The next step:

This document provides a general perspective on the quality management principles underlying the ISO 9000:2000 series. It gives an overview of these principles and shows how, collectively, they can form a basis for performance improvement and organizational excellence.

There are many different ways of applying these quality management principles. The nature of the organization and the specific challenges it faces will determine how to implement them. Many organizations will find it beneficial to set up quality management systems based on these principles.

Further information on the ISO 9000 standards is available from ISO's national member institutes or from the ISO Central Secretariat ISO 9000 enquiry service. Sales enquiries should also be directed to the ISO members or to the ISO Central Secretariat sales department.

ISO publishes the bimonthly ISO Management Systems, which provides updates on these families of standards and news on their implementation around the world. A Spanish-language edition is published by the Spanish national standards institute, AENOR.