ISO 9000

– It used to be that if you wanted to do business in Europe, you had to follow the quality standards set by the International Organization for Standardization, or ISO. But now, it’s gone beyond that. Those standards truly are international. There’s not enough time to go into complete detail about all the standards here, but I do want to talk briefly about the seven quality management principles that support the ISO standards. These principles deal with how an organization should manage their people to continuously improve processes. They also discuss more strategic ideas, like integrating those processes as a system, and making business decisions based on facts. The principles go outside the borders of your company as well, and talk about managing relationships with your customers and suppliers. Now, you can learn more about these principles by downloading the ISO 9000 document in the exercise file. It’s a good idea to do that now, and look it over before we go any further. Okay, let’s look at one of them in more detail. Principle Seven, which covers relationship management, especially relationships with suppliers. On their website, ISO says that effectively managing relationships can result in a well-managed supply chain that provides a stable flow of goods and services. Suppliers are essential to creating that consistent movement. They go beyond just providing parts and materials. Today, they often supply finished products and complete delivery systems. They help you meet your customer’s expectations. Suppliers have become so important that contracts aren’t about getting a lower price. Now, it’s finding a price point that benefits everyone, and building a long-term partnership. Companies share information with their suppliers and work together towards mutual goals. ISO has been supporting the partnership approach for decades, and they’re largely responsible for this major shift in today’s global business practices. You can read more about the seven principles of quality management. Just go to their website, iso.org. and download the document. It describes the key benefits and actions that you can take to implement each of these principles into your organization. Take another look at my handout. Is this the way quality is managed where you work? If not, it might be time for you to take action. These seven principles of quality management can be implemented at any level. can be implemented at any level.