Industry Headlines

New Edition of ISO 9001 for Small Businesses Released

A new edition of the successful handbook, ISO 9001 for Small Businesses, has just been jointly published by ISO and the International Trade Centre (ITC).

The handbook has been updated to take account of the latest edition of ISO 9001, published in 2008. This standard, which gives the requirements for quality management systems, is among ISO’s most well known and widely implemented standards ever. ISO 9001 is used in some 176 countries by businesses and organizations large and small, in public and private sectors, by manufacturers and service providers, in all sectors of activity.

In plain language and through numerous concrete examples from a wide range of sectors, ISO 9001 for Small Businesses aims to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to understand and implement the standard.

The handbook has been written by a group of experts participating in ISO/TC 176, the ISO technical committee responsible for the ISO 9000 family of standards. The full text of ISO 9001:2008 is included in boxes, section by section, accompanied by explanations, examples and implementation guidance in everyday terms.

The joint foreword to the handbook is contributed by ISO Secretary-General, Rob Steele, and ITC Executive Director Patricia R. Francis, who comment: "Small business is the world’s biggest business. More than 95% of the world’s businesses are small to medium-sized and many countries look to small and medium businesses to power economic growth and employment. Therefore International Standards need to assist small business just as much as they do global enterprises, government and society at large. In particular, SMEs should be able to share in gains in efficiency and effectiveness offered by ISO 9001."

Francis and Steele conclude: "This handbook is the latest example of the fruitful cooperation between ISO and the ITC. The two organizations hope that it will enable small businesses – in developing, transitional and industrialized economies – to draw the maximum benefits from ISO 9001, a standard which has become an essential tool of the world economy."

ISO9001 for Small Businesses – What to do: Advice from ISO/TC 176 is published by ISO in English (165 pages) and French (173 pages) editions, A5 format, ring binder. It is available from ISO national member institutes.

Did you enjoy this article? Click here to subscribe to Quality Magazine. 

You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Multimedia

Videos

Podcasts

Bill Arbogast explains his perspective on quality, ISO 9001, and how to manage inevitable business changes.


Read: The 2013 Quality Professional of the Year

 
More Podcasts

THE MAGAZINE

Quality Magazine

magazine quality cover 2013 may audits

2013 May

Check out the May 2013 edition of Quality Magazine for features about Measurement, Software and Test & Inspection.
Table Of Contents Subscribe

Plant of the Year

Which is the most important factor in considering a Quality plant of the Year?
View Results Poll Archive

THE QUALITY MAGAZINE STORE

M:\General Shared\__AEC Store Katie Z\AEC Store\Images\Quality\prac-field-guide-for-iso.gif
A Practical Field Guide for ISO 9001:2008

The purpose of this field guide is to assist organizations, step by step, in implementing a quality management system (QMS) in conformance with ISO 9001:2008, whether from scratch or by transitioning from ISO 9001:2000. It examines each sub-clause of Sections 4–8 of ISO 9001:2008, which contain the requirements, and gives a list of the documentation/documents required, internal audit questions, a summary of management’s responsibilities, and a flowchart of the steps that need to be undertaken to satisfy the requirements.

More Products

Clear Seas Research

qcast_ClearSeas_logo.gifWith access to over one million professionals and more than 60 industry-specific publications,Clear Seas Research offers relevant insights from those who know your industry best. Let us customize a market research solution that exceeds your marketing goals.

eNewsletters

STAY CONNECTED

facebook_40.png twitter_40px.png  youtube_40px.pnglinkedin_40px.png