The International Organization for Standardization (ISO),
founded in 1946, is a worldwide federation of national standards bodies based in Geneva,
Switzerland. There are over 90 countries represented by their national bodies which are
known as ISO member bodies. The work of preparing International Standards is normally
carried out through ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject has
the right to be represented on an established technical committee. Also included in the
development of standards are governmental and non-governmental international
organizations. In 1987, ISO released a family of quality standards known as ISO 9000.
Among this family are three standards known as contractual models for quality systems
requirements. A registration to one of these models allows a company to demonstrate both
its capabilities and commitment to quality. As the term standard suggests, different
companies with registration to the same standard have basically the same elements within
their quality systems.
The effective development and implementation of an ISO 9000 quality system results in
continual improvements in quality and increases satisfaction of the organization's
customers.
