What is ISO9000?

ISO9000 is a standard laid out by an international body, the ISO. The term ISO is not an acronym, as is often assumed, but is rather short for the Greek word isos, which means 'equal'. In English, the group is known as the International Organization for Standards, and in French it is known as the Organisation internationale de normalisation. Were an acronym used, it would result in different names in different languages -- IOS in English and OIN in French, for example.

ISO9000 is a standard designed to help consumers and governments know at a glance whether a business conforms to a basic level of quality. The first ISO9000 was developed in 1987 and derived directly from the British standard BS5750. In 1994, the ISO9000 standard was updated in an attempt to fix some flaws in ISO9000:1987, but the general procedure was the same. In 2000, the ISO9000 was once again updated, this time with some drastic changes that were intended to make the entire accreditation process less bureaucratic and more in line with the stated goals of the ISO9000 mission.