ISO 9001:2015 vs 2026: transition checklist
All 24 changes from ISO 9001:2015 to ISO 9001:2026 in plain language, a free checklist you can tick and print, and the old clause numbers to replace.
The 5 changes auditors will ask about first
- Climate change (4.1, 4.2): decide whether it is relevant to your QMS and record why.
- Quality culture and ethics (5.1.1, 7.3): leaders promote it, staff are aware of it.
- Risks and opportunities split (6.1.2, 6.1.3): two clauses, two sets of actions, two effectiveness checks.
- Planning of changes (6.3): now also communication, monitoring effectiveness and reviewing results.
- 10.3 is gone: continual improvement is merged into 10.1.
Free transition checklist
0 of 24 done
General
Context
Leadership
Planning
Support
Operation
Performance
Improvement
Need owners, dates and a dashboard?
The ISO 9001:2026 Transition Kit turns these 24 points into a gap analysis with status, owner and target date, plus risk and opportunity registers, a 7-point change plan, climate and culture records and a readiness dashboard. Excel and Google Sheets, no macros.
See the Transition KitWhat changed, clause by clause
| Clause (2026) | What changed from 2015 |
|---|---|
| 3 | Terms and definitions Core management-system terms are now defined inside the standard itself instead of only pointing to ISO 9000. |
| 4.1 | Climate change as an issue You must decide whether climate change is a relevant issue for your QMS (carried over from the 2024 amendment). |
| 4.2 | Interested parties: climate A note says interested parties can have climate-related requirements. |
| 5.1.1 | Quality culture and ethical behaviour Top management must promote a quality culture and ethical behaviour. |
| 5.1.1 | Risk- and opportunity-based thinking The process approach and risk-based thinking are now separate commitments, and opportunity-based thinking is added. |
| 5.2.1 | Quality policy and strategy Fitting the organization's context and supporting its strategic direction is now its own policy criterion. |
| 5.3 | Roles, responsibilities and authorities Clause title shortened; reporting duties split into separate assignments for top management to make. |
| 6.1.1 | Risks and opportunities: general Substance kept, purposes reordered. |
| 6.1.2 | Actions to address risks New separate clause for risk actions: build them into processes, keep them proportionate and evaluate whether they worked. Adds a note on risks to product conformity during disruption. |
| 6.1.3 | Actions to address opportunities New separate clause for opportunities, with example actions in a note. |
| 6.3 | Planning of changes More points to consider when changing the QMS: communication, monitoring and evaluating effectiveness, and reviewing results, on top of purpose, integrity, resources and responsibilities. |
| 7.1.3 | Infrastructure Note now covers on-site, remote and hybrid work and names information and communication technology. |
| 7.1.4 | Environment for operation of processes More psychological examples, and a note that culture and ethics can influence this environment. |
| 7.1.6 | Organizational knowledge Note adds knowledge held in digital systems and other media. |
| 7.3 | Awareness People must also be aware of the organization's quality culture and ethical behaviour. |
| 7.5 | Documented information wording "Maintain" and "retain" are replaced by wording about documented information being available, and available as evidence. |
| 8.3 | Design and development notes Notes added on design cycles and on design inputs that change during the project. |
| 9.1.2 | Customer satisfaction Social media is named as a source of customer-satisfaction information. |
| 9.1.3 | Analysis and evaluation The effectiveness of risk actions and of opportunity actions are now evaluated as separate items. |
| 9.3.2 | Management review inputs Risk and opportunity effectiveness become two inputs; feedback input reworded to relevant interested parties. |
| 9.3.3 | Management review results Retitled; the decisions required are unchanged. |
| 10.1 | Continual improvement (merged) The 2015 clauses 10.1 and 10.3 are merged into one clause 10.1. Clause 10.3 no longer exists. |
| 10.2 | Nonconformity and corrective action No change in substance. |
| Annex A | Guidance annex Annex A guidance is expanded; Annex B is removed. |
Clause map: old references to replace
Search your quality manual, procedures, forms and audit checklists for these 2015 references.
| 2015 | 2026 | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| 6.1 (one clause) | 6.1.1, 6.1.2, 6.1.3 | Split risk actions (6.1.2) and opportunity actions (6.1.3) in procedures, registers and audit checklists. |
| 10.1 General | 10.1 Continual improvement | 10.1 and 10.3 are merged. Point improvement references to 10.1. |
| 10.3 Continual improvement | 10.1 Continual improvement | Clause 10.3 no longer exists. Replace every reference. |
| 5.3 Organizational roles… | 5.3 Roles, responsibilities and authorities | Update the title wherever it is quoted. |
| 9.3.3 Management review outputs | 9.3.3 Management review results | Update the heading in minutes templates. |
| 9.3.2 c) 4) Effectiveness of actions taken to address risks and opportunities | 9.3.2: two separate inputs | Add separate agenda items for risk actions and for opportunity actions. |
| 9.1.3 e) (risks and opportunities) | 9.1.3: two separate items | Report effectiveness of risk actions and opportunity actions separately. |
| 7.5 "maintain" / "retain" | 7.5 "available as documented information" / "as evidence" | Optional: align wording in the document control procedure. |
| Annex B | Removed | Remove references to Annex B; guidance now in Annex A and the bibliography. |
| ISO 9000 for terms | Clause 3 terms in the standard | Check your glossary against clause 3. |
A simple transition order
- Get the standard. Buy an official copy of ISO 9001:2026 from ISO or your national standards body. This page summarises the changes; it does not replace the text.
- Run a gap check. Tick the 24 points above, or take the 12-question readiness check, and list what is missing.
- Update the records. Climate decision, culture and ethics evidence, separate risk and opportunity registers, the 7-point change plan.
- Fix references. Search your manual, procedures, forms and audit checklists for the old clause numbers in the clause map.
- Audit and review. Run an internal audit against the 2026 edition and a management review with the new inputs, then book the transition audit.
Want a score first? Take the 12-question ISO 9001:2026 readiness check.
Questions
When was ISO 9001:2026 published?
ISO 9001:2026 was published on 16 September 2026. It replaces ISO 9001:2015 and its 2024 climate amendment.
How long do certified organizations have to transition?
The working date is 30 September 2029, three years after publication. The accreditation body sets the official date, so confirm it with your certification body.
Is ISO 9001:2026 a major rewrite?
No. The clause structure stays the same. The main changes are climate change in context, quality culture and ethical behaviour, separate clauses for risks (6.1.2) and opportunities (6.1.3), a wider change-planning clause (6.3) and the merger of 10.3 into 10.1.
What is the first thing to update?
Start with the records an auditor is most likely to ask for: the climate change decision (4.1), how leaders promote quality culture and ethics (5.1.1, 7.3), and separate risk and opportunity registers (6.1.2, 6.1.3). Then fix old clause references such as 10.3.
Summaries are our own plain-language reading of the published 2026 revision and public commentary, not the text of the standard. Check every requirement against your official copy. Not affiliated with ISO or any certification body. Last updated 25 October 2026.