The authors were invited by The British Standards Institution (BSI) to prepare a book based on the British Standards related to quality. This volume is the result of their efforts and represents the current work on quality contained within the Standards, together with some of the authors' own thoughts on how to apply the concepts and methods. A British Standard (BS) is prepared by a capable technical committee which, typically, comprises industrialists, consultants, academics, and government and BSI representatives. Each BS is a significant piece of work in its own right. A number of the Standards which are quality-related tend to be oriented to mechanical engineering situations and attempts have been made, wherever possible, to make the text more applicable to non-engineering manufacturing, and to commerce and service-type operations. One objective in preparing this book is to make the text more reader-friendly than the typical BS and to facilitate ready accessibility of the material contained within. This book is aimed at those managers and specialists who are responsible for designing, developing, setting up, and maintaining systems, procedures, methods, and operating instructions for the management of quality and reliability. The text should be useful as a reference to obtain detailed knowledge on particular aspects of quality management or to clarify particular points. An individual seeking detailed knowledge of a particular aspect of quality which is contained within BS, must until now buy or see the relevant Standard. This book covers much of the material in the British Standards which is quality-related and aims to provide a convenient and relatively inexpensive access. Undergraduates, postgraduates, and those studying for professional examinations or undergoing continuing education which involve considerations of quality should also find this book of interest, as will the growing number of academics in universities, polytechnics, and colleges of higher and further education with a teaching or research interest in quality management.