Infographic: ISO 9001:2015 vs.

2008 revision
What has changed?
Author: Strahinja Stojanovic
307

The new 2015 revision of ISO 9001, the leading international standard for designing and implementing a Quality Management
System, is finally in front of us. As the much-anticipated standard comes into being, now we can see what has really changed in the
new version.

To get a better overview of the differences between the two revisions, see this free ISO 9001:2015 vs. ISO 9001:2008 matrix
History of Quality Management System standards
ISO 9000 was first published in 1987. It was based on the BS 5750 series of standards from BSI that were proposed to ISO in 1979.
However, its history can be traced back some 20 years before that, to the publication of the United States Department of Defense
MIL-Q-9858 standard in 1959. MIL-Q-9858 was revised into the NATO AQAP series of standards in 1969, which in turn were revised
into the BS 5179 series of guidance standards published in 1974, and finally revised into the BS 5750 series of requirements
standards in 1979 before being submitted to ISO. The first revision was done in 1994, and the standard was issued as a quality
assurance system. At this point, the standard had three sub-standards: ISO 9001, ISO 9002, and ISO 9003. The next revision of the
standard was done in the year 2000, and this standard defined the Quality Management System. In 2008 the third revision was
published, and now the 2015 revision is the current revision.

Alignment
The new version of ISO 9001 is aligned with Annex SL, which makes it more compatible with other management systems standards
like ISO 14001, ISO 22301, ISO 27001, and ISO 20000, and makes the integration even easier. See also: Integrating ISO 9001 and
ISO 14001.
Transition period
Companies certified against the 2008 revision of ISO 9001 must transition to the new version by September 2018. But dont be
fooled by this loose deadline; lead certification bodies have announced plans to stop certification against the 2008 revision in
September 2016, which means that you can be certified against the old version in the next year and have your last surveillance
audit in 2018. But, why wait for so long? Companies can get certified against the new version beginning in September 2015.

Comparison
There are now seven principles instead of the eight in the 2008 revision, but the essence is the same. The new version has 10
instead of the eight clauses in the old version, and instead of six mandatory procedures, there are now six mandatory documents
that dont have to be in the form of a procedure. This can be little confusing at the beginning, but the intention was to provide more
liberty in documenting the Quality Management System. See also: ISO 9001:2015 vs. ISO 9001:2008 matrix.
Requirements
There are some new requirements, but the most significant are Context of the organization (Clause 4) and Actions to address risks
and opportunities (Clause 6.1). The idea behind these new requirements is to incorporate the QMS in everyday business activities.
Some old requirements are history now: the management representative and preventive actions are no longer part of ISO 9001,
although they can be kept by the organizations. See also: How to identify the context of the organization in ISO
9001:2015 and Risk-based thinking replacing preventive action in ISO 9001:2015 The benefits.
Similarities and differences
Different parts of the standard have seen different levels of changes. Quality Policy, Leadership, Competence, Training and
awareness, Management review, Internal audit and Corrective action had only slight changes, and most of the existing QMS related
to these requirements can remain as it was. The second group, which has moderate changes, includes Control of externally
provided processes, products and services; Quality objectives and plans for achieving them; Performance evaluation; Document
management; Production and service provision; and QMS Scope, and these elements should be revised and updated to be
compliant with the new revision of the standard.

There is also a group of new requirements that has to be established and incorporated into the existing QMS from scratch. Risks
and opportunities, Context of the organization, and Interested parties are new requirements that need to be met, and they should
be implemented with caution because they cast a completely new light on the Quality Management System.

What does the 2015 revision bring to the QMS?

This version of the standard was the most anticipated one, because it introduces very significant changes in approach and in the
concept of the QMS. It also brings many challenges for implementation, transition, and maintenance of the QMS, but if everything is
done as it should be, ISO 9001:2015 will bring to your QMS:
Better integration with other business activities

Enhancement of the process approach and PDCA cycle

Decentralization of the system and spread of responsibilities for the QMS throughout the organization

Greater involvement of the top management in the QMS

Introduction of risk-based thinking in the QMS

Higher emphasis on performance monitoring

The new version of the standard gives us a new chance for improvement of the QMS, and it is up to us to seize that
opportunity. Click here to watch a recording of the webinar ISO 9001:2015 vs. ISO 9001:2008 The main changes to learn more
details about the differences between these two revisions.