“By method and discipline are to be understood the marshaling of the army in its proper subdivisions”

ISO 9001:2026 is the sixth and current edition of the world's most widely used quality management system standard, published on 16 September 2026. It replaces the previous ISO 9001:2015 edition.

This explains what the standard is for. It applies to any organisation that wants to show it can reliably deliver good products and services, follow the regulations, and keep customers and all interested parties happy.

To use this standard, one also need other document: ISO 9000, which explains the basic ideas and key terms of quality management.

This sets out what the key words in the standard mean, using the definitions from ISO 9000, so everyone's on the same page.

This is about understanding your business and the world around it:

• Know what's going on inside and outside the organisation that could affect you, like market changes. You must also decide whether climate change matters to your business. Examples include extreme weather disrupting supply chains, new environmental laws, or customers wanting greener products.
• Work out who cares about what you do (customers, staff, suppliers, regulators) and what they expect. Some of them may have climate-related expectations, like lower emissions or more sustainable materials.
• Decide clearly what your quality system covers and what it doesn't.
• Set up your main work processes, understand how they connect, and keep making them better.

This is about what the people at the top of the organisation must do:

• Take real ownership, act ethically, and build a workplace where quality matters.
• Make sure the whole organisation keeps the customer front of mind.
• Write a quality policy, share it, and keep it up to date.
• Make it clear who's responsible for what.

  This is about thinking ahead:

• Dealing with risks: Work out what could go wrong and take steps to prevent it or reduce the harm. If climate change is relevant to the organisation, plan for it here, for example by having backup suppliers in case of floods or fires.
• Making the most of opportunities: Look for chances to do better, like new markets, better technology, or smarter ways of working, and plan how to take them. Climate change can open doors here too, such as cutting waste and energy costs or offering greener products.
• Set clear, measurable quality goals and plan how to hit them.
• Plan any changes to the quality system carefully and check whether they worked.

This is about giving people in the organisation what they need to do good work:

• Provide the right people, equipment, tools, workspace, and know-how.
• Make sure staff have the right skills through training and education.
• Make sure everyone understands the quality policy, the goals, and the expected behaviour.
• Communicate well, both inside the organisation and with outsiders.
• Keep important documents and records accurate, up to date, and under control.

This is about actually doing the work and delivering to customers:

• Plan and manage your day-to-day work so it meets the agreed standards.
• Find out exactly what customers need and double-check you can deliver it.
• Design and develop products and services, from first idea to final testing.
• Keep an eye on suppliers and anything you outsource.
• Control how products are made or services are delivered, including storage, tracking, and after-sales support.
• Check everything before it goes out, and deal properly with anything that isn't right.

This is about checking how well things are working:

• Find out how satisfied customers are and listen to their feedback.
• Look at your performance data to see what's working and what isn't.
• Run regular, fair internal audits, which are checks of your own processes.
• Have senior leaders regularly review whether the quality system is still fit for purpose.

This is about getting better over time:

• Look for ways to improve so you meet customer needs and perform better.
• When something goes wrong, fix it, find out why it happened, and stop it happening again.
• Keep improving everything: processes, systems, and results.