The development of an ISO 9000 quality management system to meet the requirements of the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) model-the Cyprus Telecommunications Authority's case

The Cyprus Telecommunications Authority's (CYTA) modernisation programme focuses on the use of business process re-engineering tools in order to improve the organisation's customer focus and people focus orientation with parallel improvements in productivity, and the ability to develop and offer products and services with market improvements in operational flexibility. The Authority, in its search to find a modern management model able to support this modernisation programme and its path towards excellence, has opted for the European Foundation for Quality Management excellence model. In a parallel but not separated move, the Authority has decided to embark on the development and implementation of the ISO 9000 quality systems standard in its customer service operations. The first such system to be certified in June 1999, was the Authority's Limassol Customer Order Fulfillment Department and the second was the whole of the Customer Services in the area of Larnaca. The purpose of this paper is firstly to define how an ISO 9000 certified business unit can be measured against the requirements of the EFQM model and secondly outline a plan of action that could be used to guide this business unit towards the EFQM model of excellence.