Benefits of implementing quality management systems include increased operational efficiency; an opportunity to critically examine how employees do their work and interact between functions; establishing the proper processes for future operations; better documentation of methods and responsibilities; consistency of process; greater employee awareness about quality; cost savings from less scrap and rework, as well as fewer warranty claims; enhanced communication among employees; customer satisfaction; competitive edge; increased credibility; ease of trade; perceived higher quality; reduced customer audits; increased market share; and fulfilling supplier requirements for certification.

The ISO 9000 family addresses various aspects of quality management and contains some of ISO’s best known standards. The standards provide guidance and tools for companies and organizations who want to ensure that their products and services consistently meet customer’s requirements, and that quality is consistently improved.

There are many standards in the ISO 9000 family, including:

• ISO 9001:2008 - sets out the requirements of a quality management system
• ISO 9000:2005 - covers the basic concepts and language
• ISO 9004:2009 - focuses on how to make a quality management system more efficient and effective
• ISO 19011:2011 - sets out guidance on internal and external audits of quality management systems.

ISO 9001:2008

ISO 9001:2008 sets out the criteria for a quality management system and is the only standard in the family that can be certified to (although this is not a requirement). It can be used by any organization, large or small, regardless of its field of activity. In fact ISO 9001:2008 is implemented by over one million companies and organizations in over 170 countries.

Quality Management Principles

The standard is based on a number of quality management principles including a strong customer focus, the motivation and implication of top management, the process approach and continual improvement. Using ISO 9001:2008 helps ensure that customers get consistent, good quality products and services, which in turn brings many business benefits.

ISO 10006:2003 Quality management systems -- Guidelines for quality management in projects

 gives guidance on the application of quality management in projects.

It is applicable to projects of varying complexity, small or large, of short or long duration, in different environments, and irrespective of the kind of product or process involved. This can necessitate some tailoring of the guidance to suit a particular project.

ISO 10006:2003 is not a guide to "project management" itself. Guidance on quality in project management processes is discussed in this International Standard. Guidance on quality in a project's product-related processes, and on the "process approach", is covered in ISO 9004.

Since ISO 10006:2003 is a guidance document, it is not intended to be used for certification/registration purposes.