The definition method zero applied to ISO 9000 quality manuals

Presents the results of a study on the value of producing a standard type quality manual using the definition mode zero (IDEF0) format. IDEF0 was developed for the integrated computer‐aided manufacturing (ICAM) program of the US Air Force. ICAM was established with the objective of improving the productivity of aerospace contractors, and IDEF0 is a graphic modelling tool for generating instructions that are clearer and easier to understand. A pilot test and a survey were conducted to gauge the response of local workers in terms of how readily they were able to understand the contents of a quality manual written in both a conventional language and the IDEF0 format. The results of the pilot test and survey are very encouraging, with around 70 per cent of the subjects reporting high efficiency, clarity and legibility of the quality manual writing using the IDEF0 format.