TL 9000 Frequently Asked Questions
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The Quality Excellence for Suppliers of Telecommunications (QuEST)
Forum is a unique partnership of telecommunications suppliers
and service providers.
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.
Representatives from participating QuEST Forum service providers
and suppliers have formed work groups that meet regularly to
evaluate the requirements.
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.
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.
Conformance to TL 9000 is determined by a third-party registration
audit from an accredited TL 9000 registrar.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Yes, as mentioned above, a company can register for TL 9000-HW,
TL 9000-SW, or both.
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.
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.
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.
For more information on TL 9000 offerings, click below
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