ISO 9000 -- seeming to be, and not to be...

[Jack Shaw <jsh -at- SOFTWARE-AG -dot- DE>]

...some kind of magic paper formula for a guarantee of
high quality, as I see it. Or do I see falsely?

After studying excerpts/derivatives/summaries of, well
OK--ISO 9001, specifically (ISO 9000 is the general quality
_CATEGORY_ for the ISO standards 900x, etc.), I have
concluded that all that thing does is guarantee that
the corporate/personal contractor "you" can prove you've
been keeping records and behaved yourself according to your
own (perhaps mediocre) definition of quality. But it's no
proof of your product having high quality.

In other words, ISO 9000 (for which certification is
necessary to get you your merit badge and the right to
put this "good housekeeping" stamp on your org.) just
makes sure you've met the following two criteria:

1. You've got a "quality plan" ("On my honor I will
   do my best...", etc.)

2. You've got reams of records to prove you met your
   plan's definition in the stuff you produced, because
   the auditor said so.

But your quality (Crosby/Demming, or otherwise)? Zero
defects, it doesn't guarantee.

Anyone else see it differently, in terms of technical
info., I mean?

Defectively yours,

J. Shaw