1) Read this ISO 9000 Implementation Overview

The ISO 9001 standard is a set of requirements on how to do business. The requirements affect virtually all aspects of a company (not only the quality control function, as some people wrongly believe).

In order to implement an ISO 9000 quality management system (QMS), the company must do all of the following:

a)  Create numerous documents: you need to write the following documents in compliance with ISO 9001:2008 requirements: a quality manual, six quality procedures, a quality policy, quality objectives, and company-specific work instructions. This can be much easier if you use good templates (as available in our Products section) and modify them to meet your company's circumstances.

b)  Implement the quality manual, quality procedures and instructions. Unless your company has been following other quality management systems, it is likely that your newly created quality manual and quality procedures require you to do some things differently. You will need to adjust business processes and train employees so that your new quality manual and quality procedures are being followed.

c)  Keep records. ISO 9000 requires you to keep many records. Well-designed forms (as available in our Products section) can be of tremendous help; they not only help you meet the record keeping requirements, but they can also serve as a step-by-step guide on how to perform a certain required process (for example, the selection of your vendors).

d)  Get audited. After your ISO 9000 quality management system (QMS) has been implemented for at least 2 months, it is ready for an evaluation by an independent auditor. If you pass (or if you correct all shortcomings after an initial failure), you will receive the ISO 9001 certification.

2) Study the ISO 9001:2008 Standard

Purchase and carefully read the ISO 9001:2008 standard. The standard is available from your country's national standards body (in the USA: http://webstore.ansi.org/).  The complete directory is available on the ISO website.

3) Get a better understanding of ISO 9001:2008

Most likely you will initially be quite confused after studying the ISO 9001:2008 standard but don't worry, there are some good resources available that can help you understand:

Books on ISO 9000 Copliance
We think that the following books, available on Amazon, are excellent and in-depth explanations of the ISO 9001 standard:

- Cracking the Case of ISO 9001:2000 for Service

- Cracking the Case of ISO 9001:2000 for Manufacturing

Training Courses
If you like to learn more, there are public training classes available in major cities (search the internet) as well as distance learning through web-based courses (for example, 9001Courses.com). We recommend an auditor course as it will provide a detailed understanding of the ISO 9001:2008 standard, as well as give many examples on how it could be implemented.

4) Review good samples

One of the best ways to learn quickly is to review good sample documentation. That's why it is a good idea to obtain the templates for quality manuals, quality procedures as well as forms already in the beginning of the implementation process.  Excellent templates are available in our Products section.

Following these four steps you will quickly get a good understanding of the ISO 9001:2008 standard, and you will be ready to start implementing it at your company!

Good luck with this exciting and rewarding project!