Application of groupware to ISO 9000 registration via facilitated work sessions

Claim 1

A process comprising: inputting comments and ideas for fulfilling ISO 9000 standards using a plurality of input devices, into a computer system as text data in the computer system in an information gathering stage of a team meeting; editing the text data on one or more of the input devices into a format suitable for a bridge tool to retrieve and convert the text data and saving the edited data into computer memory data base for ISO 9000 information; executing a bridge tool in the computer system for retrieving and converting the stored text data into computer data output with a structure useable by a formatting tool; executing the formatting tool for automatically reformatting the computer data output of the bridge tool; and the computer system automatically providing at an end of the team meeting, the reformatted computer date for fulfilling ISO 9000 standards in the form of one or more manuals.

Claim 12

A method for quickly establishing and documenting a plan for an organization for fulfilling ISO 9000 standards, the plan established via a facilitated group session wherein participants each input into a computer system data regarding ISO 9000 required organizational processes, the method comprising the steps of: providing a group decision support environment for a facilitator and a plurality of participants, the environment including computer system facilities; soliciting from the participants information concerning required organizational processes for meeting ISO 9000 standards; inputting into the computer system for storage the information concerning ISO 9000 standards solicited from the participants, the step of inputting performed by a plurality of or all the participants; reaching concurrence on the correctness of the information to verify the information; inputting into the computer system to consolidate the verified information; executing one or more programs for converting the verified information stored in the computer system to a format suitable for use by a selected formatting program; executing the formatting program for formatting the converted information; the formatting program automatically formatting the converted information into predefined formats suitable for efficient interfunctional organization use, the predefined formats including predefined chapter and page headings; and automatically providing the information in a form of documents or manuals suitable for use in designing a strategy for fulfilling the ISO 9000 standards.

Claim 13

A method for quickly establishing and documenting a plan for an organization for fulfilling ISO 9000 standards, the plan established via a facilitated group session wherein participants each input into a computer system data regarding ISO 9000 required organizational processes, the method comprising the steps of: providing a group decision support environment for a facilitator and a plurality of participants, the environment including computer system facilities; soliciting from the participants information concerning required organizational processes for meeting ISO 9000 standards; inputting into the computer system for storage the information concerning ISO 9000 standards solicited from the participants, the step of inputting performed by a plurality of or all the participants; reaching concurrence on the correctness of the information to verify the information; inputting into the computer system to consolidate the verified information; executing one or more programs for converting the verified information stored in the computer system to a format suitable for use by a selected formatting program; executing the formatting program for formatting the converted information; the formatting program automatically formatting the converted information into predefined formats suitable for efficient interfunctional organization use, the predefined formats including predefined chapter and page headings; and automatically providing the information in a form of documents or manuals suitable for use in designing a strategy for fulfilling the ISO 9000 standards.

Claim 20

A method of conducting a group meeting comprising the steps of: providing a meeting space for a plurality of attendees and computer facilities having means for receiving, storing, automatically manipulating, and displaying data furnished by the attendees; providing a computer device for each of a plurality of the attendees for simultaniously inputting responses to questions introduced to the attendees by a group meeting facilitator, the questions introduced to the attendees for facilitating a collection of said data furnished by the attendees and useful in outlining ISO 9000 registration requirements for a preselected organization; automatically retrieving and reading said data furnished by the attendees including selectively embedding formatting tags, based on said reading, into said data furnished by the attendees; and formatting said data furnished by the attendees into predefined formats stored in the computer facilities in response to the formatting tags; and facilitating a collection of said data furnished by the attendees and useful in outlining ISO 9000 registration requirements for a preselected organization; automatically retrieving and reading said data furnished by the attendees including selectively embedding formatting tags, based on said reading, into said data furnished by the attendees; and formatting said data furnished by the attendees into predefined formats stored in the computer facilities in response to the formatting tags; and the computer system facilities automatically providing manuals in the predefined formats at an end of the group meeting for use by the attendees.

Claim 21

A method of conducting a group meeting comprising the steps of: providing a meeting space for a plurality of attendees and computer facilities having means for receiving, storing, automatically manipulating, and displaying data furnished by the attendees; providing a computer device for each of a plurality of the attendees for simultaniously inputting responses to questions introduced to the attendees by a group meeting facilitator, the questions introduced to the attendees for facilitating a collection of said data furnished by the attendees and useful in outlining ISO 9000 registration requirements for a preselected organization; automatically retrieving and reading said data furnished by the attendees including selectively embedding formatting tags, based on said reading, into said data furnished by the attendees; and formatting said data furnished by the attendees into predefined formats stored in the computer facilities in response to the formatting tags; and facilitating a collection of said data furnished by the attendees and useful in outlining ISO 9000 registration requirements for a preselected organization; automatically retrieving and reading said data furnished by the attendees including selectively embedding formatting tags, based on said reading, into said data furnished by the attendees; and formatting said data furnished by the attendees into predefined formats stored in the computer facilities in response to the formatting tags; and the computer system facilities automatically providing manuals in the predefined formats at an end of the group meeting for use by the attendees.