ISO 9001 Document Suite

ISO 9000 is composed of the following sections:

ISO 9000:2000 Quality Management Systems – Fundamentals and Vocabulary

This section details the basics of what quality management systems are and also contains the core language of the ISO 9000 series of standards. The latest version is ISO 9000:2005.

ISO 9001 Quality Management Systems – Requirements

This section is intended for use in any organization which designs, develops, manufactures, installs, and/or services any product or provides any form of service. It provides a number of requirements which an organization needs to fulfill if it is to achieve customer satisfaction through consistent products and services which meet customer expectations. This is the only implementation for which third-party auditors may grant certifications. The latest version is ISO 9001:2000.

ISO 9004 Quality Management Systems – Guidelines for Performance Improvements

This section covers continual improvement. It provides advice on what you could do to enhance a mature system. This standard very specifically states that it is not intended as a guide to implementation.

There are many different standards which are referenced in the ISO 9001 family. Many do not even carry "ISO 900x" numbers. For example, parts of the 10,000 range are also considered part of the 9000 family: ISO 10007:1995 discusses Configuration Management, which for most organizations is just one element of a complete management system.

A complete list of documents in the ISO 9000 family is maintained here.

To the casual reader, it is usually sufficient to understand that when an organization claims to be "ISO 9000 compliant," it means it conforms to ISO 9001.

This is only an overview/extract of the standard. Users should not rely on its accuracy, but should refer to the complete standard of the appropriate revision.

Click here for full list of Standards and Regulations.