ISO 9000 is a set of standards for quality management systems.

International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO)

ISO 9000 is maintained by the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) and is administered by accreditation and certification bodies.

ISO 9001 :2008

ISO 9001 :2008 is the internationally recognised standard for the quality management of businesses. It

• applies to the processes that create and control the products and services an organisation supplies
• prescribes systematic control of activities to ensure that the needs and expectations of customers are met
• is designed and intended to apply to virtually any product or service, made by any process anywhere in the world

Some of the requirements in ISO 9001 :2008 include:

• Sets of procedures that cover all key processes in the business;
• Monitoring processes to ensure they are effective;
• Keeping adequate records;
• Checking output for defects, with appropriate and corrective action where necessary;
• Regularly reviewing individual processes and the quality system itself for effectiveness;

A company or organisation that has been independently audited and certified to be in conformance with ISO 9001 :2008 may publicly state that it is "ISO 9001 certified" or "ISO 9001 registered".

It should be noted that it is not an absolute requirement that a company operating to ISO 9001 :2008 be formally accredited by a third party accreditation organisation. However, making a commitment to be accredited or certified may add increased credibility to any company participating in the ISO controls systems.

Certification to an ISO 9001 :2008 standard does not guarantee any quality of end products and services; rather, it certifies that controlled formal business processes are being applied.

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