How Do I Attain Registration or Compliance?

After determining on which requirements standard - ISO 9001, ISO 9002 or ISO 9003 - it should base its quality system, an organization performs two primary tasks:

• The documentation of its business processes in light of the requirements of each of the applicable 20 elements of the ISO 9000 standard.
• The implementation of these documented processes throughout the organization.

Upon completion of these two tasks, the organization then has the option of:

1.Contracting with an accredited independent third-party (usually referred to as a registrar) to obtain registration. This third-party, or registrar, audits the organization to ensure that:

• The documentation of its business processes meets all the requirements of each of the applicable 20 elements of the ISO 9000 standard.
• Actual business practices in the organization reflect these documented business practices.

2.Performing a self-registration audit. The company determines that its quality management system complies with the requirements of the chosen standard (ISO 9001, ISO 9002 or ISO 9003).