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At the time, I perceived ISO 9000 as another trade barrier, that
effectively made it more difficult for smaller companies to sell in
Europe. Now . . . I still kinda have the same opinion.
While I do appreciate that a process, like ISO 9000, can have huge
benefits, I'm not sure that it does in the large majority of cases. The
companies that I've worked for that got into the ISO loop really did
their level-best to get ISO certification without adding any real
quality. And, it seemed, much of it was done without management buy-in,
only lip service, and without much regard given to non-management, in
terms of feedback or the like. Thus, it seems a regulatory fence
intended to keep companies out and raise the prices--thus reducing the
competitiveness--of those companies who persist.
-----Original Message-----
From: walden miller [mailto:wmiller -at- vidiom -dot- com]
Bob really hits the topic:
...An ISO 9000-certified company also has a competitive edge because
they
can
advertise their certified status to customers and potential clients.
This is
more valuable in some industries than others....
ISO-9000 is just one of many ISO quality certifications. These
certifications took on importance in the 90's when the european market
started requiring hardware and software manufacturers to be certified.
If
you worked with European governments you really needed certification.
If
you wanted to work with governments then you started the certification
process just to get considered, etc. Thus, a new market was created for
consultants. As a consultant myself, I understand that we often will try
and
create a market for ourselved (i.e., you need better documentation, you
need
to be online, you need a better web presence, etc.). ISO-9000
consultants
did quite well in the 90's. I have no idea whether they are doing well
now
or whether their initial market was really most of the full ISO market.
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