ISO 9001:2026 Transition: Prepare Your Quality Management System
Oct 26, 2026AuditKey Steps, Audit Preparation and Professional Certification Support
ISO 9001:2026 introduces important updates to the world’s leading quality management standard. These updates strengthen the focus on leadership, quality culture, ethical behavior, and effective decision-making. Organizations certified to ISO 9001:2015 should prepare their quality management systems for a structured transition.
Step 1: Assess Your Existing Quality Management System
The first step in a structured transition is to compare your existing quality management system (QMS) with the revised ISO 9001:2026 requirements. This assessment will help you identify which of your current processes already meet the updated requirements and where adjustments may be necessary.
Begin by reviewing your current processes, responsibilities, and documented information. Consider how leadership involvement is demonstrated, how risks and opportunities are addressed, and whether current practices are adequately reflected in your QMS documentation. Identifying and documenting potential gaps provides a clear basis for planning the necessary adjustments.
Involve top management and relevant personnel early in the assessment process to ensure different perspectives are considered and responsibilities for the next steps are clearly defined.
Step 2: Address Key Areas for the Transition
Once the existing QMS has been assessed, organizations can identify where adjustments are needed to align with ISO 9001:2026. The focus should be on updating established processes and practices where necessary, rather than rebuilding a functioning management system from scratch.
The following areas deserve particular attention during the transition:
The following areas deserve particular attention during the transition:
Assess how top management demonstrates its commitment to quality and promotes ethical behavior throughout the organization. Determine if leadership responsibilities are clearly defined and communicated, and if the quality culture is reflected in everyday decisions and practices.
Review your current method of identifying, evaluating, and addressing risks and opportunities. Pay particular attention to whether risk management and proactive opportunity identification are clearly distinguished and reflected in planning and decision-making processes.
Determine which existing processes and documented information require updates to reflect the revised requirements. The expanded Annex A provides additional guidance to support a consistent interpretation and implementation of the requirements. Organizations with integrated management systems should also consider aligning with other relevant management system standards.
Evaluate whether relevant personnel understand the revised requirements and their implications for their responsibilities. Involve top management, process owners, and other relevant employees early on to promote awareness and consistent implementation of necessary adjustments.
Step 3: Plan Your ISO 9001:2026 Transition Audit
After identifying and implementing the necessary adjustments, organizations should coordinate the transition audit with their certification body. Early planning helps determine how the transition can be integrated into the existing certification cycle and which audit activities need to be scheduled.
The transition audit may be conducted during a scheduled surveillance or recertification audit or separately. Organizations should discuss the appropriate approach and timing with their certification body to ensure sufficient preparation.
Before the audit, review whether the necessary adjustments have been made and whether the relevant documented information is available to demonstrate conformity with the revised requirements. This supports a structured and reliable certification transition.
All organizations currently certified to ISO 9001:2015 must complete their transition to ISO 9001:2026 by 30 September 2029, in accordance with the Global ACI transition requirements.
How DEKRA Supports Your Transition
Transitioning to ISO 9001:2026 requires a clear understanding of the revised requirements, appropriate preparation, and coordinated certification activities.
As your certification partner, we provide a structured, transparent, and reliable certification process. Our experienced auditors support consistent interpretation of the revised requirements and objective assessment of your quality management system.
Our experts will help you understand the certification transition process, coordinate the necessary audit activities, and maintain confidence in your certified quality management system throughout the transition.
Take the Next Step Toward ISO 9001:2026 Certification