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- "Global Management of Quality Assurance Systems", by Walter Willborn and T.C.
- Edwin Cheng, McGraw-Hill: New York: 1994 pp376
-
- A Book Review by Norman C. Frank, PE, CQE, CQA
- CER Corporation, Washington, DC
-
- This books takes the broader view. It explores the infrastructure of the
- supranational ISO organization and ISO standards. The ISO 9000 series
- standards are described in some detail. The need for, and the methods of,
- performing quality assurance system audits meeting ISO 10011, Guidelines for
- Auditing Quality Systems, are covered in detail.
-
- The authors have done considerable research and provide an excellent overview
- of the history, development, and background that resulted in the ISO
- organization and the various ISO standards. This subject is not covered
- nearly as well in any other book that I have read. It also provides a
- history and description of the ISO organization.
-
- Actual milestones accomplished by companies achieving registration as well as
- relative costs of obtaining registration provide guidelines for your use in
- estimating the schedule and costs that you can expect in your efforts to
- achieve registration. Several "how to" descriptions are provided, in
- addition to step progressions toward registration, to help guide you in your
- planning and registration journey.
-
- One drawback is that the book seems to have been written back in 1992, as
- indicated by the examples and documents used in the book. This seems a bit
- out of date for a book that carries a 1994 copyright notice. The dated
- examples get the concepts across to the readers, but the readers are left to
- go find the latest criteria and examples before they can put the information
- to immediate use. Even with this drawback, the book might be worth buying
- just for the history.
-
- People who implement the ISO 9000 series standard in their companies, through
- managers who need to know the methods and approach to developing and guiding
- the ISO 9000 registration process, to consultants who need to know the
- history of the European community and ISO organization as well as the
- history, development, and background of the ISO standards will find something
- of use in this book. A conditional recommendation based on the apparent
- dated examples used in the book.
-
- ----------------
- Mr. Frank has over 25 years experience in the field of quality, in the areas
- of nuclear quality assurance, research and development, and consulting. He
- is currently in Washington, D.C., with CER Corporation out of Las Vegas,
- Nevada.
-