New Revision to ISO 9001:2026

After nearly a decade with ISO 9001:2015, ISO has moved ahead with a new edition of its flagship quality management standard, ISO 9001:2026, expected for publication in late 2026. The decision follows several years of debate inside ISO/TC 176, including a 2021 “no‑revision” ballot and subsequent technical work that highlighted the need to address digitalization, climate change and evolving customer expectations sooner rather than later. As a result, a new working group was formed to revise ISO 9001, with the development and approval process planned over roughly three years. Organizations currently certified to ISO 9001:2015 will have an anticipated three‑year transition period after publication to migrate to ISO 9001:2026, with both versions remaining valid during that window

What to Expect

Based on the approved Draft International Standard and published transition guidance, ISO 9001:2026 is expected to build on the 2015 structure while sharpening several themes:

• Integration of emerging technologies: recognition of digitalization, data‑driven processes and the use of artificial intelligence in decision‑making and quality control.
• Climate and sustainability: formal integration of the 2024 climate‑change amendment into the core text, plus stronger expectations to consider environmental and sustainability issues when defining context, risks and opportunities
• Ethics, leadership and quality culture: expanded leadership requirements around ethical behavior, transparency and promoting a strong quality culture across the organization.
• Customer experience: broadening the focus from basic customer satisfaction metrics to the overall customer experience, trust and long‑term value.
• Services and digital offerings: clearer expectations for service providers and for applying QMS controls to software, cloud services and other digital products.
• Stronger integration with business processes: continued emphasis that the QMS is embedded in normal business and supply‑chain processes, not a parallel paperwork system.

While these themes can lead to important updates in how organizations demonstrate conformity, ISO 9001:2026 remains constrained by the Harmonized (Annex SL) structure and retains the familiar PDCA and process‑based framework used in ISO 9001:2015. For most organizations, the transition will be evolutionary: clarifying existing practices around risk, sustainability, digitalization and leadership rather than rebuilding the management system from scratch.