ISO 9000 has received much publicity. Some managers see it as a prerequisite for conducting business. For others, it substitutes for the difficulties and vagaries of Total Quality Management (TQM). Some see only a needless bureaucratic boondoggle. Depending on the situation, any of these views might be correct.
Sensibly applied, ISO 9000 is a qualifier for international markets or specific domestic customers. Certification can be a valuable marketing tool. The standards are a sound blueprint for a quality system. They can lead the way to the more difficult and sophisticated approaches of Total Quality Management. ISO 9000 can improve a company's cost structure by 5%-20%.
Approached unwisely, ISO 9000 can be costly and unproductive. It may create a quality bureaucracy which adds to the cost structure and slows product development. It can focus people on paperwork instead of customers. It can divert management concentration and energy from more vital issues.
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