Common terminology helps everyone stay on the same page

1	Accreditation	The act whereby, for example, the Registrar Accreditation Board (RAB) approves a Registrar (within a defined scope) to operate an assessment and registration scheme and licenses that body to use a special RAB logo on certificates issued within the scope of accreditation.
2	Audit	A systematic, independent, and documented process for obtaining audit evidence and evaluating it objectively to determine the extent to which audit criteria are fulfilled.
3	Audit Client	The person or organization requesting an audit.
4	Audit Conclusion	The outcome of an audit provided by the audit team after consideration of the audit objectives and all the audit findings.
5	Audit Criteria	The set of policies, procedures, or requirements used as a reference.
6	Audit Evidence	The records (verified statements of fact or other information) relevant to the audit criteria and verifiable.
7	Audit Findings	The results of the evaluation of the collected audit evidence against audit criteria.
8	Audit Program	A set of one or more audits planned for a specific timeframe and directed towards a specific purpose.
9	Audit Scope	The extent and boundaries of a given audit.
10	Audit Team	One or more auditors conducting an audit.
11	Auditee	The organization being audited.
12	Auditor	A person with the competence to conduct an audit.
13	Calibration	All the operations for the purpose of determining the values of errors of inspection, measuring or test equipment, and if necessary, to determine other metrological properties.
14	Capability	The ability of an organization, system, or process to realize a product that will fulfill the requirements.
15	Characteristic	A distinguishing feature.
16	Concession	Permission to use or release a product that does not conform to specified requirements.
17	Conformance or Compliance	Indicates that policies, procedures and work instructions are properly recorded and followed.
18	Conformity	The fulfillment of a requirement.
19	Continual Improvement	A recurring activity to increase the ability to fulfill requirements.
20	Correction	The action to eliminate a detected nonconformity.
21	Corrective Action	The action to eliminate the cause of a detected nonconformity or other undesirable situation.
22	Customer	The person or organization that receives a product.
23	Customer Satisfaction	A customer's perception of the degree to which the customer's requirements have been fulfilled.
24	Defect	The non-fulfillment of a requirement related to an intended or specified use.
25	Department Policies	Sets the general rules for how a department operates.
26	Dependability	The collective term used to describe the availability performance and its influencing factors:  reliability performance, maintainability performance, and maintenance support performance.
27	Document	Information and its supporting medium.  A set of documents for example, specifications and records, is often called documentation.
28	Effectiveness	The extent to which planned activities are realized and planned results achieved.
29	Efficiency	The relationship between the result achieved and the resources used.
30	External Quality Audit	An independent firm determines if the policies and procedures are effectively implemented.  This audit also examines whether activities and results comply with ISO standards.
	Gap-analysis	An audit of an existing organizations systems designed to provide
31	Input	To contribute ideas or criteria towards a process.
32	Inspection	The conformity evaluation by observation and judgment accompanied as appropriate by measurement, testing, or gauging.
33	ISO	International Organization for Standardization.
34	Internal Auditor	An assigned employee who creates a professional, articulate and non-biased report regarding conformances or non-conformances to ISO standards.  Auditors receive training to conduct this task.
35	Internal Quality Audit	An internal examination to determine if the policies and procedures are effectively implemented and appropriate for our company's needs and objectives.  Audits take place at regular intervals.
36	Management	The coordinated activities to direct and control an organization.
37	Management System	The interrelated or interacting elements necessary to establish policy and objectives and to achieve those objectives.
38	Measurement Process	The set of operations to determine the value of a quantity.
39	Measurement Control System	A set of interrelated or interaction elements necessary to achieve metrological confirmation and continual control of measurement processes.
40	Measuring Equipment	The measuring instrument, software, measurement standard, reference material, or auxiliary apparatus (or combination thereof) necessary to realize a measurement process.
41	Metrological Confirmation	A set of operations required to ensure that measuring equipment confirms to the requirements for its intended use.
42	Major non-conformance	Likely to reduce ability to control processes or product.  Would result in probably shipment of a nonconforming product (logged for Corrective Action).
43	Minor non-conformance	Procedure is documented and followed, but isolated discrepancies are found.  Not likely to cause loss of control of processes or products (logged for Corrective Action).
44	Non-conformance or Non-compliance	Indicates that policies, procedures and work instructions are not properly recorded or followed.
45	Nonconformity	The non-fulfillment of a requirement.
46	Objective Evidence	The data supporting the existence or verity of something.  It may be obtained through observation, measurement, test, or other means.
47	Observation	Indicates an opportunity for improvement if deemed necessary.
48	Organization	The group of people and facilities with an arrangement of responsibilities, authorities, and relationships.
49	Organizational Structure	The arrangement of responsibilities, authorities, and relationships between people.
50	Output	The results of a completed process or series of processes.
51	Preventive Action	The action to eliminate the cause of a potential nonconformity or other undesirable potential situation.
52	Procedure	The specified way to carry out an activity or a process.
53	Process	A set of interrelated or interacting activities which transform inputs into outputs.
54	Product	The totality of material and/or services resulting from a company’s processes.
55	Project	A unique process, consisting of a set of coordinated and controlled activities with start and finish dates, undertaken to achieve an objective conforming to specific requirements, including the constraints of time, cost, and resources.
56	Qualified Auditor	A combination of interacting personal attributes and education, training, work and audit experience, and areas of competence that need to be demonstrated to enable a person to be appointed as an auditor.
57	Quality	The degree to which a set of inherent characteristics fulfill requirements.
58	Quality Assurance	The part of quality management focused on providing confidence that quality requirements will be fulfilled.
59	Quality Control	The part of quality management focused on fulfilling quality requirements.
60	Quality Improvement	The part of quality management focused on increasing the ability to fulfill requirements.
61	Quality Management	The coordinated activities to direct and control an organization with regard to quality.
62	Quality Management System	A management system to direct and control an organization with regard to quality.
63	Quality Manual	A document specifying the quality management system of an organization.  The vary in detail and format to suit the size and complexity of an organization.
64	Quality Objective	Something sought, or aimed for, related to quality.  The objectives should be based on the quality policy of an organization.  Another term for quality objective is quality target.
65	Quality Plan	A document specifying which procedures and associated resources shall to be applied by whom and when to a specific project, product, process, or contract.
66	Quality Planning	The part of quality management focused on setting quality objectives and specifying necessary operational processes and related resources to fulfill the quality objectives.
67	Quality Policy	The overall intentions and direction of an organization related to quality as formally expressed by top management.
68	Quality Requirement	A requirement of inherent characteristics of a product, process, or system.
69	Quality System	The combination of policies, procedures, and work instructions used to achieve quality objectives.
70	Recommendation	An informed judgment or suggestion made by an auditor for potential improvement.
71	Record	A document stating results achieved or providing evidence of activities performed.
72	Registrar	An independent, accredited, third part organization that conducts assessments of a company's quality management system to ensure it complies with requirements.
73	Registration	When a quality management system complies with ISO 9001, the registrar issues a certificate of registration and places the company's name in a directory of registered firms.
74	Registration Scope	The scope of registration defines the company sites, product lines, and operations covered by an ISO 9000 certificate.
75	Release	The permission to proceed to the next set of a process.
76	Repair	The action on a nonconforming product to make it acceptable of the intended usage.
77	Requirement	A need or expectation that is stated, generally implied, or obligatory.
78	Resource Material	Tools or information used to complete a procedure or work instruction.  Example:  a computer system manual or supervisor's instructions.
79	Review	An activity undertaken to ensure the suitability, adequacy, and effectiveness of the subject matter to achieve established objectives.
80	Rework	The action on a nonconforming product to make it conform to the requirements.
81	Scrap	The action on a nonconforming product to preclude its originally intended usage.
82	Specification	A document stating requirements.
83	Supplier	The person or organization that provides a product.
84	System	A set of interrelated or interacting elements.
85	Test	The determination of one or more characteristics according to a specified procedure
86	Top Management	The person or group of people who direct and control an organization at the highest level.
87	Tractability	The ability to trace the history, application, or location of that which is under consideration.
88	Validation	The confirmation, through the provision of objective evidence, that the requirements for a specific intended use or application have been fulfilled.
89	Verification	The confirmation, through the provision of objective evidence, that specified requirements have been fulfilled.
90	Work Environment	The set of conditions under work is performed.
91	Work Instruction	Describes how an individual accomplishes a task and documents specific steps.  It details how a procedure is carried out.