ISO 9000
Most businesspeople have heard of the ISO 9000 standard series. However, many don't know its origins or requirements. The International Organization for Standardization's Technical Committee (TC 176) produces the international quality management and quality assurance standards known as the ISO 9000 series of standards. Although relatively new, ISO 9000's roots can be traced back to the founding of ISO in 1946. The Geneva, Switzerland-based ISO establishes common sets of manufacturing, trade and communication standards. ISO is not an acronym. It is derived from the Greek work iso’s, meaning equal. ISO does not lend its name to advertisements, and it is not in the registration business. ISO is only responsible for creating and publishing international standards. These standards facilitate international exchange of goods and services. More than 100 countries participate in ISO. This includes full-voting-privilege members, correspondent members (observers) and subscribers (documentation). ISO consists of 182 active technical committees, 630 subcommittees, 1,918 working groups and 24 ad hoc study groups. While ISO 9000 is the best-known standard in North America, the ISO publishes thousands of standards. ISO/TC 176 held its inaugural meeting in 1980 in Ottawa, with 21 participating member countries. The committee consists of a main technical committee, three subcommittees and associated working groups. ISO holds TC 176 responsible for overall management of the standardization program in the fields of quality management and quality assurance. ISO 9000, first published in 1987, is a series of three standards and supplementary guidelines. The standards outline the collective plans, responsibilities, procedures and resources which ensure that customer requirements will be met. ISO 9000 stands for systems standardization and registration rather than product