6.5.2 AN ISO 9000 QUALITY SYSTEMS ENHANCES SYSTEMS ENGINEERING

Abstract

AbstractNo matter what industry you are in, the question “Are you ISO certified?” is becoming more important. As you read the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9000 set of standards, however, you will realize they offer much opportunity for interpretation. The primary thrust of ISO 9000 is quality processes in product development and use of quality systems. The issue often boils down to understanding the system requirements of your industry and company for quality, determining what you do, documenting what you do and doing what you have documented. For systems engineering in the National Council on Systems Engineering (NCOSE), the question is particularly relevant due to this focus of ISO 9000 on quality systems and of NCOSE on the quality systems engineering needed to achieve world class status. The key expertise of systems engineering is technical process understanding for product development. Thus there is a clear relationship between systems engineering and ISO 9000 requirements.This article summarizes some key facets of the ISO 9000 quality system approach and how this affects systems engineering. Then it describes systems engineering, as it is evolving in the NCOSE Systems Engineering Process Working Group (SEPWG), and how it is impacted by ISO 9000. Finally, it draws some conclusions about their relationship and future.