Re: TQM

[Chuck Banks <chuck -at- ASL -dot- DL -dot- NEC -dot- COM>]

To Dave Walker:

        No, Dave, TQM does not equal ISO 9000.  ISO 9000 does not
require a particular quality program or process within a company.
ISO 9000 only requires that there be some sort of quality program
that the program is thoroughly documented according to ISO 9xxx
requirements, and that the program and the procedures documents
agree.

        ISO 9xxx inspections and standards simply determine if
you are "talking the talk and walking the walk."  Some companies
are traveling the TQM route in hopes of ISO 9000 certification,
but that's not necessary for everyone.  If your company has good,
well written quality procedures and follows those procedures,
ensuring everyone in the company knows and follows the procedures,
ISO 9000 certification can be a relatively simple process.

        ISO 9000 auditors review a company's quality assurance
procedures to ensure they are complete according to ISO 9xxx
standards.  Sometimes, all a company has to do is prepare a
cross-reference table that provides pointers from specific
ISO 9xxx standards to areas in their policy and procedures
manuals/binders/etc.

        Once the auditors have reviewed the documents, they
review the company itself.  They ask questions of randomly
selected employees to determine whether they know and are
following company quality assurance policies and procedures.

        The auditors issue the company a list of deficiencies
and the date of the next inspection, if there is to be one.
If all goes according to Hoyle, ISO certification follows the
first or second inspection.  ISO auditors make unannounced
visits from then on to ensure the company continues to comply
with and update its quality assurance policies and procedures.

        TQM does not impose ISO 9000 standards and ISO 9000
standards do not require a TQM-style quality assurance program.

        The ISO 9xxx series of standards ensure that a company
produces a consistent quality product.  TQM provides a process
to instill and improve product quality based on customer
requirements.  The two, ISO 9000 and TQM are unrelated except
for a common interest in product quality.

Best Regards!
--
Chuck Banks
--
__        ________     ______
|\\   |  ||          //              Chuck Banks
| \\  |  ||_______  ||               Senior Technical Writer
|  \\ |  ||         ||               NEC America, Inc.
|   \\|   \\______   \\______        E-Mail:      chuck -at- asl -dot- dl -dot- nec -dot- com
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