ISO 9000: What is its Impact on Performance?

ISO 9000 is fast becoming a must for companies in both the manufacturing and service sectors. Some questions have been formulated on the basis of the debate around the effects of ISO 9000 on performance. Can certification help in improving quality performances? Are there reductions in costs? Is there any improvement in time performance? These topics are examined through analysis of data gathered by means of a survey based on a sample of 100 Italian manufacturing companies, all of which received ISO 9000 certification between June 1993 and June 1995. It was found that the impact of certification is clearest in the areas of quality (both internal and external quality and their related costs), punctuality, and throughput time, while there are no significant positive effects on other time and cost performances.