Electronic binder system: Promotion of an ISO9001-based quality system using the WWW and experience from its application

Abstract

The authors have been applying an ISO9001-based quality system to a large software project which develops the software product by using electronic media and computer network. To improve sharing documents and quality records, and to facilitate the preparation of internal quality audit and certification activities, the authors developed an electronic binder system that collected necessary documents and quality records by using the WWW (World Wide Web) and applied to their organization. The organization has received the ISO9001 certification using the electronic binder system. To evaluate the usefulness of this system, the authors performed a survey by questionnaire twice: (1) soon after introducing the system (at that time our organization was promoting the deployment of our quality system and was not subject to any internal quality audits and certifications) in our organization, and (2) soon after receiving the ISO9001 certification. The following results were found out from this survey:

• - With respect to usefulness of the electronic binder system, in the 1st survey, half of the respondents who had ever accessed the electronic binders evaluated them positively. The other half did not. But in the 2nd survey, more than 90% evaluated the electronic binder system useful.

• - The electronic binder system was most effective for ordering the documents and quality records of projects and sub-projects that the respondents themselves were part of in both surveys.

• - Planning documents, production specifications and final testing specifications and reports, and configuration management lists are accessed most from the point of view of the accessed number per one document or quality record in both surveys. This means project members regard these documents and quality records as important.