(ISO: Geneva) -- The just-published new edition of ISO 9004 provides organizations with a model for sustained success in today’s complex, demanding, and ever-changing environment.

ISO 9004:2009—“Managing for the sustained success of an organization—A quality management approach,” is the third edition of the standard first published in 1987. It is intended to support the achievement of sustained success by any organization, regardless of size, type, or activity, using a quality management approach.

“While the goal is initially to ensure the production of ‘good’ products and services, leading to the achievement of customer satisfaction, the longer-term purpose is to ensure the economic survival of the organization. The new edition gives guidance on how an organization should adopt a systematic approach to achieve this,” says Bob Alisic, leader of the task group responsible for the ISO 9004:2009.

ISO 9004:2009 provides guidance for the continual improvement of an organization’s overall performance, efficiency, and effectiveness based on a process-based approach. It focuses on meeting the needs and expectations of customers and other relevant parties over the long term, and in a balanced way.

 …