"ISO 9001:2015 gives QM a whole different altitude to fly at."

Standards must adapt to the development of the market. For this reason, they are revised by the ISO organization at appropriate intervals. The official publication of the revised standard by the international ISO bodies took place in September 2015, creating a need for action by all certified companies. It is important to recognize this because the new, uniform basic structure of the ISO management system standards will subsequently also affect and adapt other sector-specific ISO standards, for example in the food industry, in the automotive sector, and so on.

Much closer to management
The growing diversity of user groups, new management tools, changing user interests, but also the dynamic change in the economy, society and the environment are the drivers of such revisions. The 2015 revision marked the decisive step into today's world of modern corporate management. The focus is now not only on the customer and supplier relationship, but also on the affected, interested parties of an organization. Integrated process management is more distinctly oriented towards the respective context (environment) of the company. Together with the systematic weighing of opportunities and risks (SWOT), the operative business is more specifically linked to strategic management. This is new.

Stronger impact orientation
Here are a few examples: The increased involvement of the organizational environment as well as the corresponding consideration of the expectations of interested parties opens the perspective for topics that are crucial for the longer-term success of the company and must be taken into account in the QMS. This linking of the operational and the strategic helps to better integrate the two levels of management. The requirement for risk-based thinking helps to focus on essential factors as well as to exploit opportunities and reduce dangers.

This increased impact orientation promotes an understanding at all levels of the influence of one's own performance and actions on the intended results of the quality management system. Greater importance is attached to the control of quality performance by means of measured variables and objectives, including their monitoring over a longer period of time. In addition, the documentation of the management system can be made more flexible. For example, where appropriate, the existing process-oriented IT application could be integrated into the system instead of a written process description.

Simplified basic structure - SMEs remain flexible
The unified basic structure (High Level Structure) provides a basic text, common names and definitions. For organizations operating an "integrated management system" with two or more standards, e.g. quality and environmental management system, this approach will be particularly helpful.

Small and medium-sized companies benefit from the fact that the requirements of the revised ISO 9001 standard also take into account the special character of these company sizes and are therefore kept flexible. Users are encouraged to develop their own methods and instruments tailored to the respective framework conditions and to integrate them into the system. These do not have to be elaborate.

Recommendations for adaptation
The conversion of already certified management systems to the requirements of the new standard must be carried out within a transition period of 3 years from the official ISO publication date (September 2015). After the transition period, the old version is no longer valid. So it is worth planning to make adjustments as soon as possible. We recommend that organizations newly deciding to apply for certification should orient themselves to the revised standard right away.

Through its active involvement and participation in the international auditing bodies, SQS has the know-how for the necessary adaptation measures in the certified organisations. Concrete recommendations as well as support at audits and regional seminars facilitate the changeover (cf. www.sqs.ch).