Kay,
Zero in on the 'process' approach (TS16949) vs. the 'element' approach to applying standards (QS9000).
Read the intro section 0.1 and 0.2 of TS. It looks at customer satisfaction, alignment with the organization's long and short term goals in the business plan, etc. The focus is on the quality system's implementation, capability, and effectiveness. Performance is critical. The goal is continual improvement, emplasizing defect prevention and the reduction of waste and variation in the OEM's supply chain.
The element approach looked at each element in QS separately. You could be wonderfully conforming to the elements to QS and still produce a lousy product and have a poorly run business.
TS links all the customer oriented processes together (which consist of the elements of the standard) and is beneficial to an organization in its business management fundamentals.
Scan through the thread on interaction of processes.
Hope this helps.
Denise
