ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 14001:2015
Status and Transition Planning
The two leading International Standards, ISO 9001 and ISO 14001, were updated in 2015. All ISO standards are reviewed every five to seven years to determine if a revision is required to keep them current and relevant for the global marketplace.
ABS QE's Approach to the Transition
Following the ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 14001:2015 revisions, ABS Quality Evaluations (ABS QE), a subsidiary of ABS Group, has outlined its intended approach to managing the transition process.
Certified organizations will have the option of which revision of the International Standard(s) they want to be audited to until September 2017. This is based on the organization's readiness for the upgrade assessment.
This transition period recognizes the needs of our clients to secure adequate training, update their internal management systems and implement changes to address the additional requirements. After September 2017, ABS QE will no longer be auditing to ISO 9001:2008 and ISO 14001:2004 and will only audit and raise findings to the new revisions. This transition approach is so that that all certified organizations will be transitioned by the September 2018 expiration date.
Information Requirements
At the time of scheduling the upgrade assessment to the new revision, ABS QE will arrange for additional time if necessary to audit the changes between the current and new revision of the International Standard(s). Upgrades performed at a scheduled surveillance assessment will require a small, one time increase in audit time in addition to the duration normally associated with the surveillance assessment. The additional time will be between 0.5 – 1.0 audit days, depending on the organization's size and complexity and will be documented in the upgrade visit's confirmation documentation. Upgrades performed at renewal assessments will not require additional audit durations as these are full system audits.
ABS QE auditors will utilize this additional audit time to evaluate the effectiveness of your organization's internal process changes and enhancements and communications with your stakeholders, suppliers and customers as necessary to address the 2015 changes of the International Standard(s). These include items such as the approach to risk management (ISO 9001:2015), product life cycles (ISO 14001:2014) and organizational context.
Certificates that are upgraded at a surveillance assessment will have the same expiration as the existing certificate.
Transition Resources
Pre-audits and Gap Analysis
An important part of the transition will require organizations to conduct a gap analysis of their management systems to the International Standard(s). A pre-audit or gap analysis strategy helps organizations determine how their current management system conforms to the new requirements of the revised International Standard(s). Through our pre-audit and gap analysis, ABS QE will assess your existing quality and environmental management system against the requirements of the International Standard(s) to help your organization develop a transition plan. The need of a pre-audit or gap analysis will help ensure that your organization is able to meet the new requirements and enhance the readiness for the upgrade audit.