AS 3904.

4:1994
NZS 9004.4:1994
ISO 9004-4:1993

Australian/New Zealand Standard

This is a free 8 page sample. Access the full version at http://infostore.saiglobal.com.

Quality management and quality

system elements

Part 4: Guidelines for quality

improvement
 AS/NZS 3904.4:1994/NZS 9004.4:1994/ISO 9004-4:1993

This Joint Australian/New Zealand Standard was prepared by Joint Technical

Committee QR/8, Quality Systems. It was approved on behalf of the Council of
Standards Australia on 14 June 1994 and on behalf of the Council of Standards
New Zealand on 28 March 1994. It was published on 15 August 1994.

The following interests are represented on Committee QR/8:

Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Australian Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers Association
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Australian Information Industry Association

Australian Organization of Quality
Australian Road Research Board
Bureau of Steel Manufacturers of Australia
Department of Defence, Australia
Department of Industry Technology and Regional Development (Australia)
Department of Primary Industries and Energy (Australia)
Department of Transport and Communications (Australia)
Department of Transport, Queensland
Electricity Supply Association of Australia
Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, Australia
Institute of Metals and Materials Australasia
Institution of Engineers Australia
Institution of Radio and Electronics Engineers Australia
Quality Society of Australasia
Roads and Traffic Authority of N.S.W.
Royal Australian Chemical Institute
Telecom Australia
Testing Laboratory Registration Council of New Zealand
Total Quality Management Institute of Australia
Water Board, Sydney—Illawarra—Blue Mountains

Review of Standards. To keep abreast of progress in industry, Joint Australian/New

Zealand Standards are subject to periodic review and are kept up to date by the issue
of amendments or new editions as necessary. It is important therefore that Standards
users ensure that they are in possession of the latest edition, and any amendments
thereto.
Full details of all Joint Standards and related publications will be found in the
Standards Australia and Standards New Zealand Catalogue of Publications; this
information is supplemented each month by the magazines ‘The Australian Standard’
and ‘Standards New Zealand’, which subscribing members receive, and which give
details of new publications, new editions and amendments, and of withdrawn
Standards.
Suggestions for improvements to Joint Standards, addressed to the head office of either
Standards Australia or Standards New Zealand, are welcomed. Notification of any
inaccuracy or ambiguity found in a Joint Australian/New Zealand Standard should be
made without delay in order that the matter may be investigated and appropriate action
taken.
 AS 3904.4:1994
NZS 9004.4:1994
ISO 9004-4:1993

Australian/New Zealand Standard

This is a free 8 page sample. Access the full version at http://infostore.saiglobal.com.

Quality management and quality

system elements

Part 4: Guidelines for quality

improvement

First publi shed in Austr alia as AS 3904.4(Int) —1993.

First publi shed in New Zealand as NZS 9004.4(I nt): 1993
Jointl y revised and designated as Joint Standard
AS 3904.4—1994/NZS 9004.4:1994.

PUBLISHED JOINTLY BY:

STANDARDS AUSTRALIA
1 The Crescent,
Homebush NSW 2140 Australia

STANDARDS NEW ZEALAND

Level 10, Standards House,
155 The Terrace,
Wellington 6001 New Zealand
ISBN 0 7262 9103 X
 AS 3904.4—1994/NZS 9004.4:1994/ ii
ISO 9004-4:1993

PREFACE

This Standard was prepared by the Joint Standards Australia/ Standards New Zealand Committee QR/8,
Quality Systems and is issued as a Joint Standard under the terms of the Active Corporation Agreement
between Standards Australia and Standards New Zealand.
This Standard is technically identical with and has been reproduced from ISO 9004-4:1993, Quality
management and quality system elements. Part 4: Guidelines for quality improvement , published by the
International Organization for Standardization (ISO). It replaces Interim Standard AS 3904.4(Int)/
NZS 9004.4(Int) which was based on the draft international Standard and is now withdrawn. Committee QR/8
provided input to the International Committee ISO/TC 176 in the preparation of ISO 9004-4.
Under the arrangements made between Standards Australia/Standards New Zealand and the international
Standards bodies, ISO and IEC, as well as certain other Standards organizations, users of this Joint Standard
are advised that in Australia copyright is vested in Standards Australia; in New Zealand, copyright is vested
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in Standards New Zealand.

For the purpose of this Joint Standard, the ISO/IEC text should be modified as follows:
(a) Terminology The words ‘Australian Standard’, ‘New Zealand Standard’ or ‘Joint Australian/New
Zealand Standard’, should replace the words ‘International Standard’ whenever they appear.
(b) References The references to International Standards should be replaced by references to the following
Australian/New Zealand Standards:

Reference to International Standard Australian/New Zealand Standard

ISO AS 3904/ Quality management and quality
9004 Quality management and quality NZS/ 90004 system elements
system elements—Guidelines AS 3904.1/ Part 1: Guidelines
NZS 9004.1
9004-2 Quality management and quality AS 3904.2/ Quailty management and quality
system elements— NZS 9004.2 system elements
Part 2: Guidelines for services Part 2: Guidelines for services
9004-3 Quaility management and quality AS 3904.3 Quality management and quality
system elements— NZS 9004.1 system elements
Part 3: Guidelines for processed Part 3: Guidelines for processed
materials materials
8258 Shewhart control charts AS/NZS 3944 Shewhart control charts

The objective of this Standard, like the other parts of AS 3904/NZS 9004, is to provide guidance intended for
use within an organization in developing and improving an effective quality system, i.e. a system designed to
satisfy customer needs and expectations while serving to protect the organization’s interests. It is not intended
to provide guidance to AS 3901/ NZS 9001, AS 3902/NZS 9002 or AS 3903/NZS 9003 requirements.
Although the guidance provided is suitable for the introduction of quality improvement concepts and training
programs within the organization, it is recommended that those responsible for design and implementation of
such programs consult more detailed texts.

At the time of publication ISO 7870, Control charts—General guide and introduction, referred to in the
Bibliography, is still being developed and is not available. ISO 8258, Shewhart control charts is issued as
Joint Australian/New Zealand Standard AS/NZS 3944. Australian Standards AS 3940—1990 Quality
control—Guide to the use of control chart methods including Cusum techniques and AS 3941—1990, Quality
control—Guide for number non-conforming charts provide broad guidance on methods of statistical control of
a process. AS 3941 is similar in scope to ISO 8258 but differs in the presentation of guidance on how to
prepare and use traditional (Shewhart) control charts, which are the simplest method of statistical quality
control for manufacturing process and service industry applications.
 ii i AS 3904.4—1994/NZS 9004.4:1994/
ISO 9004-4:1993

CONTENTS

1 Scope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

2 Normative reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

3 Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

4 Fundamental concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

4.1 Principles of quality improvement . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

4.2 Environment for quality improvement . . . . . . . . . . . 2

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4.3 Quality losses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

5 Managing for quality improvement . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

5.1 Organizing for quality improvement . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

5.2 Planning for quality improvement . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

5.3 Measuring quality improvement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

5.4 Reviewing quality-improvement activities . . . . . . . . 5

6 Methodology for quality improvement . . . . . . . . . . 5

6.1 Involving the whole organization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

6.2 Initiating quality-improvement projects or activities . 5

6.3 Investigating possible causes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

6.4 Establishing cause-and-effect relationships . . . . . . 5

6.5 Taking preventive or corrective actions . . . . . . . . . 5

6.6 Confirming the improvement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

6.7 Sustaining the gains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

6.8 Continuing the improvement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

7 Supporting tools and techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

7.1 Tools for numerical data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

7.2 Tools for non-numerical data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

7.3 Training in applying tools and techniques . . . . . . . 6

Annexes

A Supporting tools and techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

B Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
 AS 3904.4—1994/NZS 9004.4:1994/ iv
ISO 9004-4:1993

Foreword

ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide

federation of national standards bodies (ISO member bodies). The work
of preparing International Standards is normally carried out through ISO
technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for
which a technical committee has been established has the right to be
represented on that committee. International organizations, governmental
and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work.
ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical
Commission (IEC ) on all matters of electrotechnical standardization.

Draft International Standards adopted by the technical committees are

circulated to the member bodies for voting. Publication as an
International Standard requires approval by at least 75 % of the member
bodies casting a vote.
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International Standard ISO 9004-4 was prepared by Technical Committee

ISO/TC 176, Quality management and quality assurance , Sub-Committee
SC 2, Quality systems .

ISO 9004 consists of the following parts, under the general title Quality
management and quality system elements :

— Part 1: Guidelines

— Part 2: Guidelines for services

— Part 3: Guidelines for processed materials

— Part 4: Guidelines for quality improvement

— Part 5: Guidelines for quality plans

— Part 6: Guide to quality assurance for project management

— Part 7: Guidelines for configuration management

Part 1 is a revision of ISO 9004:1987.

Annex A forms an integral part of this part of ISO 9004. Annex B is for
information only.

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Up to 10 percent of the technical content pages of a Standard may be copied for use exclusively in-house by
purchasers of the Standard without payment of a royalt y or advice to Standards Australi a or Standards New Zealand.
Inclusion of copyri ght materi al in computer software programs is also permitt ed without royalt y payment provided
such programs are used exclusively in-house by the creators of the programs.
Care should be taken to ensure that materi al used is fr om the current edit ion of the Standard and that it is updated whenever the
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The use of material in pri nt form or in computer soft ware programs to be used commercially, with or without payment, or in
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 v AS 3904.4—1994/NZS 9004.4:1994/
ISO 9004-4:1993

Introduction

When implementing a quality system (e.g. as described in ISO 9004), the

management of an organization should ensure that the system will
facilitate and promote continuous quality improvement. A constant goal of
management at all levels of an organization should be to strive for
customer satisfaction and continuous quality improvement.

The quality of products and services is important for competitiveness.

Continuous quality improvement is necessary to enhance an
organization’s competitive position. It should be emphasized that
innovative strategies for the introduction of new product, service, or
process technologies and continuous quality improvement all need to be
considered.
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The motivation for quality improvement comes from the need to provide
increased value and satisfaction to customers. Every member of an
organization should develop a conscious awareness that each process
can be performed more effectively and more efficiently with less waste
and resource consumption.

Increases in effectiveness and efficiency benefit customers, the

organization and its members, and society in general. Continuous quality
improvement enhances the ability of an organization to compete and the
opportunity for its members to contribute, grow and excel.

(PAGE vi IN THE HARD COPY IS BLANK)

 1 AS 3904.4—1994/NZS 9004.4:1994/
ISO 9004-4:1993

AUSTRALIAN/NEW ZEALAND STANDARD

Quality management and quality system elements—

Part 4:
Guidelines for quality improvement
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1 Scope 3 Definitions

This part of ISO 9004 gives management guidelines for For the purposes of this part of ISO 9004, the
implementing continuous quality improvement within an definitions given in ISO 8402 and the following
organization. definitions apply.

The ways of adopting and implementing these
guidelines depend upon factors such as the culture,
size, nature of the organization, the types of products
or services offered, and the markets and customer
needs served. Therefore, an organization should
develop an improvement process suited to its own
needs and resources.
This part of ISO 9004 is not for contractual, regulatory
or certification use.
3.1 process: A set of inter-related resources and
activities which transforms inputs into outputs.
NOTE 1 Resources may include personnel, facilities,
equipment, technology and methodology.
3.2 supply chain: A set of inter-related processes
that accepts inputs from suppliers, adds value to these
inputs, and produces outputs for customers.
NOTES

2 Input and outputs can be eit her products or services.

3 Customers and suppliers can be eit her internal or

2 Normative reference
The following standard contains provisions which,
through reference in this text, constitute provisions of
this part of ISO 9004. At the time of publication, the
edition indicated was valid. All standards are subject to
revision, and parties to agreements based on this part
of ISO 9004 are encouraged to investigate the
possibility of applying the most recent edition of the
standard indicated below. Members of IEC and ISO
maintain registers of currently valid International
Standards.
ISO 8402:— 1) , Quality management and quality
assurance—Vocabulary .
external to the organizati on.
4 A unit of a supply chain is illustr ated in figure 1.
3.3 quality improvement: Actions taken throughout
the organization to increase the effectiveness and
efficiency of activities and processes to provide added
benefits to both the organization and its customers.
3.4 quality losses: Losses caused by not realizing
the potential of resources in processes and activities.
NOTE 5 Some examples of quality losses are the loss of
customer sati sfacti on, loss of opportunity to add more value
for the customer, the organization or society, as well as a
waste of resources. Qualit y losses are a subset of quality
costs (see 4.3).

1)
To be published. (Revision of ISO 8402:1986)

COPYRIGHT
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AS 3904.4-1994, Quality management and quality

system elements Guidelines for quality
improvement
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