Mission

The Group’s mission is to exchange ideas, experiences and best practices, in an open learning environment among ASQ and non-ASQ members who use or may plan to use ISO 9000 in their organizations.

Regular meetings of the ISO 9000 Users Group are held on the 2nd Wednesday of the month (unless otherwise announced) in Lanham, Maryland.

Making the Mission a Reality

This mission is realized through the exchange of the latest information on the practical application and use of ISO 9000 in areas such as;

• Implementation in various organizations,
• Gaining management and employee support
• Developing documentation, and
• Internal and external auditing,
• Choosing a registrar.

Group meetings involve;

• Monitored discussions among the group members,
• Guest speaker(s),
• Organizing ISO 9000 seminars and workshops.

Users include;

• ASQ and ASQ Section 509 members,
• Other quality management professionals in the area,
• Educational institutions,
• Companies.

Participants in look for and enjoy;

• Information exchange,
• Networking opportunities,
• Discussion, information, sources for further information on quality management,
• Comparison of other standards with ISO 9001 (e.g., CMMi, AS9100),
• Information on other standards.

 Information and guidance includes;

• Insight and interpretation on the implementation of the standard,
• List of experts,
• Books and reference recommendations,
• Briefings,
• How to find and purchase a copy of the standard,
• Audit and Implementation Checklists,
• Audits and audit packages,
• Links to ISO 9000-related sites,
• Documentation Templates,
• Special topics of interest.

For more information about Section 509's ISO 9000 Users Group, contact Laura A. Cottingham, 301-254-6531.

ISO 9000 is...

• A series of international standards specifying minimum quality management system requirements that are process and not product-oriented.
• Used to address customer satisfaction, by meeting customer and applicable regulatory requirements.
• A foundation for improving quality by reducing the variation of the processes that produce our products and services.
• Applicable to any industry; including hardware, software, processed materials and services.

The following websites provide more information on the ISO 9000 Standard.

• International Organization for Standardization Website. This is the site of the International Organization for Standardization.  Take a look at the tutorial on the ISO 9001 Standard.
• ISO Technical Committee 176. This website is the home of the International Organization for Standardization's (ISO) Technical Committee 176 on Quality Management and Quality Assurance -- the committee responsible for developing the ISO 9000 series of standards and guidance documents.
• ISO 9000 Auditing Practices Group.  This website has been established as an on-line source of papers and presentations on auditing QMSs.  The ideas, examples and explanations given reflect the process-based approach that is essential for auditing the requirements of ISO 9001:2000 Quality management systems – Requirements.

Please join us at our next ISO 9000 Users Group Meeting on Wednesday, May 14th. 

"Understanding and Implementing ISO-20000-1:2005"

Facilitators: Mr. John Garten and Mr. Dennis Strother.

ASQ Section 509 - ISO 9000 Group members John Garten and Dennis Strother of Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC) will lead a lively discussion on “Understanding and Implementing ISO-20000-1:2005”.  This discussion will refer to ITIL and provide information to helps keep the focus on the ISO-20K system being implemented.

The meeting will be held at our NEW LOCATION, Baltimore Aircoil Company, 7500 Montevideo Drive, Jessup, MD  20794

For additional information please contact: Laura Cottingham, at cottingham_laura@bah.com or contact: Kerry Higgins, Vice-Chair (Meeting Facilities) at KHiggins@Baltimoreaircoil.com

For more information and directions to Baltimore Aircoil Company, see the May 2008 ISO 9000 UG Meeting Announcement.

On September 13, 2006, Section 509's ISO 9000 Users Group celebrated its 10th anniversary at the Honeywell facility in Lanham, Maryland. 

The Users Group reflected on the past 10 years with guest speakers Roger Evans and Norman Moreau.

(Seated left to right): Flora Huston, Diana Srnka, Larry Schulze, Suzi Wesch, Alicia Harkins

(Standing (left to right): Minh Tran, Emery Ngamsi, Carla Charlton, Carolyn Frank, Eugene Kirsch, Sylvia Maynard-Smith, Dennis Strother, Paul Shehadi, John Sharpe, Roger Evans, Norm Moreau, Alan Lane

The following ISO 9000 related presentations were given by ASQ members and friends at User Group and General meetings.  Section 509 thanks them for their contributions.

• ISO 9000 and Human Dynamics: Breaking Through the Force Field  Presented by Ms. Laura Cottingham, Booz Allen Hamilton, on 9/12/07.
• The Quality Manager's Dilemma - Getting onto the CEO's Radar Screen: Metrics and Tactics  Presented by Ms. Carol Cornwell, Attronica, on 7/13/07.
• Vendor Relationships - Ingenium Corporation Presented by Ms. Angie Gibson, Ingenium Corporation, on 7/12/06.
• Maryland Performance Excellence Awards Presented by Ms. Marty Stephens, University of Maryland, College Park, on 06/14/06.
• Delmarva Foundation - Baldridge Journey Presented by Maulik Joshi, Dr. P.H., President and CEO, Delmarva Foundation, on 06/14/06.
• Observations of the Relationships between CMMi and ISO 9001:2000 Presented by ISO 9000 Users Group Chair Gene Kirsch, Booz Allen Hamilton, on 9/14/05.
• Implementing ISO 9001:2000 at NASA Headquarters Presented by Scott Holliday, NASA HQ, on 1/16/03.
• TL-9000: Mission Impossible? Presented by Donna Thomas, RoxTel Corporation, on 1/17/2002.
• ISO 9001:2000 Overview and Orientation Prepared by the ASQ Section 509 ISO 9000 Users Group.
• ISO 9000:2000 - Its Impact on Software Presented by Norman Moreau, Theseus Professional Services, LLC, on 4/11/01.
• TL-9000 Registration and Certification Presented by Reg Blake, BSI America, Inc., on 1/2001.