Plots a path from a base of ISO 9000 series system registration to the effective use of self‐assessment against the criteria of an excellence model (e.g. the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) model or the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA) model). Both the ISO 9000...

This deliberately provocative paper challenges the replacement of quality and total quality management by the term “excellence” in the EFQM excellence model. It also claims the current emphasis on “points scoring” is detracting from the fundamentals of quality management.