastic change in recent times from traditional informal management practices to modern formal management. As the Pakistani industries are expanding, their management is seeking new avenues into exports to minimize their financial problems and also help the nation overcome its trade deficit.

In the global economy, quality has become a survival strategy for the businesses to improve their competitiveness both at home and abroad. But if we want to enter into world-class competition, then our modern managers and entrepreneurs must be cognizant of the fact that the technology alone cannot help improve the quality of a product unless improvement in the quality of management is also assured. ISO 9000 is that tool which places the foundation in an organisation in quest for achieving Total Quality. It is for this reason that ISO 9000 has become so important for every industry engaged in international trade.

Developed in 1987 and revised in 1994, ISO 9000-9004 is an internationally recognized family of international standards and guidelines on quality management and quality assurance, that are used to document, implement, and demonstrate quality assurance system in any organization claiming to be producing a quality product, or delivering quality service, through consistent procedures and processes, in a quality environment.  Latest revised FDIS 9001:2000 is expected to be operational in the beginning of year 2001.

The heart of the ISO 9000 series is the contractual standards, ISO 9001, 9002 and 9003. These are used as part of a contractual document between a Supplier and a Buyer. They are generic in nature and are not specific to a product or service. ISO 9000 has been so developed that it reduces the "barriers" effect of different national standards on international trade of goods and services. A well designed ISO 9000 system improves production processes, minimizes wastage, reduces costs and, above all, provides new business and revenue opportunities.

ISO 9001 is the most comprehensive of the standards, and covers all phases of a product life cycle from design to installation and service, also covering design and document control as well as other aspects of manufacturing and distribution.

Receiving certification to one of its three standards implies that a company’s system - from accepting a purchase order to delivering product - is consistent. The standard requires an initial audit by a third party accredited auditor and once a company is registered, follow-up audits are completed once a year at minimum.

ISO 9000 has now become too important to be overlooked by the Pakistani exporters and other domestic companies. Besides there is an increasing pressure from the foreign buyers on many Pakistani industries to obtain ISO 9000 certificate in order to compete in the international market. It is for this reason that many Pakistani organizations and exporters are now deciding in favour of ISO 9000 certification.

Realizing the importance of ISO 9000 Quality Management System to compete locally and globally in exports, The House of Quality is offering training and consultancy services related with the documentation and implementation of ISO 9000 QMS at the clients' premises to qualify them for registration by an ISO accredited registrar.

Implementation Strategy

The House of Quality has its own methodology for effective Development, Establishment and Management of ISO 9000 Quality System, which is different from other conventional methods being applied by other consultants. With our methodology we can help you achieve better results in comparatively lesser time.

To carry out the requisite scope of work, The House of Quality suggests either of the following two approaches depending upon the size and financial strength of the company:

Both the approaches have advantages as well as disadvantages.

Single Client Approach is beneficial for larger companies having more than 100 permanent employees whereas the Group Approach is meant for smaller enterprises.

Under the Group Approach, the participating companies pool their resources to organize the combined Training sessions. The participating companies equally share consultants' fee for the training sessions. The training venue can either be a facility in one of the companies; or else the participating companies shall share the cost of renting a venue. The collective approach is possible because designing an ISO 9000 system does not require the disclosure of proprietary technological and processing information.

Group training has the following advantages:

Besides training, the pre-assessment audit(s) can also be carried out by a trained manager of one of the companies in the group. The companies can also negotiate the certification fee as a group and select the certifying agency on the basis of merit. Even after the certification, the group of companies can continue co-operation with each other by acting as a quality improvement club.