Abstract: . . .  of the elements of the ISO quality system, it sees itself in a whole new light. In fact, the power of the standard is to a large extent the management discipline it requires and nur- tures. In the hands of solid managers, the standard promotes an understanding of what is done and how it is accomplished, and it provides a structure for system reviews and corrective and preventive actions. That structure is the foundation necessary for continually improving. Compliance with ISO 9000 ensures that the groundwork for good business prac- tices is in place and forces organizational understanding and adherence to docu- mented practices. By documenting its major processes, an organization is forced to consider and reach agreement on what those processes are, to identify the value-added steps, and to eliminate those that do not add value. It complements an organization’s existing quality programs and encourages the organization to incrementally and continually improve its business processes through a system of identifying problems and taking corrective and preventive actions. As the imple- mented system matures, the documented processes are examined and evaluated to identify more effective ways of doing business. In short, ISO 9000 is a dynamic and comprehensive system that can be used by any organization to ensure the quality of its products and thus the satisfaction of its customer. Quality is not something you do; it is the way you do things and re- sults from controlled processes. ISO 9000 is about managing the business in such a way that daily operations are continually improved, thus making the organiza- tion more competitive. The appealing aspect of the standard is that, by focusing on the elementary business requirements, engineering and construction organiza- tions can establish practical, common sense quality management systems to en- sure that each customer’s requirements are met and that the organization’s fun- damental business processes are continually evaluated and improved.  . . .
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