ISO By :sadia gul
ISO (International Organization for Standardization) is the worlds largest developer of voluntary International Standards. International Standards give state of the art specifications for products, services and good practice, helping to make industry more efficient and effective. Developed through global consensus, they help to break down barriers to international trade.
ISO develops International Standards. They were founded in 1947, and since then have published more than 19 500 International Standards covering almost all aspects of technology and business. From food safety to computers, and agriculture to healthcare, ISO International Standards impact all our lives.
The ISO story began in 1946 when delegates from 25 countries met at the Institute of Civil Engineers in London and decided to create a new international organization to facilitate the international coordination and unification of industrial standards. In February 1947 the new organization, ISO, officially began operations. Today we have members from 163 countries and 3 368 technical bodies to take care of standard development. More than 150 people work full time for ISOs Central Secretariat in Geneva, Switzerland.
A standard is a document that provides requirements, specifications, guidelines or characteristics that can be used consistently to ensure that materials, products, processes and services are fit for their purpose. They publish over 19 500 International Standards that can be purchased from the ISO store or from our members.
ISO International Standards ensure that products and services are safe, reliable and of good quality. For business, they are strategic tools that reduce costs by minimizing waste and errors, and increasing productivity. They help companies to access new markets, level the playing field for developing countries and facilitate free and fair global trade.
The ISO 9000 family addresses various aspects of quality management and contains some of ISOs best known standards. The standards provide guidance and tools for companies and organizations who want to ensure that their products and services consistently meet customers requirements, and that quality is consistently improved.
There are many standards in the ISO 9000 family, including: ISO 9001:2008 - sets out the requirements of a quality management system ISO 9000:2005 - covers the basic concepts and language ISO 9004:2009 - focuses on how to make a quality management system more efficient and effective ISO 19011:2011 - sets out guidance on internal and external audits of quality management systems.
ISO 9001:2008 sets out the criteria for a quality management system and is the only standard in the family that can be certified to (although this is not a requirement). It can be used by any organization, large or small, regardless of its field of activity. In fact ISO 9001:2008 is implemented by over one million companies and organizations in over 170 countries.
There are eight quality management principles on which the quality management system standards of the ISO 9000 series are based. These principles can be used by senior management as a framework to guide their organizations towards improved performance. The principles are derived from the collective experience and knowledge of the international experts who participate.
Principle 1 Customer focus Principle 2 Leadership Principle 3 Involvement of people Principle 4 Process approach Principle 5 System approach to management Principle 6 Continual improvement Principle 7 Factual approach to decision making Principle 8 Mutually beneficial supplier Relationships.
Organization depend on their customers and therefore should understand current and future customer needs, should meet customer requirements and strive to exceed customer expectations.
Leaders establish unity of purpose and direction of organization. They should create and maintain the internal environment in which people can become fully involved in achieving the organizations objectives.
People at all levels are the essence of an organization and their full involvement enables their abilities to be used for the organizations benefits.
A desired result is achieved more efficiently when activities and related resources are managed as a process.
Identifying understanding and managing interrelated processes as a system contributes to the organization effectiveness and efficiency in achieving its objectives.
Continual improvement of the organizations overall performance should be a permanent objective of the organization.
Effective decisions are made on analysis of data and information.
An organization and its suppliers are interdependent and a mutually beneficial relationship enhances the ability of both to create value.
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