ISO 9000 FAQs

ISO 9000 is a set of standards internationally accepted by businesses and consumers. It allows organizations to establish and monitor quality management systems. ISO 9000 standards are considered to be generic standards since they can apply to any business, product or service irrespective of the industry. They have been developed and are maintained by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

1. What is the ISO 9000 family?

The ISO 9000 family consists of three quality assurance and quality management standards, namely, ISO 9000: 2000, ISO 9001:2000, and ISO 9004:2000. The ISO 9000:2000 and ISO 9004:2000 present guidelines for performance improvement, while the ISO 9001:2000 presents requirements. These standards are implemented by individual businesses, corporations, and government organizations.

2. What are the benefits of ISO 9000?

Major benefits include increased marketability, reduced operational expenses, better management control, improved internal communication, reduction of product-liability risks, and improved customer service.

3. What are the main phases involved in obtaining ISO 9000 certification?

There are two major phases - documentation and certification. Documentation process is done in-house or by the help of an ISO 9000 consultant. Most businesses seek the services of an experienced consultant to create the quality system. An agency accredited in this regard does the certification. The certification process includes documentation review and compliance audit. Documentation review is done with or without visits to the organization. Compliance audit is generally conducted on the site.

4. Is a consultant must for implementing ISO 9000?

The manuals of standards and certification are written in such a way that most of us can hardly understand what they are saying. Only an experienced consultant can help you understand and effectively administer new and existing quality systems.

5. How much does it cost to become ISO 9000 certified?

Unfortunately, there is no simple answer to this question. The cost depends on a lot of factors such as complexity of operations, number of locations of plants, willingness of owners, and type of standards to be implemented.

6. How long does it take to attain ISO 9000 certification?

Depending upon the commitment of the owner and/or managers, the time taken could be 3 months to a whole year. ISO certification is granted initially for a period of three years.

ISO 9000 provides detailed information on ISO 9000, ISO 9000 Standards, ISO 9000 Software, ISO 9000 Consulting and more. ISO 9000 is affiliated with Home Inspections.