posted 08 December 1999 07:47 PM               

From: Dennis Arter

Validation Program for ISO/DIS 9001:2000 and ISO/DIS 9004:2000

Following the success of the validation program that was conducted against the Committee Drafts (CD 2s) of these draft standards, you are now invited to participate in a program to validate the Draft International Standards (DISs) for their fitness for purpose.

The key features of this validation program require that participating organizations:

a) Complete a questionnaire on ISO/DIS 9001 and ISO/DIS 9004, and time permitting,
b) Conduct an impact assessment of ISO/DIS 9001:2000
c) Conduct an impact assessment on the implementation of ISO/DIS 9004:2000, Annex A, Guidelines to Self-Assessment.

Participating organizations will be provided with a tool to help assess the gap between their current quality management system and the ISO/DIS 9001:2000.

In addition, they will be provided with a second tool which will help with the step-by-step analysis of the maturity level of selected projects based on the self-assessment process in ISO/DIS 9004:2000, Annex A.

Project conference calls will be conducted monthly starting in December 1999 and lasting until the conclusion of the project on April 1, 2000. Regional coordinators are available to answer questions during this time period.

The results of the overall validation program will be circulated to member bodies after completion of this program in year 2000. These results will also provide important input to the ISO/TC 176/WG 18 drafting teams in producing the next drafts of these standards.

It should be noted that this validation program follows the methods used in earlier validation programs that were conducted on the CD 2, CD 1 and WD 3 versions of the draft standards, which also involved the use of a questionnaire. The results of those programs have been analyzed and have influenced the design of the questionnaire for this current program.

Organizations wishing to participate in the project should contact Dr. Sandford Liebesman at (908) 582-4466, or by fax on (908) 582- 1091 or via e-mail at [email protected]

[Please note: the validation program is for organizations and NOTindividuals.]