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.
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