ISO 9001:2026: Preparing the Transition

The real status of ISO 9001:2026

ISO's official record lists ISO/FDIS 9001 as the sixth edition, still marked «under development» and in the approval stage. ISO expects it to replace ISO 9001:2015 and points to an expected publication in September 2026. Certified organisations will have a transition period, but its length and operating rules must be confirmed in the official provisions that accompany the publication.

This calls for distinguishing four levels of information:

A draft requirement should not be presented as a current obligation, nor should certification be promised against an edition that is not yet published. At the same time, standing still is not the answer either: many preparatory steps are valid improvements under ISO 9001:2015.

What can be done safely before publication

The organisation can reinforce elements that the current system already requires, in line with the requirements of ISO 9001:2015:

• Understanding of context and interested parties.
• Leadership and real accountability.
• Process approach and interactions.
• Risks and opportunities linked to results.
• Measurable objectives and monitoring.
• Competence, knowledge and communication.
• Control of suppliers and outsourced processes.
• Reliable data to evaluate performance.
• Audit, management review and improvement.

A transition log can also be created, the team can be trained on the status of the FDIS, and a provisional correlation matrix can be prepared. None of these actions require rewriting procedures or changing certificates.

The climate change amendment is already part of the present

In 2024, a climate change action amendment was incorporated into management system standards. In ISO 9001:2015 it affects whether climate change is considered a relevant issue within the context, and it reminds organisations that interested parties may have climate-related requirements.

It does not automatically require an environmental programme to be implemented. It does require the organisation to determine, with evidence, whether climate change can affect its ability to provide conforming products and services and satisfy the customer.

Examples of relevant issues:

• Supplier disruptions caused by extreme events.
• Changes in the availability or quality of raw materials.
• Climate-related requirements from customers and tenders.
• Temperature or humidity affecting processes.
• Regulatory, insurance or logistics changes.
• Continuity of facilities and digital services.

Evidence can take the form of an updated analysis of context, risks, interested parties and actions. A standard sentence that does not analyse the business does not demonstrate conformity.

Guiding principle: evolution, not reconstruction

An effective transition builds on the system that already works. If the process map, management review or corrective action management only exist for the audit, changing documents will not solve the problem. The standard's revision should be used to cut bureaucracy and strengthen the connection between strategy, processes, data and learning.

Before launching a documentation project, management should answer:

1. What results does it expect from the quality system?
2. Which processes have the greatest impact on the customer and on risk?
3. Which decisions are made with weak data?
4. Where do nonconformities keep recurring?
5. What knowledge depends on a single person?
6. What technological or climate changes are altering the context?

These answers determine the plan's priorities.

Governance of the transition

The transition needs an executive sponsor, a coordination lead and process owners. Quality facilitates, but it cannot replace operations, procurement, sales, HR or technology.

A minimum structure:

The transition log should record source, version, interpretation, affected process, gap, action, owner, deadline, evidence and status. This avoids working from rumours or contradictory sales presentations.

Initial diagnosis in five blocks

1. Context and interested parties

Review internal and external issues: climate, technology, supply chain, regulation and expectations. The analysis should explain how each issue can affect the system's results.

For interested parties, the relevant requirements and the monitoring mechanism are recorded. Not every expectation becomes a QMS requirement; the selection must be justified.

2. Leadership, culture and ethics

The transition should check whether management is genuinely involved in objectives, resources, priorities and improvement, not just in the annual review. It assesses how decisions and behaviour support a culture oriented towards quality and responsible conduct.

Evidence can include decisions on capacity, risk acceptance, response to failures, recognition of problems, and consistency between incentives and quality. A longer policy statement will not solve it.

3. Risks, opportunities and change

A generic list of risks does not demonstrate that the approach is integrated. Each relevant risk must be linked to a process, an objective, an action, an owner and an indicator. It is reviewed whether the actions work and whether unforeseen consequences appear.

Change management must cover purpose, consequences, resources, responsibilities and continuity. It is especially important for automation, migrations, new suppliers, reorganisations and regulatory changes.

4. Operations and supply chain

Operating criteria, control of nonconforming outputs, traceability where applicable, customer communication and supplier control must all be checked. Initial approval is not enough: ongoing monitoring proportional to risk is needed.

For critical suppliers, it is worth recording dependency, capacity, continuity, changes, performance and alternatives. The requirements passed on to them must be clear and verifiable.

5. Data, knowledge and improvement

Indicators must serve decision-making. Each one needs a definition, source, frequency, owner, threshold and action. If it is handled manually or its calculation changes, that must be controlled.

Organisational knowledge includes technical criteria, lessons learned, configurations and experience. Single points of failure are identified and their transfer is planned. Corrective actions must reach the root cause and demonstrate effectiveness; closing a task does not prove the problem will not recur.

How to work with the FDIS without treating it as a current standard

A provisional matrix can be built with these columns:

• Current clause.
• FDIS reference.
• Observed change.
• Provisional interpretation.
• Process and documentation affected.
• Existing evidence.
• Possible gap.
• Safe action now.
• Action pending publication.

Safe actions are usually about improving practices that are already necessary: quality of objectives, tracking of changes, competence, data or suppliers. Pending actions are those that depend on the final wording: changing references, approving specific policies, modifying audit criteria or arranging the certification transition.

Every conclusion should state its source. A course or article can help, but the requirement is confirmed in the legally purchased standard and in the applicable official instructions.

Four-phase transition plan

Phase 1. Prior preparation

• Confirm the certified version, the scope and the audit dates.
• Obtain legal access to the FDIS for the authorised team.
• Set up governance and the decision log.
• Review the 2024 climate change amendment.
• Strengthen open nonconformities and weak processes.

Phase 2. After publication

• Purchase the official edition.
• Confirm the transition rules and deadline.
• Update the matrix with the final text.
• Resolve differences between the FDIS and the published standard.
• Agree the timeline with the certification body.

Phase 3. Implementation

• Prioritise gaps by risk and impact.
• Update processes before documents.
• Train by role and verify competence.
• Implement controls and gather sufficient evidence.
• Communicate changes to suppliers and affected parties.

Phase 4. Verification

• Audit all new or modified requirements.
• Check effectiveness, not just existence.
• Review results and risks with management.
• Close nonconformities with root cause and evidence.
• Carry out a final readiness review.

Indicative, conditional timeline

A certificate date should not be set based solely on the expected publication. The certification body must confirm availability, audit competence and the applicable rules.

Evidence that adds value

A mature system demonstrates:

• Management decisions connected to risks and objectives.
• Indicators with actions when they deviate.
• Changes that are planned and evaluated.
• Customer requirements translated into operating criteria.
• Suppliers controlled according to their criticality.
• Competence verified for critical tasks.
• Knowledge that is accessible and up to date.
• Nonconformity causes addressed effectively.
• Audits that detect real problems.
• Improvement that produces verifiable results.

Document volume is not a maturity metric. One well-controlled table can be better than several repetitive procedures.

Internal transition audit

The audit should be carried out once there is sufficient evidence of implementation. Its programme covers the new requirements, the affected processes and the risks. Sampling follows real operations and links inputs, decisions, records and results.

Useful questions:

• What changed and why?
• How does the process know it meets the new requirement?
• What evidence shows effectiveness?
• What happens when the indicator deviates?
• How was the change controlled?
• What did the organisation learn?

Findings are classified by requirement, evidence, scope and risk. They should not be softened just to get through the external audit: discovering a gap internally is an opportunity to correct it.

Common mistakes

1. Presenting the FDIS as a published standard.
2. Stating a transition deadline that has not yet been officially confirmed.
3. Rewriting every procedure before analysing the gaps.
4. Turning the climate change amendment into a generic sentence.
5. Leaving the transition entirely to the quality department.
6. Training without verifying competence and application.
7. Updating documents without changing practices.
8. Auditing too early, without evidence.
9. Confusing the number of records with effectiveness.
10. Scheduling certification without coordinating with the body.

Preparation checklist

• ISO 9001:2015 and the current amendment are kept under control.
• The FDIS status and the cut-off date are communicated correctly.
• Governance, owners and the transition log are set up.
• Context, climate and interested parties have been reviewed with evidence.
• The process-by-process diagnosis has been carried out.
• The provisional matrix separates safe actions from pending ones.
• Sources and versions are controlled.
• The definitive plan awaits the published edition.
• Training is adapted to each role.
• The internal audit will verify implementation and effectiveness.
• The certification body will confirm the rules and the timeline.

Frequently asked questions

Is ISO 9001:2026 already published?

No, as of the cut-off date. ISO/FDIS 9001 is in the approval stage and publication is expected in September 2026.

Can a company already certify against the FDIS?

A draft should not be treated as a published international standard. Certification and the transition must follow the official rules that come afterwards.

Does the whole system need to be redone?

No. The information available points to an evolution. The starting point should be the current system and its effective processes.

How long will the transition last?

ISO confirms there will be a period, but its length and rules must be verified in the official provisions. A historical practice should not be turned into a confirmed fact.

What can be done in advance?

Context, the climate change amendment, leadership, risks, changes, suppliers, indicators, knowledge, audit and corrective actions.

Should we wait to implement ISO 9001 for the first time?

Not necessarily. A solid system conforming to ISO 9001:2015 provides a useful foundation. The timeline should take the upcoming edition into account and be coordinated with the certification body.

Sources consulted

• ISO/FDIS 9001: official record.
• ISO 9001:2015, current edition.
• ISO: climate change action amendment to management system standards.
• Information from certification bodies used solely for guidance; requirements and deadlines remain subject to ISO, accreditation and the official transition rules.

At Summum Calidad we can support the diagnosis, the gap matrix, the implementation and the internal audit. Preparing early does not mean getting ahead of the text: it means reaching publication with a stable system, reliable evidence and the capacity to change without improvising. If you are looking for specific support, our ISO 9001:2026 transition service and our internal audit service are designed to support exactly this process.