The topic of our next meeting is To Be Determined.

Mission

The Group’s mission is to exchange ideas, experiences and best practices, in an open learning environment among ASQ and non-ASQ members who use or may plan to use ISO 9000 in their organizations.

Regular meetings of the ISO 9000 Users Group are held on the 3rd Wednesday of the month (unless otherwise announced) in Jessup, Maryland.

Making the Mission a Reality

This mission is realized through the exchange of the latest information on the practical application and use of ISO 9000 in areas such as;

• Implementation in various organizations
• Gaining management and employee support
• Developing documentation
• Internal and external auditing
• Choosing a registrar

Group meetings involve;

• Monitored discussions among the group members
• Guest speaker(s)
• Organizing ISO 9000 seminars and workshops

Users include;

• ASQ and non ASQ members
• Quality professionals in the Washington, Virginia & Baltimore area
• Educational and Health Care institutions
• Service companies
• Government agencies

Participants look for and enjoy;

• Information exchange
• Networking opportunities
• Discussion, information, sources for further information on quality management
• Comparison of other standards with ISO 9001 (e.g. CMMi, AS9100)
• Information on other standards

 Information and guidance includes;

• Insight and interpretation on the implementation of the standard
• List of experts
• Books and reference recommendations
• Briefings
• How to find and purchase a copy of the standard
• Audit and Implementation checklists
• Audits and audit packages
• Links to ISO 9000-related sites
• Documentation templates
• Special topics of interest

For more information about Section 509's ISO 9000 Users Group, contact Lane Yingling at .

ISO 9000 is...

• A series of international standards specifying minimum quality management system requirements that are process and not product-oriented.
• Used to address customer satisfaction, by meeting customer and applicable regulatory requirements.
• A foundation for improving quality by reducing the variation of the processes that produce our products and services.
• Applicable to any industry; including hardware, software, processed materials and services.

The following websites provide more information on the ISO 9000 Standard.

• International Organization for Standardization Website. This is the site of the International Organization for Standardization.  Take a look at the tutorial on the ISO 9001 Standard.
• ISO Technical Committee 176. This website is the home of the International Organization for Standardization's (ISO) Technical Committee 176 on Quality Management and Quality Assurance -- the committee responsible for developing the ISO 9000 series of standards and guidance documents.
• ISO 9000 Auditing Practices Group.  This website has been established as an on-line source of papers and presentations on auditing QMSs.  The ideas, examples and explanations given reflect the process-based approach that is essential for auditing the requirements of ISO 9001:2000 Quality management systems – Requirements.