Application of the ISO 9000 standards of quality management in professional services: An information sector case
Carl Gustav Johannsen · Total Quality Management · 1995
The subject of this article is the implementation of the ISO 9000 series of standards for quality management in professional services based on experiences from the information sector. However, the purpose is not to give a plain answer like 'yes' or 'no' to the question of the relevance of ISO 9000 certification in libraries and information centres. The aim is two-fold: (1) to present a framework for analyzing and evaluating the validity of the criticism and (2) to specify the conditions and management options to avoid pitfalls and dysfunctions in connection with ISO 9000 implementation. The general idea of quality standards is outlined and its specific usefulness to the information sector is evaluated. The ISO 9000 series of standards is then briefly introduced, focusing on identifying the different types and purposes of the standards and discussing information sector criteria for choosing the appropriate standard. Recently, quality experts have heavily criticized the standards. For that reason, a systematic overview of the main critical points is presented and discussed. Based on this analysis, some critical success factors for ISO 9000 implementation are identified. It is demonstrated how an organization can avoid the pitfalls and dysfunctions of ISO 9000 by the conscious selection and use of a set of parameters to make the implemented quality system fit the specific situation and needs of the individual organization. A new implementation model of independent (that is, situational or contingency factors) and dependent variables (that is, quality system design parameters) is then presented. The model can be useful as a tool to facilitate the tailoring of the ISO standard to the particular needs of a specific information sector organization. The analysis is based on theoretical consideration and on preliminary results from an on-going, Nordic, information sector quality project, whose purpose is to gain experiences in translating and interpreting the ISO 9001 standard.