ISO 9000: Quality Management Standards
Basic information
- Type: Certification scheme
- Year established: 2005
- Status: Active
- Thematic area: General
- Summary: The ISO 9000 series consists of standards and guidelines relating to quality management systems and related supporting standards. It assesses what the organisation does to fulfill customers' (or clients'/ beneficiaries') quality requirements and applicable regulatory requirements, while aiming to enhance customer satisfaction and achieve continual improvement of its performance in pursuit of these objectives. ISO 9000 series certifications can be applied to any organisation, regardless of sector or size. It specifies which requirements the organisation must meet, but does not dictate how they should be met so it can be flexible to account for a range of organisations and cultures.
Contact details
- Host organisation: International Organisation for Standardisation
- Website: www.iso.org
- Phone: +41 22 749 01 11
- Address: 1, ch. de la Voie-Creuse, Case postale 56 CH-1211 Geneva 20, Switzerland
Areas addressed
- Principles or standards: Standards-based
- Governance and Management:
- General commitment to good governance
- Monitoring and Evaluation:
- General commitment to evaluation
- Commitment to integrate learning in future
Further info: The ISO 9000 family of standards address quality management and the systems to support quality management. The system is built around eight principles: customer focus, leadership, involvement of people, process approach, system approach to management, continual improvement, factual approach to decision making, and mutually beneficial supplier relationships.
Participation
- Reasons for participation
- Certificate / seal of approval
Compliance
- Evidence base: Desk
- Has sanctioning mechanism: No
Assessment
The ISO 9000 series, though not specifically targeted at CSOs, offers a useful tool for organisations seeking to improve the quality of services to beneficiaries or clients. Unlike most CSO self-regulatory initiatives, the ISO 9000 and 14000 certification schemes offer CSOs the opportunity to demonstrate their compliance with standards used in business and the public sector.
