Issue 136 – When is ISO 9001:2015 getting revised?
ISO 9001:2015…
When is ISO 9001:2015 getting revised?
I appreciate receiving emails with questions and/or comments from readers of this Newsletter… please continue to do so since it provides me with ideas on what these publications should cover. In my last Newsletter (ISO 9001:2015 Newsletter Issue 135) we discussed the topic of “Should you calibrate instruments that measure the process?”, and now in this Newsletter we will discuss “When is ISO 9001:2015 getting revised?”.
The ISO 9001:2015 Element numbering…
Element 4 – Context of the organization
Element 5 – Leadership
Element 6 – Planning
Element 7 – Support
Element 8 – Operation
Element 9 – Performance evaluation
Element 10 – Improvement
When is ISO 9001:2015 getting revised?… All indications point to a revision being published later this year (2026)… likely in September or October. This “revision” is long overdue. Looking back to the past, the first revision came out in 1994 (7 years after the original publication in 1987)… the next revision was in 2000 (6 years later), followed by the 2008 revision (8 years later) and finally the current 2015 revision (7 years later). It’s now been 11 years with no revisions to this document which has been nice not having to deal with any changes for over a decade now. No changes is helpful to all organizations who use it as a framework for their internal Quality Management System (QMS), and who receive certifications for complying with it.
Are big changes coming in this next revision?… Having lived through the previous four (4) revisions to the ISO 9001 International Standard I have been caught off-guard more than once trying to predict what the changes will be… I now have learned my lesson and will wait until I see what the final version will say after it completes the voting activities amongst the member countries. I’ve read predictions at both ends of the scale… some saying it will be minor… while others suggest significant changes are coming. No matter what the changes turn out to be, you will be given time to make the transition. In the past, 18 months to 36 months was allowed for organizations to demonstrate compliance with the new Standard.
What will you need to do to address this revised ISO 9001 Standard?… First you will need to review what changes have been made to the current ISO 9001:2015 Standard (…I plan to cover these changes in my future Newsletters). The next step will be to identify what gaps exist within your current QMS. Two types of gaps can occur, the simplest being that the “practice/activity/process” is already in place but it is not mentioned anywhere within your QMS documentation (think pyramid structure), and therefore must be added. The more challenging gap is when the “practice/activity/process” does NOT currently exist. This means this new activity must be defined/designed, then proceduralized, then trained on, and then documented inside the QMS.
What ISO 9001 training will you need to address this revision?… As I mentioned above, first you will need to understand what the changes are and then who will be impacted by them. Most Certification Bodies (CBs) will require that some type of training be conducted within organizations who want to be certified to the newly revised ISO 9001 Standard. The type of training can range from auditor training, to understanding of the changes themselves, to QMS documentation development/revision training.
The ISO 9001 Standard has never required that organizations receive outside, formal training, even though CBs like to push it (see my previous Newsletter ISO 9001:2015 Newsletter Issue 128). However, if you think you’d like assistance with training your personnel then likely your Inbox will be inundated with all sorts of offers. Keep in mind that publicly offered training sessions will by definition be generic and vanilla flavored, so as to cover many industries, and not yours specifically… so don’t forget, “the devil is in the details”.
Over the past many years, when the ISO 9001 Standard has been revised, I have provided training for my Clients, which has always been customized to their specific QMS requirements. I plan to do this again when the revised ISO 9001 is published this Fall. This training will be offered both onsite at the company’s premises, and/or delivered remotely. I have had good success with “remote” training because it allows the training to be split into smaller segments which accommodates work loads and schedules. The remote training modules will be divided into: a) Training on the changes to the ISO 9001 Standard; b) QMS Documentation Revision Training; and c) Internal Auditor Training. This training will also be available as onsite sessions that are grouped together (…feel free to reach out if you have any questions).
Be sure to watch for our next Newsletter issue where I will be answering some of the questions that I get from Readers of my Newsletters about how to implement the requirements of ISO 9001:2015 in a specific and practical way, that will also help improve business performance…
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Need Help?
ISO 9001:2015 Internal Audit Outsourcing (we can do it for you OR with you!)
For cost effectiveness, the Internal Audit function can be outsourced to an external experienced auditor on a periodic basis. This will provide an independent and objective assessment to management, of where process issues may exist, along with identifying opportunities for improvement. It will also provide the evidence needed to satisfy the Internal Audit requirements in the ISO Standards. We have used two different approaches with this service: a) We conduct the entire audit ourselves, or b) We act as the lead auditor, and along with your Team of internal auditors, we complete the entire audit together. This latter approach allows your people to receive guidance and direction from an experienced lead auditor while at the same time maintaining significant involvement in the internal audit process.
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Internal Process Auditor Training for ISO 9001:2015
The two (2) day Internal Process Auditing for ISO 9001:2015 Training Session is focused on a process approach to auditing with the objective being not only to assess conformance of the quality management system, but also to uncover process improvements during an audit. This goes hand in hand with the process auditing requirements found within ISO 19011 and the process approach covered in ISO 9001:2015, which promotes continual process improvement throughout this Standard. An enhanced checklist is developed, and there will be workshops throughout, to reinforce learning, as well as a live, practice audit. If you are looking to meet the ISO 9001:2015 internal audit requirements and to “raise the bar” for your internal audit program then this is the course you should consider.
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Until next time…
Tim Renaud
Helping Business Professionals Reduce Risk and Remove Waste!