The Case Against ISO 9000 [Paperback]

John Seddon (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1860761739 | ISBN-13: 978-1860761737 | Publication Date: October 1, 2000

ISO 9000 is an international Standard. It claims to be a standard for quality management but John Seddon argues it has nothing to do with quality, being based on entirely different theory. Organizations register to ISO 9000 because they are obliged to - market-place coercion works on the principle of "you comply or we won't buy", and registration is no guarantee of quality. In this attack on one of the sacred cows of business today, John Seddon shows how the ISO standards are not only failing to deliver the improved quality they promise, but in most cases are actually damaging the companies that have implemented them. In this updated paperback edition, which includes a critical analysis of the new and much-hyped ISO 9000:2000 version of the Standard, Seddon maintains his position that managers should say no to ISO 9000. For those who feel they have to register to ISO, Seddon shows them how to avoid the usual pitfalls of the Standard.

Product Details

• Paperback: 270 pages
• Publisher: Oak Tree Pr (October 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1860761739
• ISBN-13: 978-1860761737
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,046,683 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great alternative view., October 18, 2002

By 

Christopher Yip (Singapore Singapore) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Case Against ISO 9000 (Paperback)

Seddon's book is great because it introduces the reader to systems thinking and its application to quality management. The Vanguard Standards which is a re-write of the ISO9001 standard using systems thinking is a must read companion. It can be downloaded free.

Seddon questions the wisdom of standardising procedures and processes. He gives many many examples of how standardisation in fact leads to customer dissatisfaction. It is more important to understand variation and to structure processes around such understanding.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A different point of view on ISO 9000, February 5, 2004

By 

Rodrigo Gutierrez "rodrigogc" (Bogotá, Colombia.) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Case Against ISO 9000 (Paperback)

Finally we have a critical point of view on ISO 9000 and many unknown details on its history and development, away from the commercial literature available today. Finally we have the flaws of ISO 9000 clearly presented and involving all of its participants: consultants, auditors and assessors, government institutions, companies and standarisation bodies.
Also he introduces systems thinking to manage quality and his systems view of ISO 9000 in the Vanguard Standards, a systems rewrite of ISO 9001 and 9004.
I have took advantage of the systems view of Quality and the Vanguard Standars on my job as Quality consultant and I have broadened my perspective on Quality, away from the traditional, mechanistic view coming from ISO 9000 community.
John opens your eyes and not only with a critique but with a proposal to avoid the flaws of ISO, based on the Japanese Quality ideas and leaders. Quality world is bigger than traditional ISO 9000 perspective.

5.0 out of 5 stars Seddon on Systems Theory, March 5, 2011

By 

Milton Bulian (Jacksonville, NC USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Case Against ISO 9000 (Paperback)

ISO 9000 is only one of the many standards overseen by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), but as the standard for the evaluation of quality management systems, it is being applied today for everything from peanut butter to education. As a Brit, Seddon has witnessed the evolution from the British Standard 5750 to the current ISO 9000 standard and sees beyond the wrapper to the heart of the theory behind the standard. He applies reason and logic with a plethora of examples of how command and control has not always been the best way.