By mid-1996, over 10,000 companies in the United States had achieved ISO registration-a staggering jump from the 100 registered at the end of 1991. Why the explosive growth? For many, ISO registration acts as proof that the company has an outstanding and continuously improving quality process. As registration continues to grow at a rate of more than 400 companies a month, it's clear that the ISO/QS phenomenon shows no sign of slowing down. To become ISO/QS-9000 registered, a company needs an effective plan. Because the average process can take 12 to 18 months, it's important to know exactly what steps need to be taken - from start to finish. And that's where this book comes in. Passing Your ISO 9000/QS-9000 Audit is a clearly written, step-by-step guide to passing the external audit and getting your company ISO/QS-9000 registered. Passing Your ISO 9000/QS-9000 Audit is ideal for "ISO champions" and "management representatives"-those individuals within a company charged with implementing the ISO/QS-9000 process-as well as corporate executives interested in knowing more about the program. Using this book as a guide, any ISO champion should be able to effectively prepare his or her company for successful ISO registration.

The ISO 14000 EMS Audit Handbook is an innovative and cost-effective approach for the Environmental Management System (EMS) audit to ISO 14001. The Handbook presents comprehensive strategies for conducting all phases of the EMS audit, including effective assessment processes for determining improved environmental performance.

The key to the global market in the twenty-first century will be understanding the European Union Directives. Over 43 countries worldwide have already made the EU Directives law. By the year 2000, one-third of all countries will probably be using the EU Directives to determine compliance for industry.

On ISO 9000 series standard auditing

Designed and written by professionals with extensive ISO 9000 Certification experience, the techniques and forms in this Manual have been used successfully to achieve certification at over 50 companies. The 90-Day ISO 9000 Manual provides the basic system you need in place to satisfy an ISO 9000 Audit. First, ISO 9000 is explained and the registration process described in detail. Next, you are taken through exactly what you need to do to prepare for an audit. You are given the working instructions and forms you need to meet certification requirements. The forms are unique and have been designed specifically for ISO 9000 standards. Since ISO 9000 is not designed to be a TQM program the authors have also included a special section that provides the information, instructions and forms needed for quality audits such as Q94 or Z1. If you want to take your program further than just ISO 9000 certification, the material is available to you. The 90-Day ISO 9000 Manual includes the latest published draft of Q91 DIS, which is the formal public review copy. Companies that have recently been audited have noticed that certain improvements in documentation have been expected by registrars. These improvements require rewording the old standards. The new standards have been incorporated in this manual and several schemes have been modified. The authors of The 90-Day ISO 9000 Manual have extensive experience working on ISO 9000 standards review, consulting with companies developing programs, registrar experience and international ISO 9000 activities. This manual will reflect a practical approach to registration for the next five years.

If you are switching from using MIL-Q-9858 to ISO 9000 and don't want to become an ISO 9000 expert, this book is for you. Easily read in an hour or two, the book provides managers and engineers with a quick basic understanding of these important international standards.