Review
'..the definitive text on how to implement a quality management system 'the right way'....written in plain English...a great read..
Momentum, June 2002. (Magazine of the Quality Society of Australasia)
'With its emphasis throughout on process improvement, the book is a must for anyone in the business of implementing or interpreting ISO 9001:2000 and, more importantly, looking to gain added value and enhanced organisational performance from it.'
Quality World, May 2002
'Completely revised to align with ISO 9001:2000...it details the differences from the 1994 version and includes compliance and improvement questionnaires,tips for implementers, process flowcharts and a glossary of terms.'
Quality World, Dec. 2001
'a comprehensive and practical guide, covering over 250 necessary requirements a company must fulfil to achieve ISO 9000 status...includes useful check-lists, flow charts and related standards.'
Quality Today, Feb. 2002
REVIEW OF THIRD EDITION:
'This book is highly recommended for managers who recognise the commercial benefits of ISO 9000 certification and welcome a comprehensive guide to its implementation.'
European Quality
Momentum, June 2002. (Magazine of the Quality Society of Australasia)
'With its emphasis throughout on process improvement, the book is a must for anyone in the business of implementing or interpreting ISO 9001:2000 and, more importantly, looking to gain added value and enhanced organisational performance from it.'
Quality World, May 2002
'Completely revised to align with ISO 9001:2000...it details the differences from the 1994 version and includes compliance and improvement questionnaires,tips for implementers, process flowcharts and a glossary of terms.'
Quality World, Dec. 2001
'a comprehensive and practical guide, covering over 250 necessary requirements a company must fulfil to achieve ISO 9000 status...includes useful check-lists, flow charts and related standards.'
Quality Today, Feb. 2002
REVIEW OF THIRD EDITION:
'This book is highly recommended for managers who recognise the commercial benefits of ISO 9000 certification and welcome a comprehensive guide to its implementation.'
European Quality
Product Description
Completely revised to align with ISO 9000:2000, this handbook remains the most comprehensive book available on this series of international standards.
ISO 9000 Quality Systems Handbook is an essential guide to enable organizations to understand and apply ISO 9001:2000 requirements and the principles that underpin this radical revision of the family of standards.
Unlike other books on the subject, each element, clause and requirement is analysed in detail with practical guidance provided for its implementation.
The handbook is written for those managing existing quality systems as well as those establishing a quality system for the first time. It is written in an easy-to-follow format and style suitable for students, practitioners, discerning managers, instructors and auditors. It offers a range of solutions that are acceptable in many industries.
Based on the final draft of ISO 9001:2000, it details the differences from the 1994 version and includes check lists, questionnaires, tips for implementers, process flow charts and a glossary of terms.
Comprehensive and practical guide
Covers over 250 requirements of the standard
Includes useful checklists, flow charts, related standards, bibliography
ISO 9000 Quality Systems Handbook is an essential guide to enable organizations to understand and apply ISO 9001:2000 requirements and the principles that underpin this radical revision of the family of standards.
Unlike other books on the subject, each element, clause and requirement is analysed in detail with practical guidance provided for its implementation.
The handbook is written for those managing existing quality systems as well as those establishing a quality system for the first time. It is written in an easy-to-follow format and style suitable for students, practitioners, discerning managers, instructors and auditors. It offers a range of solutions that are acceptable in many industries.
Based on the final draft of ISO 9001:2000, it details the differences from the 1994 version and includes check lists, questionnaires, tips for implementers, process flow charts and a glossary of terms.
Comprehensive and practical guide
Covers over 250 requirements of the standard
Includes useful checklists, flow charts, related standards, bibliography
From the Author
Since the third edition of this handbook was published in 1998 there has been a radical change to the ISO 9000 family of standards. The standards have changed in structure from 20 elements to 8 sections; they have changed in intent from quality assurance to customer satisfaction; the terminology has changed so as to suit all types of organizations and there has been a change in direction from a focus on planning, inspection and test and the removal of nonconformity to a focus on objectives, processes, measurement, analysis and improvement.
Most of the requirements of the 1994 version are included in the 2000 version of ISO 9001, but few remain exactly the same. Many have been reworded or condensed to remove over-prescriptive requirements and focus on general concepts. The differences between the 1994 and 2000 versions are shown in text boxes by the side of the new requirement. In revising this handbook a lot of detail had to be omitted primarily as it was focused on manufacturing examples or detail requirements that are no longer included in the standard. Previous versions of this handbook therefore remain relevant and a useful source of information for those interested in seeking such detail.
In the previous editions the approach taken was to identify a requirement and then explain its meaning followed by some examples to illustrate how it could be implemented. In this new edition I have followed a more structured approach and for each requirement answered three basic questions:
What does it mean?
Why is it important?
How is it implemented?
At the end of each chapter there is a Questionnaire built from the requirements of the standard. It is not intended that these questions be used by auditors but by users of the standard in order to test the completeness of the system they have formalized. In place of the lists of do's and don't and the task list of previous editions, I have included a section on Food for Thought. This is intended to cause the reader to reflect on the previous chapter, perhaps even change perceptions but mostly confirm understanding. The do's and don'ts and task lists are within the text and will be consolidated in a new edition of the ISO 9000 Pocket Guide.
The first three chapters provide background information with the subsequent five chapters dealing with the sections of ISO 9001 that contain the requirements. In this way the chapter numbers of the book mirror the section headings of the ISO 9001.
Chapter 1 addresses the issues that have arisen in the use of ISO 9000, the various perceptions surrounding the standard and the associated infrastructure as well as some of the negative influences and misconceptions. This sets the scene for the approach taken in the remainder of the book.
Chapter 2 is a revised and much enhanced chapter on basic concepts. The opportunity has been taken to place the more general concepts and principles in this chapter and provide greater alignment with the topics covered by the standard. Following the style of the first edition, I have included management theory drawn from authors in the field of both general management and quality management.
Chapter 3 addresses the role of the family of standards and answers frequently asked questions about its purpose, uses, application and origin. Having discovered the misconceptions surrounding the use of the standard I was prompted to explore a little more of the history, not of the standard itself but of the concepts that are expressed in the standard and applied to its use. Many criticize the standard for the burden of bureaucracy that has arisen since its introduction but what I have found is that ISO 9000 is not a cause but a symptom of an age in which prescription and regulation dominated business relationships for centuries.
Chapters 4 - 8 address the requirements of ISO 9001. As the 1987 and 1994 versions of ISO 9001 were structured around twenty elements, the chapters were not exceedingly long. As there are now only five sections of requirements in ISO 9001 covering some 250 requirements with most of the original 20 elements being crammed into Section 7 on Product Realization, Chapter 7 of the handbook is unfortunately very long. However, the clause numbers added to the headings together with a comprehensive index should make finding topics relatively easy.
Finally an appendix contains a glossary of terms used in ISO 9000 and in this handbook. Definitions contained in ISO 9000 have not been repeated except for the purpose of comparison.
Most of the requirements of the 1994 version are included in the 2000 version of ISO 9001, but few remain exactly the same. Many have been reworded or condensed to remove over-prescriptive requirements and focus on general concepts. The differences between the 1994 and 2000 versions are shown in text boxes by the side of the new requirement. In revising this handbook a lot of detail had to be omitted primarily as it was focused on manufacturing examples or detail requirements that are no longer included in the standard. Previous versions of this handbook therefore remain relevant and a useful source of information for those interested in seeking such detail.
In the previous editions the approach taken was to identify a requirement and then explain its meaning followed by some examples to illustrate how it could be implemented. In this new edition I have followed a more structured approach and for each requirement answered three basic questions:
What does it mean?
Why is it important?
How is it implemented?
At the end of each chapter there is a Questionnaire built from the requirements of the standard. It is not intended that these questions be used by auditors but by users of the standard in order to test the completeness of the system they have formalized. In place of the lists of do's and don't and the task list of previous editions, I have included a section on Food for Thought. This is intended to cause the reader to reflect on the previous chapter, perhaps even change perceptions but mostly confirm understanding. The do's and don'ts and task lists are within the text and will be consolidated in a new edition of the ISO 9000 Pocket Guide.
The first three chapters provide background information with the subsequent five chapters dealing with the sections of ISO 9001 that contain the requirements. In this way the chapter numbers of the book mirror the section headings of the ISO 9001.
Chapter 1 addresses the issues that have arisen in the use of ISO 9000, the various perceptions surrounding the standard and the associated infrastructure as well as some of the negative influences and misconceptions. This sets the scene for the approach taken in the remainder of the book.
Chapter 2 is a revised and much enhanced chapter on basic concepts. The opportunity has been taken to place the more general concepts and principles in this chapter and provide greater alignment with the topics covered by the standard. Following the style of the first edition, I have included management theory drawn from authors in the field of both general management and quality management.
Chapter 3 addresses the role of the family of standards and answers frequently asked questions about its purpose, uses, application and origin. Having discovered the misconceptions surrounding the use of the standard I was prompted to explore a little more of the history, not of the standard itself but of the concepts that are expressed in the standard and applied to its use. Many criticize the standard for the burden of bureaucracy that has arisen since its introduction but what I have found is that ISO 9000 is not a cause but a symptom of an age in which prescription and regulation dominated business relationships for centuries.
Chapters 4 - 8 address the requirements of ISO 9001. As the 1987 and 1994 versions of ISO 9001 were structured around twenty elements, the chapters were not exceedingly long. As there are now only five sections of requirements in ISO 9001 covering some 250 requirements with most of the original 20 elements being crammed into Section 7 on Product Realization, Chapter 7 of the handbook is unfortunately very long. However, the clause numbers added to the headings together with a comprehensive index should make finding topics relatively easy.
Finally an appendix contains a glossary of terms used in ISO 9000 and in this handbook. Definitions contained in ISO 9000 have not been repeated except for the purpose of comparison.
About the Author
David Hoyle is an international management consultant with over 30 years' experience in quality management. He has held senior positions in quality management with British Aerospace and Ferranti International and worked with such companies as General Motors, the UK Civil Aviation Authority and Bell Atlantic on their quality improvement programmes. As well as delivering quality management and auditor training courses throughout the world, he has participated in various industry councils and committees, including the Institute of Quality Assurance.
