Excellence System stresses continual improvement
Help/Systems’ active Excellence System meets the international quality standard ISO 9001:2000. This certification covers all company procedures, from those performed by the receptionists to those of the CEO.

What does this mean to you, the Help/Systems customer? As Dana Halvorson, Excellence System Manager, points out, “Our willingness to expose every facet of our operation to examination reflects our commitment to excellence, which translates into customer satisfaction with our products and services.”

At present, our Excellence System is entering maturity. At the heart of the system is our Quality Manual. It is structured to cover all we do. Everyone at Help/Systems is required to abide by the Quality Manual. Our goal is to provide our customers with functional, reliable, easy-to-use software for the IBM System i and attached servers, while continually improving our processes and products.

We are audited regularly by an outside quality certification organization. Recertification audits are conducted every three years. Initially certified in November 1992, we were recertified in 1995, 1998, 2001, and 2004. Back in 1992, Help/Systems was the first software company in the United States to be certified under the ISO 9001 standard. We are proud to maintain our certification under the updated 9001:2000 standard.

In addition to recertification audits, we undergo periodic surveillance audits. However, don’t get the impression that we think about excellence only just before the auditors arrive. We have a team of well-trained, volunteer internal auditors who work with our full-time Excellence System Manager. They review company processes and procedures on a schedule throughout the year. In addition, we conduct development project audits to keep our software engineers and software development managers on their toes. Our ongoing audits help to keep our online Quality Manual on everyone’s mind.

What’s involved in all these audits? We must have documented procedures for our work that comply with the ISO 9001:2000 standard. We must demonstrate that we know our procedures. We must prove (through our quality records) that we follow them. Finally, we must demonstrate that we are committed to excellence in our work.

We’ve achieved our goal of creating an atmosphere of continual improvement. Our Quality Manual is a living document. Procedures are regularly revised as we devise better ways of doing things. So, keep expecting more of us. We expect you to!

What Is ISO 9001:2000?
ISO 9001:2000 is an international quality standard developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). It distills more than 50 years of knowledge of business "best practices" and covers software design, development, marketing, product support, and training. In brief, it defines "world-class quality." Help/Systems meets this standard.