System Models: The ISO-9000 Quality System Standard - Essay Example

ISO 9004: 2000 Quality System Standard ISO 9004:2000 is one of the ISO 9000 families and is a guidance document referred to as“Quality management systems- Guidelines for performance improvement” provides guidance to organization and includes the necessary information concerning managing for the performance improvement of an organization. ISO 9004: 2000 focuses on guiding an organization on the wider range of goals and objectives of a quality management system with specific reference to continual improvement and performance efficacy.

ISO 9004: 2000 provides guidance for organizations whose top management wants to move beyond the requirements of a quality management system based on ISO 9001 and pursue continual improvement of performance (ASQ, 12).This document emphasizes on the importance of quality management approach to achieving of sustained success for all organizations whether complex or demanding. The document outlines the importance of the top management to meet the needs and expectations of the customers and other stakeholders in the long run through a balanced way.

This can be achieved in an organization through effective and efficient management of organization, creating awareness of the organization’s environmental awareness, and learning and through application of innovations and improvement strategies. The most important aspect of ISO 9004: 2000 and in fact what differentiates it from ISO 9001 standard is that it provides guidance on a wider focus on quality management that focuses mainly on the needs and expectations of the customers and other interested parties.

Since the standard focuses on sustained excellence, it promotes self assessment as a vital tool for review of the organizations maturity level. The focus on self assessment should critically review an organization’s management system, leadership, processes, strategy and resources with the main aim of identifying weaknesses, strengths, opportunities and threats and recommend innovations and improvements. In this respect, ISO 9004: 2000 standards provides a comprehensive guidance with regard to systematic and continual improvement necessary for sustained success of an organization.

ISO 9004: 2000 standard while drawing from ISO 9001 outlines eight principles upon which an organization’s quality management system should be based to achieve sustained success. The document provides that these principles outline the concepts that are the foundation of an effective quality management system. The eight principles includes: “customer focus, leadership, involvement of the people, process approach, system approach to management, continual improvement, factual approach to decision making and mutual beneficial supplier relationships” (ASQ, 4-5).

The application of these principles according to guidance provided in this document ensures that an organization develops a quality management system that ensures efficient and effective use of resources, decision are made based on facts and evidence, and focus on customer ensures their needs and expectations are met. The ISO 9004: 2000 standards provide specific guidelines to ensure organization sustained success is achieved. This standard provides that in order to achieve sustained success in an ever changing environment of an organization, such organization’s top management should plan, monitor identify and engage all the interested parties and how they affect the organization.

The top management should also establish and maintain a mutual beneficial relationship while making use of a wide variety of strategies such as mediation and negotiations to meet the needs and expectations of the interested parties. The top management should also identify both long term and short term threats, risks and threats and go ahead to anticipate resources use in the future. The standard also provides guidance on the establishment of processes and regular assessment of compliance with respect to the current plans thus would be able to take the necessary corrective and preventive actions to ensure sustained success.

Works CitedAmerican Society for Quality (ASQ), American National Standard: Quality Management Systems- Fundamentals and Vocabulary, Wisconsin: Quality Press, 2000.