1.6. ISO 9000 QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

The ISO 9000 system evolved when the European Union (EU) was forming in the mid-1980s. Its main purpose was to provide standards that would facilitate trade between EU member countries. Later it became an international standard for quality management under the auspices of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). In reality, the ISO 9000 system is a business management system. As products and services became complex and customer requirements became stringent, the responsibility for business performance moved from the quality department to all departments. Today, quality or goodness of process and product is the overriding responsibility of everyone in any organization.

The newest version of ISO 9000 includes additional measurements that weren't in the original plan, as well as the requirement for continual improvement. It has the following requirements: