Our History:   AQR - MSI

We’re evolving…Are you?

In 1993, when we began as American Quality Resources (AQR), our focus was in helping companies attain registration to the 1987 version of ISO 9000, the International Standard for Quality Management Systems. Back then, as was thought to be required by the Standard, our job was to develop the “big 'honkin’ binder” that would become the basis for the assessment by the registrar. The Standard required that “…the supplier shall establish and maintain documented procedures for…” a lot of activities that were not value-added processes for most companies. The result was that companies were saddled with a lot of documentation and paperwork. The reputation of ISO 9000 suffered as it came to be seen as a bureaucratic burden that did not relate to the business processes of the company.

With the year 2000 version of the Standard, all of that changed. The focus changed to “   the adoption of a quality management system…that meets the needs and expectations of it customers and other interested parties (people in the organization, suppliers, owners, society), to achieve competitive advantage and to do this in an effective and efficient manner.” Further, the new Standard goes on to define that the purpose of the organization is to “…achieve, maintain and improve overall organizational performance and capabilities.”

With that new direction provided by ISO 9001:2000, AQR was re-structured as Management Systems Improvement, LLC (MSI) to reflect that our own purpose and capabilities had evolved. Now, in addition to reviewing existing processes and helping to institute QMS procedures, we offer a breadth of value-added management and organizational support services that help you identify and implement improvements to your entire management system. By taking a wider, more objective view of your operation, we bring our years of experience and knowledge to bear, helping you realize broader management solutions, address operational issues and drive positive, transformational change.

For our existing customers, this wider view allows us to build on the systems we already know well, supporting the staff we know, as well. For new customers, we can provide a broader range of services to help you achieve your improvement and growth goals, functioning as consultants and as an extension of your existing resources. That model has worked well for us in the past – now, we've expanded our abilities to help strengthen yours.