ISO 9001:2015 revision

Business has changed radically since the last major revision in 2000; technology has changed how we work, geographical boundaries are almost insignificant in today’s global economy, supply chains are increasingly complex and the information available has multiplied exponentially.

To ensure that ISO 9001 continues to serve the business community and maintain its relevance in today’s market place, the standard is being revised to address the change in the business world.

One thing remains constant, to be successful, businesses have to adapt to meet the growing needs of customers. ISO was originally written with the customer in mind and that remains the priority for ISO 9001:2015.

The new standard expected in September 2015, will be based on Annex SL – the new high level structure (HLS) that brings a common framework to all management system standards. This helps to keep consistency, alignment different management system standards, offer matching sub-clauses against the top-level structure and apply common language across all standards.

The key changes in the proposed standard are:

• The emphasis on leadership
• The focus on risk management
• Emphasis on objectives measurement and change
• Communication and awareness
• Fewer prescriptive requirements

With the new standard in place, organizations will find it easier to incorporate their quality management system into the core business processes and gain greater business benefit.