I wholeheartedly support Andrew Wong's viewpoint that the international
ISO 9000 standard is a tool set for creative and innovative work on
systems. It is a step in a good direction.
In LO12526, the first paragraph beneath the title "ISO 9000 Theory & Dr.
Deming" begins with an incomplete sentence. But I'll get beyond that. "A
simplistic conclusion," indeed! That paragraph is certainly simplistic in
its view that there is some "implication" in the standard that we are
"driven by the system."
We are not driven by the system, we are driven by ourselves. We make what
we will of whatever modus operandi we choose. Yes, we can fall prey to
complacency; we can think we've found an elixir. But as Dr. Deming once
said, "We never get out of this hospital." Continuous improvement is
continuous.
ISO 9001 has had a momentous effect on my company of 1,500. It has been a
stepping stone toward gradual implementation of further continuous
improvement tools. It has supported a new concept of teamwork; ISO has
documented what was often never documented in the 90 year history of this
company.
Our two dozen internal auditors are proud of their work to help us all
think about "how to make the process better." We are wary when we see
documents in "rev. 00" and which are over a year old.
For any company to think that ISO is a panacea is wrong. Anybody knows
that. To bring clarity to complexity is what ISO--and this list--is all
about.
Best regards,
--Barry Mallis bmallis@markem.com MARKEM Corporation Keene, NH
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>