Systematic process improvement using ISO 9001:2000 and CMMI

4.1 ISO 9001:2000 63
Principle 4: process approach
Any activity or set of activities that transforms inputs to outputs can be
considered a process [4]. In any organization, many processes interact in
various ways during the product life cycle. The output of one process may
feed another process or processes. Thus, work products produced by one
process may impact the work products of the downstream processes. When
consuming resources, a process must add value to the input. If it does not
add value, it should be changed or even eliminated. The process has to be
captured, documented, planned, given adequate resources, measured, and
improved. The purpose of the process and responsibility for its implementation
must be clearly defined. The impact of the process on the final product,
customers, and other stakeholders must be understood.
Principle 5: system approach to management
A system is a set of interrelated or interacting elements or processes. Therefore,
an organization can be considered to be a system of interrelated and
interacting processes. From identification of customer requirements to delivery
of the final product, the processes interact, transforming inputs into
outputs, consuming resources, and adding value. Therefore, each process
may affect other processes in the system. To succeed, an organization must
be able to analyze its processes and their interactions, determine if they are
efficient and effective, and make corrections when required. At the same
time, the roles and responsibilities associated with each process must be
understood and optimized to achieve corporate goals and objectives.
Principle 6: continual improvement
ISO 9000:2000 emphasizes continual 1 improvement. A companion standard,
ISO 9004, is dedicated to the principle of continual improvement. This principle
requires an organization to set continual improvement as one of its
permanent objectives; note, however, that ISO does not provide guidelines
for achieving this objective. Continual improvement can reduce rework and
scrap, reduce variation, and improve the ability to react quickly to emerging
development opportunities. It is up to each company to determine where
and when improvements will occur—at the component, department, or
division levels, or across the whole organization. Each organization must
1. ISO uses the word continual versus continuous. Continual means repeated regularly, recurring, whereas continuous
means without interruption. We will use these two terms interchangeably, with the emphasis where appropriate.