The-FutureThe ISO technical subcommittee ISO/TC 176 which develops the ISO 9001 (QMS) standard conducted a major survey of existing and potential users of ISO 9001 and ISO 9004 in 122 countries.

Below are some of the highlights of the survey.

Of the seven options relating to future ISO 9001 standards, the most popular in order of priority were B, G, A and F, all involving a single ISO 9001 requirement standard. Options C, E and D were the least popular options, and involved multiple requirements documents.

Our survey says…

We have not included all of the questions and results as we would be here all day! But in summary, of the respondents to the survey they believe ISO 9001 is an effective quality management standard, and with some enhancements it should remain relevant in the future. Many of the respondents suggested that while significant changes are not required at this time, improvements could be made to address the ever changing global and business requirements to ensure ISO 9001 remains relevant.

A number of respondents also criticized the way in which ISO 9001 was implemented and recommended better application guidance.

The survey results will provide significant input to the ISO committee’s review process and help determine proposed changes for any revisions of ISO 9001 in the future.