ISO 9001 Industry Specific Interpretations

As the ISO 9001 standard is deliberately generalized and abstract, its various elements must be interpreted to make sense and apply to any particular organization. But because the standard consists of business management guidelines, it can be applied to virtually any industry. Many diverse organizations have successfully implemented ISO 9001:2000 systems.

Over time, various industry sectors have wished to standardize their interpretations of the guidelines within their own marketplace. This is partly to ensure that their versions of ISO 9000 include their specific requirements, but also to try to ensure that more appropriately trained and experienced auditors are sent to assess them.

Following are some of the industries which utilize industry-specific interpretations of the ISO 9001 standard:

• The TickIT guidelines are an interpretation of ISO 9000 produced by the UK Board of Trade to suit the processes of the information technology industry, especially software development.
• AS 9000 is the Aerospace Basic Quality System Standard, an interpretation developed by major aerospace manufacturers. The current version is AS 9100.
• PS 9000 is an application of the standard for Pharmaceutical Packaging Materials.
• QS 9000 is an interpretation agreed upon by major automotive manufacturers (GM, Ford, Chrysler). It includes techniques such as FMEA and APQP.
• ISO/TS 16949:2002 is an interpretation agreed upon by major automotive manufacturers (American and European manufacturers); the latest version is based on ISO 9001:2000. The emphasis on a process approach is stronger than in ISO 9001:2000. ISO/TS 16949:2002 contains the full text of ISO 9001:2000 and automotive industry-specific requirements.
• TL 9000 is the Telecom Quality Management and Measurement System Standard, an interpretation developed by the telecom consortium, QuEST Forum. The current version is 3.5 and unlike ISO 9001 or the above sector standards, TL 9000 includes standardized product measurements that can be benchmarked.
• ISO 13485:2003 is the medical industry's equivalent of ISO 9001:2000.

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.

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