TABLE OF CONTENTS During the last few years of its life, it was recognised that the 1994 version of ISO 9000 (i.e. ISO 9001:1994, ISO 9002:1994 and ISO 9003:1994) was far too orientated towards manufacturing and that there was a need to revise the existing structure of the standard to try and suit all organisations, no matter their type or size.
Under existing international agreement, all International Standards have to be reinspected, 5 years after publication, for their continued applicability. In accordance with this agreement, the International Standards Organisation (ISO) contacted more than 1,000 users and organisations for their views on ISO 9000:1994 using a questionnaire covering:
problems with the existing standards;
requirements for new/revised standards;
possible harmonisation and interoperability between quality management, environmental management and health and safety standards.
The revision process was the responsibility of ISO Technical Committee (TC) 176 and was conducted on the basis of consensus among quality and industry experts nominated by ISO member bodies, and representing all interested parties. Initial specifications and goals were established following extensive user surveys and these were followed by a user verification and validation process to ensure that the standards that had been produced would actually meet the requirements of the user.
| Note | Once Draft International Standards have been adopted by the technical committees they are then circulated to member bodies for voting. Publication as an International Standard then requires a two-thirds majority of the votes. |
The aims of the revision were (in the words of...
