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QMS | base10 min readUpdated:

ISO 9001:2026: what the revision means for SMEs

ISO 9001:2026 has been published since 16.09.2026: what is new, when you must transition and how to keep a crosswalk list in your SME.

Editorial team KMU | base – technically reviewed by an HR specialist from the founding team with experience in accounting and auditing

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The revision is complete: on 16 September 2026 the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) published the new edition of the standard, ISO 9001:2026. Anyone who runs a quality management system (QMS) or is certified now asks what ISO 9001:2026 changes, by when they must transition to it and what they need to do. This guide summarises the position as at 27 October 2026, places the changes in context in broad terms (the text of the standard is protected by copyright and is not reproduced here) and shows how an SME can plan the transition step by step.

Where the revision stands

According to ISO, ISO 9001:2026 is the new edition of the standard and replaces the 2015 edition. The 2024 amendment on climate change (Amendment 1:2024, published in February 2024) is therefore superseded: according to certification bodies (see Sources), the climate topics have been incorporated into the new edition. The associated vocabulary standard, ISO 9000, appeared in a new edition in May 2026, according to the ISO standard page. The SNV lists the 2026 edition as SN EN ISO 9001:2026, valid from 16 September 2026.

DateEventSource
February 2024Amendment 1:2024 to ISO 9001:2015 (climate change)ISO
May 2026New edition of ISO 9000 (fundamentals and vocabulary)ISO
16 September 2026Publication of ISO 9001:2026ISO, SNV
until 30 September 2029Transition period: certificates issued to the 2015 edition lapse after this dateISO/TC 176

The transition period is three years. Under the transition rules reproduced by the standards committee ISO/TC 176 on 23 September 2026, from 31 March 2028 new initial certificates are issued only to ISO 9001:2026; companies holding a certificate to the 2015 edition transition by 30 September 2029, in a surveillance or recertification audit or in a separate transition audit. What is binding for your company is what your certification body confirms in writing. Publication of the new edition does not invalidate an existing ISO 9001:2015 certificate straight away; it lapses at the latest at the end of the transition period.

What changes

According to certification bodies, the revision is a moderate update without a fundamental change of direction. According to the ISO news release, the new edition builds on the proven principles; it brings targeted changes for greater clarity and applicability, more emphasis on leadership, quality culture and ethical behaviour, and a clearer treatment of risks and opportunities. The following points come from overviews by certification bodies (see Sources); check the clause numbers against your copy of the standard.

  • Quality culture and ethical behaviour. Top management is to promote both (clause 5.1.1). The idea also appears in employee awareness (clause 7.3) and in the work environment (clause 7.1.4).
  • Risks and opportunities separated. They are dealt with in separate subclauses (clauses 6.1.1 to 6.1.3). The evaluation of the effectiveness of actions also distinguishes between the two.
  • Planning changes. The requirements for planning changes to the management system are strengthened (clause 6.3).
  • Context and climate. Climate change as a possible issue in the context of the organisation, and the expectations of interested parties (clauses 4.1 and 4.2), have been incorporated into the main text.
  • Improvement consolidated. Continual improvement is now brought together in clause 10.1; references to the former clause 10.3 need updating.
  • Strategy and results. The link between strategic direction and the intended results of the QMS is stated more precisely (according to one certification body).
  • Annex A and terms. The explanatory Annex A has been considerably expanded without containing new requirements; clause 3 now lists a limited number of terms directly (the terms common to management system standards); ISO 9000 remains authoritative for technical terms.

Practice, not normative: this list is a summary of overviews by certification bodies and is no substitute for the standard. You can obtain the standard from ISO or from the Swiss Association for Standardization (SNV).

What this means for your SME

ISO 9001 is a voluntary standard, not a law. Whether you need to transition depends on whether you are certified or intend to be, and on what customers or tenders require (practice, not a legal requirement).

  • You are certified to ISO 9001:2015. You must transition to the new edition by the end of the transition period. According to ISO/TC 176, a surveillance audit, a recertification audit or a separate transition audit may be used. Ask your certification body whether it already offers audits to the new edition and when your transition audit falls.
  • You are preparing for initial certification. Plan directly for the new edition. Under the transition rules (ISO/TC 176), no new initial certificates to the old edition will be issued from 31 March 2028 anyway. Until then, clarify with your certification body which edition the audit will be based on.
  • You work to the standard without a certificate. Transitioning is your decision. It is worthwhile if your customers or clients refer to the standard.

In all cases the changes mainly affect documents, processes and evidence that already exist. A new management system is rarely needed. The effort lies in the comparison: what do we have, what still refers to 2015, where is evidence missing?

The crosswalk list: moving from 2015 to 2026

A crosswalk list helps to make the transition visible. It has three parts.

  1. Revision topics. Record what changes, what affects you and who deals with it. Typical topics: quality culture, separate risks and opportunities, climate change in the context, planning of changes, management review, training of those responsible, references in documents.
  2. Clause mapping. Assign evidence to each clause: a valid document, an active process, an objective. Where a clause does not apply to your company, record a written justification. Whether an exclusion is permissible is governed by the standard (scope, clause 4.3 of the 2015 edition); in the audit, the certification body decides.
  3. References to 2015. Search the manual, procedures, checklists and forms for mentions such as “ISO 9001:2015” and update them.

A word on what the figure means: a coverage level in per cent shows how far your mapping has progressed. It is a self-assessment and not an audit result.

Practical example: Muster Metallbau AG

Muster Metallbau AG in Musterhausen, a fictitious company with 24 employees, has been certified to ISO 9001:2015 since 2019. Its next recertification audit is due in May 2028. The certification body confirms in writing that the transition to the new edition will take place in this audit and names 30 September 2029 as the end of the transition period.

The quality manager keeps the crosswalk list with twelve topics. At the end of October 2026 it stands as follows: three topics done (discussion with the certification body, training of the quality manager, climate change in the context), four in progress (quality culture, separate risks and opportunities, planning of changes, clause assignment), five open. Progress is 3 of 12 topics, or 25 per cent.

The clause mapping covers 55 clauses and subclauses. Three of them are excluded as not applicable, with justification. Of the remaining 52, 30 are met, 14 partly met and 8 open. In QMS | base, partly met clauses count as half: (30 + 7) of 52 gives around 71 per cent. The search for references to the 2015 edition finds nine controlled documents and processes, which she updates by the end of the year. Internal audits with the new grid are planned for spring 2027, and preparation for the recertification audit for autumn 2027.

Checklist

  • Certification body asked in writing for the transition date and the end of the transition period
  • Copy of the new edition obtained (SNV or ISO) and changes read
  • Persons responsible for the transition appointed and timetable set up to the audit
  • Quality culture and ethical behaviour reviewed in policy and leadership
  • Risks and opportunities identified separately, assessed and given actions
  • Climate change assessed as an issue in the context and for interested parties
  • Changes to the management system planned and implemented traceably
  • References to “ISO 9001:2015” updated in documents and processes
  • Clause mapping updated with evidence and justifications for exclusions
  • Internal audit staff trained on the changes

How KMU | base helps

QMS | base manages the transition in one place, without protected standard text.

1. Clause framework. In the “Standard mapping” you work with 55 clauses and subclauses from 4 to 10, each with a number and its own short title. QMS | base deliberately does not contain the text of the standard. According to the note in the guide, the clause framework is provisional until the licensed standard text has been professionally reviewed; you may adapt the short titles. Always check it against your copy of the standard.

2. Applicability and assessment. You assess each clause as open, partly or met and see the coverage level overall and by main clause. If you exclude a clause, QMS | base requires a justification. The program does not check whether the exclusion complies with the standard. You assign processes, documents, objectives, context, parties and roles to the clauses as evidence; a clause counts as covered when a valid document, an active process or other effective evidence is assigned to it. Your professional assessment overrides this.

3. Crosswalk list 2015 to 2026. Under “Migration 2015 → 2026” you manage the move with a predefined list of twelve topics (worded in our own words, without standard text), with a status (open, in progress, done), a note and a link to a document, process or action. QMS | base shows the progress as a percentage and a list of the controlled documents and processes whose text still refers to the 2015 edition of ISO 9001. You enter the end of the transition period yourself; no date is pre-filled, and the information from your certification body applies. The topics and clause references of the list are also provisional.

The route in the application: in the QMS | base sidebar, in the “Management system” group, open “Standard mapping” under “More” and from there “Migration 2015 → 2026”. The “Management system” group is visible to people with edit rights in the QMS.

If you would like to try it yourself, take a look at the demo or open a trial account. If you have questions, we will be glad to help via the Contact page.

Sources

This guide does not replace legal or tax advice. Information as at 27 October 2026.

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