Clause 3 of the ISO 9001:2015 standard is titled "Terms and definitions." In this section, the standard refers to specific terms and definitions that are critical for understanding and implementing a quality management system (QMS) as outlined in ISO 9001. However, instead of providing a list of terms and definitions within the document itself, Clause 3 directs the reader to ISO 9000:2015, "Quality management systems — Fundamentals and vocabulary," for all relevant definitions.
Key Points of Clause 3: Terms and Definitions
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Reference to ISO 9000: Clause 3 specifies that for the purposes of ISO 9001, the terms and definitions provided in ISO 9000:2015 are applicable. This ensures that there is a consistent understanding of key concepts, principles, and terminology across both standards, which is essential for effectively implementing and maintaining a QMS.
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Consistency and Clarity: By centralizing the definitions in ISO 9000:2015, the ISO 9001 standard maintains consistency and clarity across the quality management system domain. This approach avoids redundancy and ensures that anyone using ISO 9001 can have a single, authoritative source for all definitions related to quality management systems.
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Foundation for Understanding: The terms and definitions laid out in ISO 9000 form the foundational vocabulary for understanding and applying the requirements of ISO 9001. They cover essential concepts such as what constitutes a quality management system, the meaning of quality control vs. quality assurance, the definition of a process, and the explanation of what is meant by customer satisfaction, among others.
Clause 3's direction to refer to ISO 9000 for terms and definitions underlines the interrelated nature of these two standards and highlights the importance of a shared understanding of key terms in the successful application of a quality management system according to ISO 9001. This approach ensures that organizations and individuals involved in QMS implementation and maintenance have a clear and consistent understanding of the terminology, facilitating more effective communication and application of the standard's requirements.
In this standard, the following terms typically apply:
Maintain Documented information = Controlled Documents like procedures, instructions…
Retain Documented information = Records
Specific requirements start here (Clause 4 through 8)