Effectiveness and Efficiency

I’ve known for quite some time that the words “effectiveness and efficiency”

were used in tandem a great deal in ISO 9004:2000. So, for the sake of

this book, I took it upon myself to actually count the number of times that

some form of “effectiveness and efficiency” is used together in tandem. It

astounded even me. I counted 86 occurrences! 86!! If anyone was to ever

think that the idea of eliminating waste and making processes more effi-

cient was not an important part of ISO 9001, as reflected in its spiritual

counterpart, ISO 9004, this fact should dispel that notion.

The term is used throughout the standard and is very prominent in two

particular sections:

7.1 Planning of product realization (planning for little waste)

8.2.1.3 Internal audit (looking for waste)

This is the breakdown, by section of ISO 9001/9004, of the number of times

some form of the words “effectiveness and efficiency” is used in tandem:

Section # # of occurrences

4 Quality management system 6

5 Management responsibility 16

6 Resource management 10

7 Product realization 24

8 Measurement, analysis and improvement 30

It is used throughout the standard, and there is a high concentration of it

used, predictably, in section 8 “Measurement, analysis and improvement.”