ISO 9001:2015 is part of the ISO 9000 family of standards, and is the document that lists the requirements an organization must comply with to become certified to ISO 9001. ISO 9001 is an internationally recognized Quality Management System.

  • “ISO 9001 Certified” means an organization has met the requirements in ISO 9001:2015.
  • The latest version of ISO 9001 was published in 2015, and replaced ISO 9001:2008 (see below for history)
  • ISO 9001 is focused on meeting customer expectations and delivering customer satisfaction so you must pay attention to the customer.
  • ISO 9001 evaluates whether your quality management system is appropriate and effective, while forcing you to identify and implement improvements.
  • (Continuous) improvement assures your customers benefit by receiving products/services that meet their requirement, and that you deliver consistent performance.
  • Internally, the organization will profit from increased job satisfaction, improved morale, and improved operational results (reduced scrap and increased efficiency).
  • Meeting legal and regulatory requirements benefit the community.

ISO 9001 does NOT define the actual quality of your product or service.  The standard helps you achieve consistent results and continually improve the process.  Thus, if you can make a good product most of the time, this helps you make it all of the time. It’s just good business practices.

Past (Obsolete) versions of ISO 9001 Standard include:

  • ISO 9001:2008 was replaced by ISO 9001:2015
  • ISO 9001:2000 was replaced by ISO 9001:2008
  • ISO 9001:1994 had three version(s):
    • ISO 9001:1994 – Manufacturing with Design & Development
    • ISO 9002:1994 – Production and Installation (No Design)
    • ISO 9003:1994 – Final inspection and test