Although a good starting point and the 'backbone' for most successful quality management systems, a fundamental weakness of the ISO 9001 Quality management system apart from not being able to address all the technical activities of a laboratory; is the absence of an opportunity to define valuable metrics to evaluate performance of key laboratory activities. ISO 17025 connects the laboratory quality management system to every single laboratory process or activity and will assure the laboratory meets all customer quality requirements, improve the laboratory's competitiveness, reduce waste, reduce risks, and control laboratory variation.

This project shall serve as a guide and help laboratory stakeholders compare and contrast ISO 9001 and 17025 requirements, develop and implement a cost effective plan to upgrade from ISO 9001 to ISO 17025, determine valuable metrics to measure the performance of the ISO 17025 laboratory Quality Management system, as well as optimizie the return on investment.