What is ISO 9001 and ISO 9000 Certification?
Since its introduction in 1987, ISO 9001 has been the target of criticism and considerable debate. Much of this is due to a misunderstanding and misapplication of the requirements. Some practitioners of quality disciplines view the requirements as too generic to be of any significant value. Some organizations view certification as simply the ticket for doing business. Purists state that it is physically impossible to manufacture products or deliver services defect free on a continuous basis. And some organizations view certification to be just one more mandated cost, a cost for which there is no return on investment. In 1979, Phil Crosby created quite a stir in business when his book Quality is Free1 was published. What Mr. Crosby was saying is that quality, that is, a product or service that conforms to requirements, is the natural outcome of a well-planned and implemented manufacturing or service business. It is non-quality that results in the extra, profit limiting, cost to business
