FAQ 3

Q - What is "QUALITY"?

A - 

"If a man makes a better mousetrap, the world will beat a path to his door."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

In the third millennium, everyone demands "quality" - whether they're looking to acquire a multi-million dollar grand-prix racing circuit or just shopping for good vegetables for dinner. The message for companies trying to succeed in these competitive times is clear: quality must be their top priority.

But what is quality? An international committee of experts has defined quality as "the totality of features and characteristics of a product or service that bear on its ability to satisfy stated or implied needs" (in ISO 8402: 1986, note 1)

But even these experts needed seven footnotes to cover quality in all its depth and breadth.

Perhaps the simplest definition is "the achievement of all that your customer requires and expects."

Q - Why have standards?

A - Standards are everywhere. They have an impact on almost every area of life, from the structural soundness of our homes through the measure of protection afforded in the event of a car crash, to the safety of electrical appliances.

Without standards, how could you be sure that your TV is safe, or that your children's nightclothes will not burst into flames, or that the food you buy is safe to eat?

As the world becomes increasingly laden with new technology, we will rely ever more heavily on the safety, efficiency and quality afforded by standardisation, or the establishment of minimum levels of performance.

Standards provide us with a minimum level of acceptability of the items that we use every day, so that we can be more certain that whatever we buy or use will meet the appropriate levels of safety and performance.

Q - What does a grandmother in a toy store in Singapore have in common with a diamond buyer in Amsterdam and an electronics importer in New York?

A - They may be shopping for different products, but they all want the product to be fit for the purpose, which is yet another way of defining "Quality".

Providing customers with the quality they want may look easy but it isn't. It requires hard work, a thorough understanding of clients' needs and a real commitment from every employee in an organization, top to bottom. The rewards of good quality can be substantial. In today's global marketplace, quality can be the difference between prosperity and failure.

Q - So where does ISO9000 fit in?

A - ISO 9000 is a Business Management Standard. This means that it is not directly concerned with the products or services that an organization produces or supplies. It is concerned with the ways in which the organization finds out what its clients require, then provides the resources to meet those requirements. It is also concerned with the ways in which the organization monitors and measures how well it meets the requirements and whether the processes can be improved to meet the requirements more effectively.

This is often referred to as the "Plan-Do-Check-Act" cycle. Most sites have a pretty picture to show this, so we won't - just to be different!

By meeting the requirements of ISO 9000, organisations will ensure through their own efforts that they meet their Customer's requirements and expectations. The risk of failure will be substantially reduced, and the level of confidence in their products or services will be increased.

Q - How much will it cost us to become ISO 9000 registered?

A - It depends. You need to consider the cost of becoming ready for the assessment, the costs of the assessment and the ongoing costs of re-assessment. More information is given elsewhere on this site.

Q - Our Assessor conducts audits once every three months. We feel that this is too often. Are we right to think this?

A - It depends. Typically, for an organization up to 15 people, I would expect that they would be subject to a one day assessment each year. This could be increased if there is a history of problems being found during the assessments, or if the organization has more than one site. If the organization conducts a range of highly complex activities, or if a specialist is required, then the number of days might be higher.

However, in the case of larger organizations, more visits might be required. Two days per year would be typical for an organization of 40 people with a history of no significant problems being found. In the early stages (perhaps the first two or three years), three visits per year might be appropriate.

If you think that your Registrar is visiting you too often, then speak to them directly (not via the Assessor). You may need to insist that they explain in writing. Don't be afraid to shop around and ask other Registrars. It is fairly easy to swap between accredited Registrars.

Q - We have just had our six-monthly assessment and the assessor has said that we must make sure that all of our test equipment is calibrated at least once each year. This will cost us a lot of money. Do we have to to do it?

A - No. ISO 9000 doesn't specify how often your test equipment must be calibrated. It is up to you to ensure that it is suitable for use. Let me give you two examples at opposite ends of the spectrum:

• If you use the equipment as a quick guide, then it may not need calibrating at all. If the checks do not prove whether or not your product is fit for use, then it doesn't matter if the equipment is accurate or not (so why are you bothering with it at all?).
• If you manufacture life-critical products and you use the test equipment to see if the product is working properly, then you will need to be sure that your equipment is working correctly at all times. This will mean a greater number of checks of the equipment. You might for instance, check that the test equipment is functioning, then measure a batch of product, and then check the test equipment again. After that, you could release the product.

Most organizations fall somewhere between these extremes. In most cases, you will need to check that you equipment is suitable for use (by selecting test equipment which is accurate enough for the task, and then checking it periodically to ensure that the readings remain accurate). How often you do this depends upon how the equipment is used, and how likely it is that the equipment may become inaccurate. Also, you need to factor in the cost of retrieving product if you subsequently find that your measuring equipment has been faulty for the past few months!

It is NOT up to the assessor to decide. He can ask you to convince him that you have made the right decision, but he cannot tell you how often you must check or calibrate your equipment. The only time he can say that what you are doing is wrong, is when there is an error arising from your decision, or if you never calibrate equipment which is used to demonstrate that your product is correct.

Q - We find our Quality Registrar is very difficult to deal with. The Assessor seems to have a poor understanding of what our business is really about and often causes us to introduce new procedures, where we can't see any benefit. What can we do about it?

A - Try these actions in the following order:

1. First of all, talk to the Assessor concerned and explain your problems. You may be able to reach an agreement about how ISO 9001 should be interpreted for your organisation.
2. If that fails, you should talk to the Quality Registrar about sending a different assessor. Don't be afraid to do this. I have heard people say "Well, we don't want to upset them by doing this", but don't worry, they don't react in that way (if they do, go straight to step 5).
3. If they won't consider sending a different assessor, consider step 5.
4. Ask the Quality Registrar to explain their rationale for their assessments. (You may need to press hard to find someone who can really discuss this with you. If so, you might need to consider step 5)
5. If you are still unhappy with the assessments, you should start to talk to other Quality Registrars. They will probably have a different approach. However, make sure that the one that you plan to use is suitably accredited*. Changing between UKAS accredited Quality Registrars is very simple. Under UKAS rules, each Registrar must accept the work conducted by any of the others. Therefore, they simply step into the shoes of the former assessor and carry on. The difference is that they will probably have a different view on how to interpret the requirements. It won't take much more than a phone call and filling out an application form. They will probably want to charge for a half-day visit, but if you time the change-over to coincide with your next assessment visit, they should conduct both activities at the same time.