The 9000 Resource

ISO and IEEE

ISO and IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc) have signed agreement to cooperate in developing international standards to serve the global market place.. The initial focus would be on information technology, transport systems and health informatics to provide “new opportunities to adopt and jointly develop international standards to serve the global marketplace.” The aim of this agreement is to optimize the resources to develop the standards and to shorten time-to-market.  It also focuses on joint development of standards and to adopt each other’s standards. The ISO secretary is optimistic that this kind of partnership is its strategic objective and will help in reinforcing the collection of ISO international standards in a consistent manner. The Managing Director of IEEE opines that this will provide innovative solutions for the benefit of the community.

Rise in number of ISO Certifications

According to the latest reports, ISO 9001 for quality management and ISO 14001 for environmental management have increased by 16% while certification to automotive sector increased by more than 60%. The objectives as underlined by the system are assurance, quality, and information on security requirements, technical support, and encouraging rise of services. As the Secretary General says the rise in number of certifications shows “ISO’s management system standard formula continues to win over new converts”.

ISO 9000 Vocabulary

ISO has come out with a new edition of the standard of ISO 9000 with description of vocabulary and fundamentals of quality management systems. The revised ISO 9000 has elaborated on work by ISO and IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) on dependability. Many diagrams have been incorporated to make this edition effective. This edition is helpful to all who assess QMS or audit, providers of consultancy, etc. It is available with ISO National member institutes and from ISO central secretariat.

ISO Survey

The latest edition (2006 data) of The ISO Survey highlights the combination of ISO 9001 and ISO 14001. It compares the status at the end of 3 years post-implementation, and outlines how the service sectors are using the standards effectively. 

Certificates issued to industries has skyrocketed to 35% over the previous year and 64% over 2000, which demonstrates the acceptance of global standards. Although Certification is not required, it gives customers more confidence in their suppliers.

Note: The ISO survey provides the basic results free-of-charge as a public information service. www.iso.org