During 1992 I had an opportunity to speak with a fellow who was on the old TC 176 back in the late 1970’s and the 1980’s. We discussed the origins of the ISO 9000 series of documents. The origins are as much a response of a need to establish a framework to address liability issues as anything else. The question was, if you live in Germany and buy something made in France, how do you address issues such as liability should the product fail or prove defective. The coming of the common market in the 1960’s was a large driver for the establishment of an applicable standard.
Standards reviewed included those such as the British Standard BS 5750. Military (including NATO) standards were reviewed, as were commercial standards. ‘Quality’ related standards were eventually arrived at as the best way to address these issues.
The list on the right side of the slide above is a list of several US Military documents which were reviewed. Most of them are now obsolete. In fact, ISO 9001 has replaced Mil-Q-9858, Mil-Std-1520, Mil-Std-45662 (to name a few) in military procurement requirements. See Mil-Spec_Reform.pdf.
Liability
The ISO 9000 series is a vehicle to address liability issues
Driver was the European Common Market
Is relevant locally and world wide
FAR Part 46 “Quality Assurance”
Mil-Std-109 “Quality Assurance Terms and Definitions”
Mil-Q-9858 “Quality Program Requirements”
Handbook 50 “Evaluation of a Contractor’s Quality Program”
Mil-Std-1520 “Corrective Action and Disposition System for Nonconforming Material”
Mil-I-45208 “Inspection System Requirements”
Handbook 51 “Evaluation of a Contractor’s Inspection System”
Mil-Std-45662 “Calibration Systems Requirements”
Handbook 52 “Evaluation of Contractor’s Calibration System”
Mil-Std-1535 “Supplier Quality Assurance Program Requirements”
AR-92 “Naval Air Systems Command – Aeronautical Requirements – Quality Program Requirements”
Mil-Std-1521 “Technical Reviews for Systems, Equipments (sic) and Computer Software”
