ISO standards are reviewed every five years and revised if needed. This helps ensure they remain useful tools for the marketplace. The challenges faced by business and organizations today are very different from a few decades ago and ISO 9001 has been updated to take this new environment into account.
For example, increased globalization has changed the way we do business and organizations often operate more complex supply chains than they did in the past. In addition, there are increased expectations from customers and other interested parties and, with more access to information, today’s wider society has a stronger voice than ever before.
ISO 9001 needs to reflect these changes in order to remain relevant
What are the major differences ?
The most noticeable change to the standard is its new structure. ISO 9001:2015 now follows the same overall structure as other ISO management system standards (known as the High-Level Structure), making it easier for anyone using multiple management systems.
Another major difference is the focus on risk-based thinking. While this has always been part of the standard, the new version gives it increased prominence.
What benefits does the new version bring ?
The new version of the standard brings the user a number of benefits.
For example, ISO 9001:2015
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Puts greater emphasis on leadership engagement
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Helps address organizational risks and opportunities in a structured manner
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Uses simplified language and a common structure and terms, which are particularly helpful to organizations using multiple management systems, such as those for the environment, health & safety, or business continuity
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Addresses supply chain management more effectively
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Is more user-friendly for service and knowledge-based organizations
We are certified to ISO 9001:2008. What should we do?
If you wish to maintain your certification to ISO 9001, you will need to upgrade your quality management system to the new edition of the standard and seek certification to it. You have a three-year transition period from the date of publication (September 2015) to move to the 2015 version. This means that, after the end of September 2018, a certificate to ISO 9001:2008 will no longer be valid.
All our certified clients shall receive regular updates and information on transition to ISO 9001:2015 from time to time by emails and letters.
