In order to assist organizations to have a full understanding of the new ISO 9001:2008, it may be useful to have an insight on the revision process, how this revision reflects the inputs received from users of the standard, and the consideration given to benefits and impacts during its development.
Prior to the commencement of a revision (or amendment) to a management system standard, ISO/Guide 72:2001 Guidelines for the justification and development of management system standards recommends that a “Justification Study” is prepared to present a case for the proposed project and that it outlines details of the data and inputs used to support its arguments. In relation to the development of ISO 9001:2008 user needs were identified from the following:
-the results of a formal “Systematic Review” on ISO 9001:2000 that was performed by the members of ISO/TC 176/SC2 during 2003-2004
-feedback from the ISO/TC 176/Working Group on “Interpretations”
-the results of an extensive worldwide “User Feedback Survey on ISO 9001 and
The Justification Study identified the need for an amendment, provided that the impact on users would be limited and that changes would only be introduced when there were clear benefits to users.
The key focuses of the ISO 9001:2008 amendment were to enhance the clarity of ISO 9001:2000 and to enhance its compatibility with ISO 14001:2004.
A tool for assessing the impacts versus benefits for proposed changes was created to assist the drafters of the amendment in deciding which changes should be included, and to assist in the verification of drafts against the identified user needs. The following decision making principles were applied:
1) No changes with high impact would be incorporated into the standard;
2) Changes with medium impact would only be incorporated when they provided a correspondingly medium or high benefit to users of the standard;
3) Even where a change was low impact, it had to be justified by the benefits it delivered to users, before being incorporated.
The changes incorporated in this ISO 9001:2008 edition were classified in terms of impact into the following categories:
-No changes or minimum changes on user documents, including records
-No changes or minimum changes to existing processes of the organization
-No additional training required or minimal training required
-No effects on current certifications
The benefits identified for the ISO 9001:2008 edition fall into the following categories:
Electronic documents that establish management system policies and procedures can be in a variety of file formats depending on the software applications that are utilized by the organization to generate the documents. Electronic file formats include, Text, HTML, PDF, etc. Spreadsheets and databases formats are also considered to be electronic “documents” subject to the control elements of the management system to being audited.
Given the relative ease with which users can now create electronic spreadsheets and other electronic documents, auditors (either internal or external) should ensure that policies governing the controls that apply to management system documentation in-general are also employed for electronic documents through appropriate procedures.
Organizations need to employ suitable and effective methods within the electronic environment for ensuring the adequate review, approval, publication and distribution of its management system documentation. These should be consistent with the methods for the development and modification of electronic documents.
In many cases document control measures may also be standard features of software applications used for their creation. Therefore auditors should understand these application-specific controls to the degree that these are utilized as a basis for conformance to the applicable management system standard.
Given the increased capacity to modify, update, reformat and otherwise improve documents within an electronic-based management system, auditors should pay particular attention to control elements such as document identification and document revision level.
As electronic media facilitates an increased rate of document modifications, auditors should verify that the controls being employed for the management of obsolete documents are considered within the organizations’ document control policies and procedures.
Auditors should verify that electronic-based documentation exists to provide orientation to users with regard to the functional and control aspects associated with electronic documents. Additionally, “Point-of-use” requirements associated with the applicable management system standards will typically be addressed in part by the organization’s document access policies. Auditors should understand the organization’s policies and procedures regarding user privileges as these become important factors for properly realizing the organization’s processes.
External electronic communication with suppliers, customers and other interested parties may involve the exchange of documents. Given that these external documents may contain key parameters that specify the functioning of the organization’s processes, auditors should verify the degree to which these documents are formally introduced and controlled within the electronic-based management system.
There are a number of sources of information on the ISO 9000 quality management system standards, including
ISO’s web site (www.iso.org), which carry information on the standards. Your National Standards Body should be
able to provide copies of the standards, and registrars/certification bodies will be able to provide guidance on
registration arrangements.
Why are the standards being revised?
ISO’s formal review process:
- Requires continual review to keep standards up to date. Must be initiated within 3 years of publication of a standard.
User inputs from:
- A global user questionnaire/survey
- A market Justification Study
- Suggestions arising from the interpretation process
- Opportunities for increased compatibility with ISO 14001
- The need for greater clarity, ease of use, and improved translation
Current trends:
- Keeping up with recent developments in management system practices.
Who is responsible for revising the standards?
The revision process is the responsibility of ISO Technical Committee no.176, Sub-committee no.2 (ISO/TC 176/SC 2) and is conducted on the basis of consensus among quality and industry experts nominated by ISO Member bodies, and representing all interested parties.
When will the revised standards be available?
The revised quality management system standards (ISO 9000, 9001 and 9004) are scheduled as follows:
- ISO 9000:2005 already published – no major changes expected for 2009
- Current plan is for small changes to ISO 9001 (an “amendment”) to be published in November 2008.
- More significant changes are planned for ISO 9004 (a “revision”) to be published in mid 2009.
How much is the implementation of the new standard going to cost?
One of the goals of ISO/TC 176/SC 2 is to produce standards that will minimize any potential costs during a smooth implementation. Any additional costs may be considered as a value-adding investment. A key factor in the development of ISO 9001:2008 was to limit the impact of changes on users.
Will my organization have to re-write all its documentation?
No. ISO 9001:2008 doesn’t introduce major changes to the requirements, when compared to ISO 9001:2000. However, to benefit from the changes, we suggest you get acquainted with the new version of the standard and the clarifications introduced. If, during your analysis of the clarifications you find there are differences from your current interpretation of ISO 9001:2000, then you should analyse the impact on your current documentation and make the necessary arrangements to update it. It is intended that the amendment of ISO 9001 will have minimal or no impacts on documentation.
Will the revised standards address financial issues?
Financial issues are not addressed in ISO 9001:2008, which is a requirements standard. The ISO 10014:2006 and ISO 9004:2000, Guidelines for performance improvements standards will emphasize the financial resources needed for the implementation and improvement of a quality management system.
What are the benefits of the revised standards?
For ISO 9001:2008 the major benefits are:
- Simple to use
- Clear in language
- Readily translatable and easily understandable
- Compatibility with other management systems such as ISO 14001.
For ISO 9004:
- Facilitates improvement in users’ quality management systems.
- Provides guidance to an organization for the creation of a quality management system that:
- creates value for its customers, via the products it provides
- creates value for all other interested parties
- balances all interested-party viewpoints.
- Provides guidance for managers on leading their organization towards sustained success.
- Forward compatibility to allow organizations to build on existing quality management systems.
ISO 9001:2008 has been developed in order to introduce clarifications to the existing requirements of ISO 9001:2000 and changes that are intended to improve compatibility with ISO 14001:2004. ISO 9001:2008 does not introduce additional requirements nor does it change the intent of the ISO 9001:2000 standard.
Certification to ISO 9001:2008 is not an “upgrade”, and organizations that are certified to ISO 9001:2000 should be afforded the same status as those who have already received a new certificate to ISO 9001:2008
What are the main benefits to be derived from implementing an ISO 9000 quality management system?
The ISO 9000 standards give organizations an opportunity to increase value to their activities and to improve their performance continually, by focusing on their major processes. The standards place great emphasis on making quality management systems closer to the processes of organizations and on continual improvement. As a result, they direct users to the achievement of business results, including the satisfaction of customers and other interested parties.
The management of an organization should be able to view the adoption of the quality management system standards as a profitable business investment, not just as a required certification issue.
Among the perceived benefits of using the standards are:
- The connection of quality management systems to organizational processes
- The encouragement of a natural progression towards improved organizational performance, via:
- the use of the Quality Management Principles
- the adoption of a “process approach”
- emphasis of the role of top management
- requirements for the establishment of measurable objectives at relevant functions and levels
- being orientated toward “continual improvement” and “customer satisfaction”, including the monitoring of information on “customer satisfaction” as a measure of system performance.
- measurement of the quality management system, processes, and product
- consideration of statutory and regulatory requirements.
- attention to resource availability
How will the implementation of the amended standard help my organization to improve its efficiency?
ISO 9001:2008 aims at guaranteeing the effectiveness (but not necessarily the efficiency) of the organization. For improved organizational efficiency, however, the best results can be obtained by using ISO 9004 in addition to ISO 9001:2008. The guiding quality management principles are intended to assist an organization in continual improvement, which should lead to efficiencies throughout the organization.
What benefits are there to an organization implementing ISO 9004 ?
If a quality management system is appropriately implemented, utilizing the eight Quality Management Principles, and in accordance with ISO 9004, all of an organization’s interested parties should benefit. For example:
Customers and users will benefit by receiving the products (see ISO 9000:2005, Fundamentals and vocabulary) that are:
- Conforming to the requirements
- Dependable and reliable
- Available when needed
- Maintainable
People in the organization will benefit by:
- Better working conditions
- Increased job satisfaction
- Improved health and safety
- Improved morale
- Improved stability of employment
Owners and investors will benefit by:
- Increased return on investment
- Improved operational results
- Increased market share
- Increased profits
Suppliers and partners will benefit by:
- Stability
- Growth
- Partnership and mutual understanding
Society will benefit by:
- Fulfilment of legal and regulatory requirements
- Improved health and safety
- Reduced environmental impact
- Increased security
Are the standards compatible with national quality award criteria?
The standards are based on 8 Quality Management Principles, which are aligned with the philosophy and objectives of most quality award programs. These principles are:
- Customer focus,
- Leadership,
- Involvement of people,
- Process approach,
- System approach to management,
- Continual improvement,
- Factual approach to decision making, and
- Mutually beneficial supplier relationships.
ISO 9004 recommends that organizations perform self-assessments as part of their management of systems and processes, and includes an annex giving guidance on this approach. This is similar to many quality awards programmes.
Why is the requirement for monitoring “customer satisfaction” included in ISO 9001?
“Customer satisfaction” is recognized as one of the driving criteria for any organization. In order to evaluate if a product meets customer needs and expectations, it is necessary to monitor the extent of customer satisfaction.
Improvements can be made by taking action to address any identified issues and concerns.
Can the standards improve “customer satisfaction”?
The quality management system details that are described in the standards are based on Quality Management Principles that include the “process approach” and “customer focus”. The adoption of these principles should provide customers with a higher level of confidence that products will meet their needs and increase their satisfaction.
What is meant by “continual improvement”?
Continual improvement is the process focused on continually increasing the effectiveness and/or efficiency of the organization to fulfil its policies and objectives. Continual improvement (where “continual” highlights that an improvement process requires progressive consolidation steps) responds to the growing needs and expectations of the customers and ensures a dynamic evolution of the quality management system.
What is a process?
Any activity or operation, which receives inputs and converts them to outputs, can be considered as a process. Almost all activities and operations involved in generating a product or providing a service are processes. For organizations to function, they have to define and manage numerous inter-linked processes. Often the output from one process will directly form the input into the next process. The systematic identification and management of the various processes employed within an organization, and particularly the interactions between such processes, may be referred to as the ‘process approach’ to management.
What is the “process approach”?
The “process approach” is a way of obtaining a desired result, by managing activities and related resources as a process. The “process approach” is a key element of the ISO 9000 standards. For further guidance, please refer to the ISO 9000 Introduction and Support Package module: Guidance on the Concept and Use of the Process Approach for management systems.
Can the “process approach” be applied to other management systems?
Yes. The “process approach” is a generic management principle, which can enhance an organization’s effectiveness and efficiency in achieving defined objectives.
How can the PDCA cycle be used in the “process approach”?
The PDCA cycle is an established, logical, method that can be used to improve a process.
This requires:
(P) planning (what to do and how to do it),
(D) executing the plan (do what was planned),
(C) checking the results (did things happened according to plan) and
(A) act to improve the process (how to improve next time).
The PDCA cycle can be applied within an individual process, or across a group of processes.
Can any organization apply the “process approach”?
Yes. Many organizations already apply a “process approach” without recognizing it. They could achieve additional benefits by understanding and controlling it.
Why should an organization apply the “process approach”?
By applying the “process approach” an organization should be able to obtain the following types of benefits:
- The integration and alignment of its processes to enable the achievement of its planned results.
- An ability to focus effort on process effectiveness and efficiency.
- An increase in the confidence of customers and other interested parties as to the consistent performance of the
organization.
- Transparency of operations within the organization.
- Lower costs and shorter cycle times through effective and efficient use of resources.
- Improved, consistent and predictable results.
- The identification of opportunities for focused and prioritized improvement initiatives.
- The encouragement and involvement of people, and the clarification of their responsibilities.
- The elimination of barriers between different functional units and the unification of their focus to the objectives
of the organization.
- Improved management of process interfaces.
What is meant by the “sequence” of processes and their “interactions”?
The “sequence” of processes shows how the processes follow, or link, to each other to result in a final output.
For example, the output from one process may become the input of the next process or processes.
The “interactions” show how each process affects or influences one or more of the other processes. For example,
the monitoring or controlling of a process may be established in a separate process.
How can the processes in an organization be determined?
Identify the organization’s intended outputs, and the processes needed for achieving them. These will need to
include processes for Management, Resources, Realization and Measurement and Improvement.
- Identify all process inputs and outputs, along with the suppliers and customers, who may be internal or
external.
- Identify the sequence and interactions of the processes.
Should an organization define and document all its processes?
The main purpose of documentation is to enable the consistent and stable operation of an organization’s
processes.
Although statutory, standards’ or customer requirements may require certain documentation, there is no defined
“catalogue”, or list of processes that has to be documented in ISO 9001, apart from the 6 indicated ones.
The organization should determine which processes are to be documented on the basis of:
- The size of the organization and type of its activities,
- The complexity of its processes and their interactions,
- The criticality of the processes and
- Availability of competent personnel.
A number of different methods can be used to document processes, such as graphical representations, written
instructions, checklists, flow charts, visual media, or electronic methods.
How much detail is required in process documentation?
The extent of detail is likely to depend upon factors such as:
- the size of an organisation and its types of activities,
- the complexity of its processes and their interactions, and
- the competence (level of education, training, skills and experience) of its personnel.
What is the difference between a “process” and a “procedure”?
A “process” may be explained as a set of interacting or interrelated activities, which are employed to add value. A
“procedure” is a method of describing the way or How in which all or part of that process activities shall/should be
performed.
ISO 9000:2005 defines a procedure as a “specified way to carry out an activity or a process”, which does not
necessarily have to be documented.
An organization has a well-established set of procedures. Can these procedures be used to help
describe its processes?
Yes, if the procedures describe inputs and outputs, appropriate responsibilities, controls and resources needed to satisfy customer requirements.
What documentation is required by ISO 9001?
ISO 9001:2008 refers specifically to only 6 documented procedures; however, other documentation (including more documented procedures not specifically mentioned in ISO 9001:2008) may be required by an organization, in order to manage the processes that are necessary for the effective operation of the quality management system. This will vary depending on the size of the organization, the kind of activities in which it is involved and their complexity. For further guidance, please also refer to the ISO 9000 Introduction and Support Package module “Guidance on the Documentation Requirements of ISO 9001:2008″
What does an organization need to do to comply with ISO 9001?
When initially starting to use ISO 9001, an organization should familiarize its personnel with the Quality Management Principles, analyze the standards (especially ISO 9000 and ISO 9004), and consider how their guidance and requirements may affect your activities and related processes. If it then wishes to proceed to registration/certification, it should perform a gap analysis against the requirements of ISO 9001 to determine where its current quality management system does not address the applicable ISO 9001:2008 requirements, before developing and implementing additional processes to ensure that compliance will be achieved.
ISO 9001:2008 will supersede ISO 9001:2000 However, noting the IAF/ISO-CASCO/ISO TC176 agreement that accredited certification to the 2000 edition should remain possible for up to 2 years after the publication of ISO 9001:2008, copies of the 2000 edition will still be available on request from ISO and the national standards bodies during that period, and possibly for even longer.
Can organizations remain certified/registered to the 2000 version?
Yes. Certification to ISO 9001:2008 is not an “upgrade”, and organizations that are certified to ISO 9001:2000 should be afforded the same status as those who have already received a new certificate to ISO 9001:2008. However, certificates to ISO 9001:2000 will only remain valid until 2 years after the publication of ISO 9001:2008. Contact your certification/registration body to get details on the certificates transition process.
What will happen to the other standards and documents in the current (2000) ISO 9000 family?
The four primary standards of the current ISO 9000 family are the following:
- ISO 9000:2005 already published – no major changes expected for 2009
- ISO 9001:2000 to be superseded by ISO 9001:2008
- More significant changes are planned for ISO 9004 with a planned publication date of late 2009.
- ISO 19011:2002 is currently beginning the revision process, with a new version expected in 2011.
The other standards and documents will be reviewed and updated as necessary
1. Apply the concept of Plan Do Check Act (PDCA). This PDCA concept is applied at the Quality Management System and the process levels.
2. Convert the question to requirement raised by QMR or the QMS Committee which derived from the ISO 9001 standards. In this case, several questions can lead to one single requirement.
3. To edit those questions to suit the process that is to be audited. For example, you are going to audit the Purchasing/Procurement Department and you’re sitting down with the Audit Team trying to come up with relevant questions.
The main objective in auditing any process is to extract adequate information and evidence in order to verify that the process is conformant to the ISO 9001 requirements and that, it is effective in achieving its objectives. As an auditor, you need to be able to investigate, assess and verify the conformity and effectiveness of a given process, in terms of its planning, implementation, monitoring & measurement and improvement. As a Lead Auditor, preparing your Audit Team for the actual audit is crucial in ensuring success of the audit excercise. There is no better way to do that than by developing the audit questions with them.
When an organization chooses not to pursue ISO 9001 certification or not to retain the ISO 9001 certificate, it should make no difference to the way the organization is managed. It’s similar to the man who chooses not to take the course examination. He still has the knowledge he has acquired whether or not he takes the exam and gets a certificate. What he cannot do is demonstrate to others that he has reached a certain level of education without having to prove it every time. People who know him don’t care that he didn’t take the exam. It is only those who don’t know him that he will have difficulty convincing.
While each implementation is dependent on the company, the industry, customers, etc., here’s a good starting point:
1.) Identify what your customer expects of your company. Consider both sales and after-sales aspects, from the customer’s point of view.
2.) Develop a philosophy (Quality Policy) that addresses (1). This means clause 5.3.
3.) Identify your processes, keeping in mind the importance of each as compared to (1) above. This means clause 4.1.
4.) Identify your management structure, being sure it supports and does not conflict with (1), (2) or (3). This means the rest of Clause 5 in the standard.
5.) Figure out resource issues. This means all of Clause 6.
7.) From there, work on clauses 7 & 8. This part is particularly hard to define as a generic plan, because how it is done is unique to each company, and the results of (1) through (6) above.
Tips:
(a) Keep documentation to the absolute minimum.
(b) Put “required procedures” and process maps in your Quality Manual, instead of subordinate documents. This makes the QM useful, instead of just a throwaway restatement of the standard. Limits documentation overall.
(c) Spend a lot of time on process identification and definition, so that you understand them and can manage them
(d) Develop an internal audit program (process!) that reflects your company needs, not a checklist method used by registrars
1. Analyze your businesses’ core process(es) for converting customer needs into cash at a high level to show the sequence and interaction of the key processes within the core process (one page).
2. Identify (and assign a code) each of the key processes within your system (as-is) and the new ones necessary for the system to be used to add value faster and prevent loss sooner (the chosen system standard is very helpful for listing the missing processes). Expect 20 to 50 key processes.
3. Analyze each of the key processes by working with the process owner to determine each processes’ objective, team, inputs, value-adding steps (tasks, meetings, decisions), outputs; then link the procedure to the other controls and process with which it interacts (one page each).
4. Leaders explain their policy, the obligations of the system (already 85% or so implemented) and its benefits.
5. Train process teams in any new processes so they are working effectively from day one.
6. Describe the system and how it works, the policy and objectives in a less than 10 page manual.
7. Launch the system and invite lots of suggested improvements.
8. Gather and analyze data to become information for use by decision makers to improve products, processes and the system.
9. Audit the performance of the system independently of any other process control to provide impartial information on how well the system is helping employees to do their jobs.
10. Use and improve the system, its processes and your products so your organization adds value faster and prevent loss sooner.
Six Sigma has become very popular throughout the whole world. There are several reasons for this popularity. First, it is regarded as a fresh quality management strategy which can replace TQC, TQM and others.
Many companies, which were not quite successful in implementing previous management strategies such as TQC and TQM, are eager to introduce Six Sigma.
Six Sigma is viewed as a systematic, scientific, statistical and smarter (4S) approach for management innovation which is quite suitable for use in a knowledge-based information society.
Second, Six Sigma provides efficient manpower cultivation and utilization. It employs a “belt system” in which the levels of mastery are classified as green belt, black belt, master black belt and champion. As a person in a company obtains certain
training, he acquires a belt. Usually, a black belt is the leader of a project team and several green belts work together for the project team.
Third, there are many success stories of Six Sigma application in well known world-class companies. As mentioned earlier, Six Sigma was pioneered by Motorola and launched as a strategic initiative in 1987. Since then, and particularly from 1995, an exponentially growing number of prestigious global firms have launched a Six Sigma program. It has been noted that many globally leading companies run Six Sigma programs (see Figure 3), and it has been well known that Motorola, GE, Allied Signal, IBM, DEC, Texas Instruments, Sony, Kodak, Nokia, and Philips Electronics among others have been quite successful in Six Sigma. In Korea, the Samsung, LG, Hyundai groups and Korea Heavy Industries & Construction Company have been quite successful with Six Sigma.
Lastly, Six Sigma provides flexibility in the new millennium of 3Cs, which are:
• Change: Changing society
• Customer: Power is shifted to customer and customer demand is high
• Competition: Competition in quality and productivity
The pace of change during the last decade has been unprecedented, and the speed of change in this new millennium is perhaps faster than ever before. Most notably, the power has shifted from producer to customer. The producer-oriented industrial society is over, and the customer-oriented information society has arrived. The customer has all the rights to order, select and buy goods and services. Especially, in e-business, the customer has all-mighty power.
Six Sigma with its 4S (systematic, scientific, statistical and smarter) approaches provides flexibility in managing a business unit.
ISO/DIS 14001 is one of a series of emerging international environmental management standards aimed at promoting
continual improvement in company environmental performance through the adoption and implementation of an environmental management system. The (draft) standard specifies the core elements of an EMS, but contains only those elements that may be objectively audited for certification or self-declaration purposes. A companion guidance standard, ISO/DIS 14004 includes examples, descrïptions and options that aid in the implementation of an EMS and in integrating the EMS into overall management practices. It is not intended for use by certification/registration bodies.
· Establishment of an appropriate environmental policy that is documented and communicated to employees and made available to the public, and which includes a commitment to continual improvement and pollution prevention, regulatory compliance and a framework for setting objectives;
· A planning phase that covers the identification of the environmental aspects of the organization’s activities, identification and access to legal requirements, establishment and documentation of objectives and targets consistent with the policy, and establishment of a program for achieving said targets and objectives (including the designation of responsible individuals, necessary means and timeframes);
· Implementation and operation of the EMS including the definition, documentation and communication of roles and responsibilities, provision of appropriate training, assurance of adequate internal and external communication, written management system documentation as well as appropriate document control procedures, documented procedures for operational controls, and documented and communicated emergency response procedures;
· Checking and corrective action procedures, including procedures for regular monitoring and measurement of key characteristics of the operations and activities, procedures for dealing with situations of non-conformity, specific record maintenance procedures and procedures for auditing the performance of the EMS;
· Periodic management reviews of the overall EMS to ensure its suitability, adequacy and effectiveness in light of changing circumstances.
The EMS as outlined in ISO 14001 provides a structured process for the achievement of continual improvement, the rate and extent of which is determined by the organization in light of economic and other circumstances. Although some improvement in environmental performance can be expected due to the adoption of a systematic approach, it should be understood that the EMS is a tool which enables the organization to achieve and systematically control the level of environmental performance that it sets itself. The establishment of an EMS will not, in itself, necessarily result in an immediate reduction of adverse environmental impact. Indeed, care needs to be taken that the mere establishment of an EMS does not lull the organization into a false sense of security. But effectively used, an EMS should enable an organization to improve its environmental performance and avoid or reduce adverse environmental impacts over time.
The ISO 14000 family of International Standards on environmental management is a relative newcomer to ISO’s portfolio – but enviroment-related standardization is far from being a new departure for ISO.
In fact, ISO has two-pronged approach to meeting the needs of business, industry, governments, non-governmental organizations and consumers in the field of the environment.
On the one hand, it offers a wideranging portfolio of standardized sampling, testing and analytical methods to deal with specific environmental challenges. It has developed more than 350 International Standards (out of a total more
than 12000) for the monitoring of such aspects as the quality of air, water and soil. These standards are means of providing business and government with scientifically valid data on the environmental effects of economic activity.
They also serve in a number of countries as the technical basis for environmental regulations.
ISO is leading a strategic approach by developing environmental management system standards that can be implemented in any type of organization in either public or private sectors (companies, administration, public utilities). To spearhead this strategic approach, ISO establish a new technical commitee, ISO /TC 207, Environmental management, in
1993. This followed ISO’s successful pioneering experience in management system standardization with the ISO 9000 series for quality management.
ISO’s direct involvement in environmental management stemmed from an intensive consultation process, carried out within the framework of a Strategic Advisory Group on Environment (SAGE),set up in 1991, in which 20 countrie, 11 international organizations and more than 100 environmental experts participated in defining the basic requirements of a new approach to environment-related standards.
This pioneering work was consolidated with ISO’s commitment to support the objective of “sustainable development” dicussed at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro in 1992.
Today, delegations of business and government experts from 55 countries have participate actively within TC 207,
and another 16 countries have observer status. These delegations are chosen by the national standars institute concerned and they are required to bring to TC 207 a national consensus on issue being addressed by the commitee.
This national consensus is derived from a process of consultation with interested parties.
From its beginning, it was recognized that ISO/TC 207 should have close cooperation with ISO/TC 176, Quality management and quality assurance, in the areas of management systems, auditing and related terminology. Active efforts are under way to ensure compatibility of ISO environmental management and quality management standards, for the benefit of all organizations wishing to implement them.