From ISO 9000 Series Registration to Total Quality Management: An Examination

Abstract

This article reviews how a U.K.-based, medium-sized manufacturer of specialty chemicals implemented the requirements of ISO 9002. It reports the lessons learned along with the strategies employed in using the registration as a foundation for developing total quality management (TQM). The article is based on a three-year research project, the first two years of which were carried out under the U.K. government-sponsored Teaching Company Scheme. Among the major findings are that registration to the ISO 9000 series of quality management system standards has the potential to be a good base on which to develop a TQM approach. There is, however, a real danger that a company may fail to progress beyond the minimum requirements of the standard for which registration is sought. This danger is particularly acute when gaining registration is not viewed in the context of TQM.