Accreditation
T R A N S I T I O N I N G T O ISO 9001:2015
In the fourth part of our series focusing on accreditation, UKAS Divisional Director
(Technical) Rob Bettinson explains v\/hat ISO 9001 will mean for certification
W
ith more than one miUion
certificates issued globally,
ISO 9001 is considered the
world's most widely recognised
quality standard. The current
2008 version o f the standard is under revision by
ISO Technical Committee 176 and is nearing final
draft stage - Final Draft International Standard
(FDIS). It's expected that the new version o f the
standard will be published later this year. From this
point, certification bodies (CBs) will have three years
to migrate all o f their clients from the 2008 version
to the 2015 version, before I S O 9001:2008 ceases
to be valid. What will this new standard look like,
and how will it affect both CBs and approaches to
quahty management?
A n e w a p p r o a c h to quality a s s e s s m e n t
As the UK's National Accreditation Body (NAB),
U K A S has been closely following the development
of the standard over the past couple of years. I t is
apparent that I S O / T C 176 is looking for a change
in the approach to quality management systems.
There is a greater emphasis on both organisational
context and risk management, and a lesser reliance
on documentation. It's vital that certification body
auditors understand the nature and extent o f these
changes, so they can be incorporated into the audit
process. I f not, then the re\'ision o f the standard will
not lead to the improvements the stakeholders have
been calling for
From U K A S ' perspective, CBs must be able to
demonstrate their competence in auditing against
the 2015 version o f the standard, before this can
be included in their scope of accreditation. I n other
words, there can be no 'automatic upgrading' without
CBs being able to prove to U K A S that they both
understand and can audit, taking into account the
new or strengthened requirements.
A smooth transition
To help guide NABs, certified organisations and
accredited CBs through the transition process,
the International Accreditation Forum (lAF) has
published guidance in l A F I D 9: 2015 - Transition
Planning Guidance for ISO 9001:2015. I n addition
34 I Quality World I May 2015
to highlighting the need for early action, l A F I D
9:2015 outhnes that the focus o f N A B assessments
should be on the changes CBs need to make,
with primary consideration given to consistent
interpretation o f competence, reporting and any
associated change in audit methodology.
D u r i n g the past six months, U K A S has been
planning the most effective way to manage the
transition. The main aim is to ensure that accredited
CBs are given a fair and equitable chance to
obtain accreditation in a timeframe that suits their
business, recognising the l A F encouragement for
early adoption. As encouraged by l A F I D 9:2015,
U K A S ' planned transition process does include the
possibihty o f early adoption. U K A S is currently
surveying its accredited CBs to determine both their
expectations and state of readiness for what is likely
to be a significant transition process.
"It's vital that
certification Global consistency
By following the new ISO H i g h Level Structure
body auditors (HLS) and increasing the importance of risk,
understand I S O 9001:2015 will be easier to use in conjunction
the nature with other management system standards, such as
I S O 14001, a new version o f which is also due to
and extent of
be published this year.
these changes, Whatever the final versions look like, U K A S
so they can be recognises the impact they will have in the U K and
across the globe. It has been in discussion with other
incorporated
l A F and European co-operation for Accreditation
into the audit member NABs to aim for a level o f global
process" consistency in achieving an effective transition.