If an organization just reengineered, it should continue doing continuous improvement to obtain still needed improvement. Both are important, but each is appropriate in different circumstances, depending on the outcome desired. 9000 is an internationally recognized minimum set of requirements or controls to assist a company develop the structure, responsibilities, procedures, processes and resources needed to implement a proper quality management system. ISO 9000 is also considered by our book as a series of standards agreed upon by the International Oganization for Standardization and was adopted in 1987. The ISO 9000 Registration is the formal recognition of a company's quality management system by an independent third party known as a quality system registrar.
Registrars establish their competence through accreditation by accreditation bodies.
The ISO 9000 series applies to organizations of any size, in any industry. While the initial publication in 1987 emphasized manufacturing, the ISO 9000 series has been modified to apply equally to service-oriented companies. The design and implementation of a quality system based on the ISO 9000 series is influenced by the needs of the organization, its objectives, the products and services supplied, and the processes and practices employed. That is, products or services produced by companies that meet quality system requirements must continue to comply to specific product or service standards. With the demand for ISO 9000 Certification increasing at an alarming rate, companies of all types need to understand what ISO 9000 is and how it works.