In a globalizing world economy, there are increasing demands for improvement in the quality and delivery of professional services. Characteristics of improved quality include transparency, accountability, efficiency and responsiveness to the needs and concerns of customers. The requirements of providing a high quality service are similar to those articulated in various quality assurance models. Management systems such as ISO 9001:2000 provides a process oriented structure and a useful framework for the implementation of one such widely accepted model, which can serve as the first step towards Quality management.

Properly implemented management systems add value and create a foundation upon which a successful organization can meet their goals and objectives. The benefits of a properly implemented management system have helped organizations to:

• Enhance communication throughout the organization
• Encourage clarity of responsibility and accountability
• Standardize the way things are done, reducing variability and making it easier to solve problems
• Foster continual improvement as an institutionalized core value and provide a platform for moving to performance excellence.
• Improve the organization’s ability to fully understand and meet the customer requirements in a consistent manner
• Clarify the goals and objectives of the organization
• Align all employees and processes to meet objectives

• Improve bottom-line performance by enhancing revenue costs and create a competitive advantage