Methodology development for implementation of quality management system within SME from the products lifecycle point of view

This paper is focused on the latest development of ISO 9000 family quality standards, Quality Management Systems (QMS) and how these relate with each phase of product lifecycle, within initial number of 50 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from Czech Republic. This paper also aims to analyze the problems encountered by quality managers when implementing QMS, in particular the ISO 9000 series standards, and tries to find answers to these problems, all in connection with the final product and its lifecycle. The product lifecycle is analyzed from three points of view, which the author considers are the most important for quality managers, i.e. serviceability, IT/IS and total costs. The final purpose and objective of the research is to develop a methodology, based on the results from the empirical study, which can form a base for future ISO 9000 standards improvement and thus when applied will help the quality managers, by reducing the delays of implementation and thus increasing the quality of the product, in a faster and more productive way, in order to fulfill the continuously changing requirements of the customers and of the market.