Kristy Kistner
Kristy Kistner, ORAU director of performance excellence, is one of three quality management and quality assurance experts appointed to an international ad hoc group established to examine the feasibility of converting International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9004 into a quality assurance standard with stated requirements for organizations to achieve.
In her role as director of performance excellence, Kistner oversees maintenance of ORAU’s ISO 9001:2015 registration, compliance with the U.S. Department of Energy quality assurance requirements, and conduct of assessments and process improvement initiatives.
“Being appointed to this ad hoc group gives me the opportunity to influence the development and potential changes to standards that are held by organizations around the world,” Kistner said. “I am impressed with the caliber of the people I am interacting with in this group.”
The international ad hoc group to which Kistner has been appointed was established by ISO 9001 Technical Advisory Group 176, which is responsible for quality management and quality assurance standards. The ad hoc group will make recommendations on whether to convert ISO 9004 from a guidance to a requirements standard.
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is an independent, non-governmental international organization with a membership of 165 national standards bodies. ISO 9001 is the most widely used international quality management standard in the world. ISO 9004, while not currently designed for certification, provides a self-assessment tool and best practices for organizations seeking to continue quality management success.
ORAU attained ISO 9001 registration in 2013 under the 2008 version of the standard and transitioned to ISO 9001:2015 in 2016.