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TL 9000 Frequently Asked Questions


What is TL 9000?

TL 9000 is the telecommunications industry's set of two handbooks: TL 9000 Quality Management System Requirements and TL 9000 Quality Management System Measurements. The Requirements volume includes all of the requirements of ISO 9001, plus industry-specific requirements for hardware, software, and services. The goal of these added requirements is continual improvement and two-way customer communication in the telecommunications industry, resulting in potential cost savings for suppliers and service providers, and improved service to end users of telecommunications services.

What is the purpose of TL 9000?

The purpose of TL 9000 is to define the telecommunications quality management system requirements for the design, development, production, delivery, installation, and maintenance of products and services. Included in TL 9000 are performance-based measurements for reliability and quality performance of products and services. These measurements can be used to benchmark performance with others in the industry.

What makes TL 9000 unique and separates it from other quality standards?

The unique feature of TL 9000 is the requirement for quality measurements, which differentiates this quality requirement from all others. Each TL 9000-registered company reports only those measurements that apply to its operations.

What are the benefits of implementing TL 9000?

Telecommunications service providers, their subscribers, and their suppliers will all benefit as a result of implementing TL 9000:

  • Continual improvement of service to subscribers.
  • Enhanced customer/supplier relationships.
  • Standardization of quality system requirements worldwide.
  • Uniform performance-based measurements.
  • Efficient management of external audits and customer site visits.
  • Fewer customer audits.
  • Creation of a platform for improvement initiatives.

What relationship does this new set of requirements have with current industry standards?

The various standards used within the industry have produced significant benefits and contain elements that will become important parts of the new requirements. ISO 9001 forms the basis of the effort, augmented by quality management system requirements that are unique to the telecommunications industry. TL 9000 consolidates the various quality system requirements currently used within the industry, creating a telecommunications-specific set of requirements built upon an ISO 9000 framework.

What is included in the TL 9000 Quality Management System Requirements and the TL 9000 Quality System Measurements handbooks?

TL 9000 addresses all elements of quality management that pertain to hardware, software, and/or services. In addition to ISO 9001, it includes requirements specific to the telecommunications industry to provide an efficient, effective quality management system. TL 9000 also includes a commonly applied set of performance-based measurements to demonstrate the effectiveness of the quality management system and the levels of customer service relative to others in the industry.

What is the QuEST Forum?

The Quality Excellence for Suppliers of Telecommunications (QuEST) Forum is a unique partnership of telecommunications suppliers and service providers.

What is the primary mission of the QuEST Forum?

The QuEST Forum's mission is to foster continued improvements to the quality and reliability of telecommunications service. It is committed to developing and maintaining a common set of quality system requirements for the telecommunications industry, worldwide, including reportable performance and cost-based measurements for the industry.

How does the QuEST Forum monitor the requirements?

Representatives from participating QuEST Forum service providers and suppliers have formed work groups that meet regularly to evaluate the requirements.

What are other responsibilities of the QuEST Forum?

The QuEST Forum is responsible for maintaining the TL 9000 quality requirements and for assuring compatibility with other sets of requirements and standards. Currently, it represents the telecommunications industry on the ISO 9001 Technical Committee (TC 176). For more information, visit the QuEST Forum.

How does an organization become a member of the QuEST Forum?

Telecommunications companies interested in joining may complete the online membership application or may download and fax an MS Word document to 414-765-8665. For additional information on joining, please contact the QuEST Forum Program Manager at 414-765-8672 or e-mail admin@questforum.org.

How is compliance to TL 9000 determined, and by whom?

Conformance to TL 9000 is determined by a third-party registration audit from an accredited TL 9000 registrar.

How are registration entities accredited?

The QuEST Forum established guidelines for accreditation bodies to qualify registrars, and defined requirements that registrars must satisfy to carry out TL 9000 registration. Methods for TL 9000 training and registrar accreditation were also established by the QuEST Forum. Training to help users correctly and consistently interpret, apply, and audit TL 9000 requirements is provided by STAT-A-MATRIX, a QuEST Forum approved training provider. The accreditation of registrars is the responsibility of accreditation bodies recognized by the QuEST Forum.

What are the registrar's responsibilities?

Registrars are responsible for verifying that those with whom they contract to provide TL 9000 registration have, in fact, implemented a quality management system that complies with TL 9000. In carrying out this responsibility, registrars must comply with their own procedures, the requirements of their contracted registrar accreditation bodies, and the QuEST Forum's Code of Practice for Quality System Registrars.

Does a company need to be a QuEST Forum member to become TL 9000 registered?

No, companies do not need to be members, but there are a lot of advantages to membership in the QuEST Forum. As a member you have voting rights, you can be part of the development team that creates and reviews the TL 9000 documents, and you will have viewing privileges of the TL 9000 measurements summary reports.

Will the scope of registration allow for multiple sites and/or multiple product lines?

Yes, the scope of a registration may apply to hardware, software, services, or any combination thereof. The TL 9000 registration may include an entire company, an organizational unit, a facility(s), or a limited, defined product line as mutually agreed upon by the supplier and the registrar.

The scope of TL 9000 registration will be clearly defined within the certificate. TL 9000 supports three distinct certifications:

  • TL 9000-HW, Hardware
  • TL 9000-SW, Software
  • TL 9000-SC, Services

A company may request registration to any of the above specialty areas or any combination thereof.

Can a company that produces both hardware and software be registered separately?

Yes, as mentioned above, a company can register for TL 9000-HW, TL 9000-SW, or both.

If your company is registered to ISO 9001 or 9002, must you start from the beginning?

No. Companies currently registered to ISO 9001or 9002 will be assessed only on the added requirements of TL 9000. Similar migration paths are available to companies registered and to various telecommunications industry standards.

Why select STAT-A-MATRIX for TL 9000 training?

STAT-A-MATRIX was selected by the QuEST Forum to develop and deliver QuEST Forum sanctioned training to the registrars assessing compliance to TL 9000, as well as courses ranging from interpretation to implementation of the standard. We currently offer TL 9000 training in auditing and measurements in addition to employee awareness programs. STAT-A-MATRIX has been serving the telecommunications industry for over 30 years, and our staff includes many former leading telecommunications professionals.

How can STAT-A-MATRIX help with the continuous improvement requirements of TL 9000?

STAT-A-MATRIX offers a wide range of training courses and consulting services, including Six Sigma, to assist you in identifying and improving processes in all of your operations. View our schedule of public seminar dates and locations or read more about on-site training and compliance services. Call 1-800-472-6477 or visit our TL 9000 overview page if you'd like more information about all of our TL 9000 services.

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