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Along with global markets, there was also the need to meet consumer expectations regarding the quality of goods and services. Currently, there is a lot of confidence in international standards. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has developed a series of guidelines for business processes that have become common standards for companies, such as the ISO 9004 standard. Generally, ISO standards are reviewed and updated every five years.
What is ISO?
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO, for its acronym in English), also known as International Organization for standardization, is an organization that is responsible for the creation of international standards and standards of communication, manufacturing and trade worldwide. One of the ISO standards most known and used is the ISO 216 which includes paper sizes (size A3, A4 , tamañoA5).
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) was founded in 1947 and its headquarters are in Geneva. It is made up of national standardization bodies from 153 countries, including DIN in Germany, AENOR in Spain and AFNOR in France.
Historical overview of ISO 9000 standards
In 1987, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) published a series of standards on quality management systems. These standards formed the ISO 9000 series. The development of these standards began in the 1950s with collaboration between the defense departments of the United States and the United Kingdom to reduce the subjective assessments made by producers and buyers of goods and services. Over the years, ISO standards have also been adopted by companies.
What are ISO 9000 standards?
The series of ISO 9000 standards consists of 4 generic norms, not specific, that are related to each other and that can be applied in any activity. The standards that make up the series are ISO 9000, ISO 9001, ISO 9004 and ISO 19011.
The ISO 9000 standards describe the fundamentals of quality management systems and define the key terms. The ISO 9001 standard specifies the disposition requirements for clients and suppliers of goods and services, so that they show the compliance of the systems, the quality certification of the management system and the fulfillment of the contract. The ISO 19011 standard provides the audit requirements for environmental and quality systems. The previous function of the ISO 9004 standard was to draw relatively general criteria on the requirements of expansion of the ISO 9001 system.
Currently, all companies in the world, organizations in the education sector, health and any type of services establish and develop their quality system based on ISO 9000 standards.
What is the ISO 9004 standard?
The ISO 9004 standard is an international advanced management standard that provides guidelines for any company or organization to achieve success through a quality management approach.
The ISO 9004 standard addresses the expectations and needs of all interested parties and provides effective guidance for the systematic improvement of the performance of the organization. However, its approach is broader than that of the ISO 9001 standard.
Through its history, the ISO 9004 standard covers customer orientation, defect prevention, cost control, process perspective, documentation, purchasing, fact-based approach to decision-making, training and motivation. the employees.
These guidelines have been developed through several revisions that begin with ISO 9004: 1987, ISO 9004: 1994, ISO 9004: 2000 and ISO 9004: 2009, ISO 9004: 2015, ISO 9004: 2018. Until their last revision in the current year 2018, the objective of the ISO 9004 standard has been the support to the ISO 9001 standard. The ISO 9004 standard takes into account and analyzes all the requirements set out in ISO 9001, develops them and provides recommendations in which the improvement potential of the companies or organization is considered. It pursues the increase of quality through self-evaluation tools.
The ISO 9004: 2018 standard
The ISO 9004 standard in its 2018 version (latest revision) provides guidance to the management of organizations or companies to extend the benefits of its quality system through the management of sustained success in changing, demanding and complex environments.
The basis for improving the capacity of the company in a sustained manner lies in the degree of customer satisfaction with respect to the inherent characteristics of the company’s activity. It includes aspects such as social responsibility, cultural and environmental factors, quality, efficiency and agility.
The 2018 revision is similar to other ISO reviews, with guidance on a systematic approach to long-term survival. A key element in the standards are the internal evaluations of leadership, strategy, resources and processes.