On Wed, 20 Aug 1997 16:12:53 -0400, you wrote:

>Jan af Burén wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>> Some time ago Steve Lubar sent a question to the MUSUEM-L if anyone
>> knows something about the application of ISO 9000 standards in
>> museums. There was only one answer on the list, from Gary Acord.
>>
>> In my museum, the National Museum of Fine Arts in Stockholm, Sweden,
>> we are now doing a restructuring of a more than 100 year old
>> organization. In the new organization the quality questions will be
>> important. For the moment I am studying the ISO 9000 manual and I
>> think that Gary Acord is right when he says that he is not sure
>> whether ISO 9000 actually applies to museums since it is intended to
>> be used as a measure of quality control in various industries. But I
>> do think that it is necessary to work on internal quality standards.
>> Probably you have to start with more limited processes such as
>> registration, loans, documentation of the collection management.
>>
>> Jan af Burén
>> Nationalmuseum, Stockholm
>> [log in to unmask]
>
>
>Dear Jan:
>
>The only individual or firm I know doing work in the area of ISO 9000
>standards in museums is Peter Westhuis - a Museum Security Consultant in
>Rotterdam.  He can be reached at [log in to unmask]
>
>Museum Services International is now working on introducing the field of
>Value Engineering to the Cultural and Museum Communities.  Value
>Engineering is a Management Methodology for assuring quality and cost
>cutting on a project basis - particularly the planning and design of
>renovations/new construction projects.  In fact Value Engineering is now
>mandated by our Federal Government for use in all of its agencies.
>
>We hope to have more news about Value Engineering in the future - and
>perhaps an article concerning a Museum Value Engineering Project we are
>working on at the present time.
>
>Kind Regards
>
>Roger Wulff
>President
>
From my own experience in managing engineering and construction
projects, and lecturing on the subject, there is as much confusion on
ISO900 as there is understanding.   The misunderstanding is that it
sets up a whole new system of standards for a manufacturer to abide by
when in fact it is , as mentioned above, a system of reporting on
quality.  The best description of the system, told to me by the man in
charge of implementing it in his company goes as follows:

                Say what you do.

                Do what you said you would do, and

                Document that you did what you said you would do.

In other words, and as might apply to a museum, it would be to have a
manual describing the various operations taken to classify, to
preserve and to display the collection.  It doesn't dictate that you
change them but it does allow others to check to see that you know
what to do and whether you, in fact, did do it.  

When you view ISO 9000 in this manner, virtually all of the staff of
an organization can apply it to whatever they do, be it secretarial,
janitorial or construction.

There is of course a follow on aspect of this and it is to continually
monitor your operations and to make improvements and to amend the
manual accordingly. 

John A. Bing PMP
--
John A. Bing
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