Implementation of the ISO 9001 Qualify Standard at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) has a dual charter. The Laboratory is a unit of Caltech staffed with Caltech employees. It is also a federally funded research and development center under the National Aeronauticals and Space Administration (NASA). JPL is the only non-government staffed NASA facility. Its research and development capability support activities for NASA, the Department of Defense, and civil programs of national importance. The Laboratory´s primary mission is to conduct challenging robotic space missions for NASA. In addition, JPL has the task of applying its special capabilities to technical and scientific problems of national significance. JPL management has committed to the implementation of ISO 9001 and is providing support for the effort. NASA Code Q is augmenting this support through direct funding for specific tasks and NASA ISO 9000 Working Group activities. JPL is committed to the reengineering of the Laboratory´s internal processes and the installation of a Laboratory-wide electronic documentation system. Although this is being done independently from the ISO implementation activity, the system is being coordinated with the ISO effort and will play an instrumental part in achieving the ISO documentation system requirements. ISO requirements are being imposed on several new Laboratory missions, including the Mars Surveyor Program (Mars 98) and the New Millennium Program