Implementing ISO 9001 in Your Organization Starts Here

With the ISO’s technical committee now convening at regular intervals to begin defining and drafting the next version of ISO 9001, the quality world will in the coming years have a new iteration of the standard to learn, adjust to, and benefit from. Likewise, the adjacent industry-specific standards which interrelate to ISO 9001, such as API Q1, AS9001, and IATF 16949, will also need to change soon after that time. We are perhaps two years away from the arrival of this change. Although predicting exactly when the ISO will issue an update to a standard is more art than science, precedent and the word of the 176/SC 2 subcommittee suggest that 2026 will be the likely year of issuance. Yet in the meanwhile, time waits for no one. Companies and organizations which currently need a quality management system standard should not hesitate to implement the present version of ISO 9001, or one of the adjacent industry-specific standards, as it will be easier to adapt to an updated standard than to wait for one to arrive and suffer the quality consequences in the interim.

For right now, and into the future, the need for guidance in implementing the information of ISO 9001 remains paramount. Companies and organizations in need of assistance have long turned to consultants and quality gurus for help. Yet, these solutions can be expensive and remove authority and learning opportunities from the organization’s quality manager. To address those disadvantages, we have introduced QMS2GO as a new, alternative, and supplemental solution. Our product is an AI-driven software application which is trained on major quality management system standards, including ISO 9001, and which also has access to a quality management best practices and implementation knowledge database, built from both licensed and exclusive informational sources. We have designed QMS2GO to suit the numerous ways a company or organization may wish to use the software. For example, it can serve as an AI assistant to a company’s quality manager, helping them implement and maintain compliance with ISO 9001. Alternatively, it can also be used to supplement an existing and successful company-consultancy relationship by training on an organization’s own preexisting best practices; essentially, QMS2GO can become a complementary new member of the team. Regardless of how you wish to use the application, we aim to provide a helpful and comprehensive tool that can address your needs with high quality and responsiveness, matched with low cost and integration requirements. Whether you are beginning your ISO 9001 implementation, or considering how to better refine your management practices, we can help you achieve your quality goals! Please, contact us and learn how we can serve you!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: What is the ISO?

A: The ISO (the official abbreviated name for the International Organization for Standardization) is a global organization responsible for creating standards. The ISO’s standards are used by governments, companies, organizations, and individuals for diverse purposes, ranging from regulating international dates and times to creating and maintaining quality management systems. The ISO name is derived from the Greek word isos, which means “all are equal.”

Q: What is ISO 9001?

A: A widely-used and versatile quality management system standard published by the ISO and used by companies and organizations to create their own quality management system (or QMS). ISO 9001 is not itself a QMS, but rather a guidance document which can be used to create a quality management system. Over 1.2 million companies and organizations use ISO 9001 as the basis for their quality management systems.

Q: Does the ISO Certify Companies and Organizations Using ISO 9001?

A: No. Because ISO 9001 is a QMS standard, rather than a QMS itself, the ISO does not regulate or enforce compliance, nor does it issue certification. Accredited third party entities, typically consultancies, check compliance of an organization’s QMS against the ISO 9001 standard, and it is these entities which can issue a certification document.

Q: Who Uses ISO 9001?

A: Companies, organizations, and even governments have utilized ISO 9001 to guide their quality management practices. With the adoption of secondary and supplementary standards published by the ISO, the potential use cases for ISO 9001 are practically limitless.

Q: How Does ISO 9001 Interrelate with Other Industry-Specific Quality Management Standards?

A: Some industries with high safety and product conformity requirements have introduced their own quality management standards, which include specific guidance unique to that sector. Most of these industry-specific quality management standards, such as API Q1 (for the oil and gas industry), are based on or aligned with ISO 9001. This means that achieving compliance with an industry-specific standard will likely also allow compliance with and third-party certification for ISO 9001 with either no further effort, or minimal additional steps and expense. In some cases, such as the aforementioned API Q1, it is even possible to achieve compliance with both standards at no added cost. As such, it is recommended that companies which have achieved compliance with an industry-specific standard also seek ISO 9001 compliance, since the added certification can open new business opportunities with clients seeking companies which utilize ISO 9001.

Q: How Frequently is ISO 9001 Updated?

A: Although there is no set schedule, major updates are typically published every 6-10 years. As of 2024 (the year of publication of this article), it has been 9 years since the last major update (ISO 9001:2015). In addition to major updates, smaller amendments to the standard are occasionally issued; these minor adjustments typically consist of modest wording changes or

additional practices and do not require adopting a new version of the standard.

Q: Have the Updates to ISO 9001 Improved the Standard Over Time?

A: Yes. Significant improvements have been made with each major update to the standard, including enhancements to quality and safety, expanding the standard’s scope of applicability to encompass additional types of organizations, and comprehensive responses to feedback from users and industries. On occasion, multiple documents previously published by the ISO have been consolidated and simplified, making the ISO 9001 standard easier to utilize and less confusing for entities that have recently adopted it.

Q: I see that there are ISO 9000, 9001, 9002, and 9004 standards. What happened to ISO 9003?

A: Gather round, ye who are interested in ancient quality management history! In the earliest version of ISO 9001 (the ISO 9001:1987 iteration), there were actually three separate models which focused on different types of uses. The first model centered on companies creating new products which were involved in design and production; this was originally called ISO 9001. The second model was for companies involved in production, installation, and servicing; this was originally called ISO 9002. And the third model was for companies that only needed to focus on inspection and testing; this was the fabled ISO 9003! All three of these models, operating as variations of the same standard, existed from 1987 until 2000. However, in the ISO 9001:2000 update, the ISO chose to consolidate all three models into a single revised document, which retained the ISO 9001 name. As such, ISO 9002 and ISO 9003 ceased to exist. Subsequent to that, the ISO 9002 name was repurposed in the year 2016 as an entirely new document, ISO/TS 9002:2016, which provides guidance and examples of how ISO 9001 can be used. However, the ISO 9003 name has never been reused, and thus remains lost to the sands of time. Perhaps someday, the ISO will find a new use for it. But until then, ISO 9003 will be, like the Disney character Bruno, the forgotten ISO 9000 family member that “we don’t talk about” … or perhaps, if one feels more wistful for quality management standards of yore, the one that got away.

Q: When Will the ISO Publish the Next Update to ISO 9001?

A: Although no set date has been officially set, it is considered likely that the next update will be published in 2026. This is based on a statement by the ISO’s 176/SC 2 subcommittee, the entity responsible for drafting new updates, which announced in December 2023 that work had begun on the latest revision and was expected to take around two years.

Q: Should My Company or Organization Implement ISO 9001 Now, or Wait for the Update?

A: Because of the significant benefits that implantation can offer in the short and mid-terms, it is highly advisable to implement the current version of ISO 9001:2015 now, rather than to wait. Furthermore, there will be a transition period between the publication of the new update and when it will be required, so utilizing ISO 9001:2015 now can potentially provide years of usage before a change will be required. Finally, making the shift from ISO 9001:2015 to the new version will be made easier through the use of software applications, such as our product QMS2GO, so adopting the current ISO 9001 version now and updating later should not be seen as an impediment to receiving the immediate benefits that can be achieved.

Q: How can QMS2GO help me implement ISO 9001?

A: QMS2GO is a sophisticated, AI-driven software application which is trained on major quality management systems, including ISO 9001. This useful tool can help quality managers understand, implement, and comply with ISO 9001, either on their own or in cooperation with an external consultant. Once implemented, QMS2GO can also help quality managers document their processes by supporting the generation of reports and documents. Our product is designed to aid all steps of the quality management process, and to be utilized either as a supplement to an existing company-consultancy relationship, or as a virtual assistant for quality managers who are working alone. With QMS2GO, your company can implement ISO 9001 guidance, achieve compliance, and improve quality practices with unparalleled ease.