The International Standards Organisation (ISO) today published ISO 9001:2008, the latest edition of the International Standard used by organizations in 175 countries as the framework for their quality management systems (QMS).

ISO 9001:2008, Quality management system - Requirements, is the fourth edition of the standard first published in 1987.

ISO 9001:2008 contains no new requirements compared to the 2000 edition, which it replaces. It provides clarifications to the existing requirements of ISO 9001:2000 based on eight years' experience of implementing the standard worldwide and introduces changes intended to improve consistency with the environmental management system standard, ISO 14001:2004.

The ISO Technical Committee (ISO/TC 176) which is responsible for the ISO 9000 family, unites expertise from 80 participating countries and 19 international or regional organizations, plus other technical committees. The review of ISO 9001 resulting in the 2008 edition was carried out by subcommittee SC 2 of ISO/TC 176.

Steve Williams, LRQA's Technical Manager - Certification, said, "As stated by ISO the new standard contains no new requirements, as such most LRQA clients will have little work to do in order to address the changes. Our assessors will be able to assist clients with the interpretation of the changes, helping enable a smooth transition to ISO 9001:2008."

Changes in the updated standard:

0.1 General - now states, "The design & implementation of the QMS is influenced by its business environment, changes in that environment, or the risks associated with that environment."

6.3 Infrastructure - section c) now includes "information systems" to supporting services.

7.2.1 Determination of requirements related to product - a new Note has been added indicating that post delivery activities in some instances include, "actions under warranty provisions, contractual obligations such as maintenance services, and supplementary services such as recycling or final disposition."

7.5.4 Customer property - the Note now states that "Customer property can include intellectual property and personal data."

7.6 Control of monitoring and measuring equipment - a new Note has been added stating, "Confirmation of the ability of computer software to satisfy the intended application would typically include its verification and configuration management to maintain its suitability for use."

Other changes are largely to aid translation and are unlikely to affect your management system.

From 14 November 2009, that is one year after publication of ISO 9001:2008, all accredited new certificates issued shall be to ISO 9001:2008.

From 14 November 2010, that is two years after publication of ISO 9001:2008, any existing certificates issued to ISO 9001:2000 will no longer be valid.

All changes to the new ISO 9001:2008 support LRQA's existing interpretation and therefore any required changes to your management system should be minimal.

ISO Secretary-General Alan Bryden commented: "The revised ISO 9001 results from a structured process giving weight to the needs of users and to the likely impacts and benefits of the revisions. ISO 9001:2008 is therefore the outcome of a rigorous examination confirming its fitness for use as the international benchmark for quality management."

ISO/TC 176/SC 2 has also developed an introduction and support package of documents explaining what the differences are between ISO 9001:2008 and the year 2000 version, why and what they mean for users.

Certification to ISO 9001 is frequently used in both public and private sectors to increase confidence in the products and services provided by certified organizations, between partners in business-to-business relations, in the selection of suppliers in supply chains and in the right to tender for procurement contracts. Up to the end of December 2007, at least 951 486 ISO 9001:2000 certificates had been issued in 175 countries and economies.

ISO and the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) have agreed on an implementation plan to ensure a smooth transition of accredited certification to ISO 9001:2008.

Further information

To find out more about how this affects you and your business please email enquiries@lrqa.com