In today's global industrial environment, the quality of products and services has emerged as the key to competitiveness under free market conditions. Written by two quality experts at the forefront of the movement towards worldwide system standardization, this book explores the latest developments in the field of quality management and examines their impact on the implementation of quality assurance systems and on international standardization, auditing and registration processes. The book provides an overview of the new ISO 9000 standards and similar systems. It also offers practical guidance on how to establish a total quality management program, design a quality assurance system and conduct quality assurance program audits and assessments.