ISO 9001:2026: what changes and how to prepare for the transition

In September, many organisations will start asking what has changed in ISO 9001:2026.

Others will reach publication with professionals who already understand the direction of the revision, recognise the most relevant themes and are prepared to assess the impact on the Quality Management System (QMS) and begin the transition. The difference is not having to start from scratch.

The forthcoming ISO 9001:2026 is at stage 60.00, International Standard under publication. ISO continues to identify September 2026 as the expected publication date for edition 6 and has already made the main directions of the revision public. Behaviour also follows the evolution of the drafts and incorporates this information into its ISO 9001 training courses, always distinguishing between the edition currently in force, draft content and the points that will need to be confirmed in the published edition.

Publication will mark the formal start of the transition. Learning can begin before then.

Will ISO 9001:2026 really be published in September?

Everything suggests that it will. The forthcoming edition is at stage 60.00, International Standard under publication, and ISO identifies September 2026 as the expected publication date for edition 6.

The official page for the forthcoming ISO 9001 confirms that final voting ended on 10 July 2026 and that the final production work is under way, which may take up to seven weeks.

Until publication, the ISO 9001:2015 and Amendment 1:2024 remain the normative basis applied to management systems and certification audits. The new edition does not automatically invalidate existing certificates: there will be a transition period, although its duration and the applicable rules have not yet been formally published.

In Portugal, organisations should follow communications from their certification body and the framework provided by the Portuguese Accreditation Institute (IPAC).

There is no reason to pause a quality management project.
There is, however, a clear reason to develop competence before demand increases, whether in interpretation, implementation or auditing.

What changes in ISO 9001:2026?

The revision is evolutionary: it makes quality culture and ethical behaviour explicit, distinguishes risks and opportunities more clearly, strengthens the planning of changes to the QMS and expands Annex A. It also incorporates Amendment 1:2024 on climate change and reinforces alignment with other management system standards.

Leadership, quality culture and ethical behaviour

The revision makes top management’s responsibility for promoting quality culture and ethical behaviour explicit, reflected in values, attitudes, practices and actions. Quality therefore becomes even less confined to the quality department and more deeply integrated into management decisions.

Risks and opportunities treated distinctly

In the new edition, risks and opportunities are treated more clearly as distinct concepts, from analysis and action through to the evaluation of effectiveness. The challenge will be to connect them to real processes rather than keep them in isolated matrices.

Planning changes and greater clarity of interpretation

The revision strengthens the planning of changes to the QMS, including resources, responsibilities, communication and evaluation of effectiveness. Clause 3 will include a limited set of essential terms. Annex A, which already existed in the 2015 edition, is substantially expanded to clarify the intent of the requirements; it remains informative and does not add requirements.

These directions are stabilised in the final draft of the revision and the forthcoming edition is under publication.
The final clause-by-clause analysis should be confirmed when the International Standard becomes available.

Why does it make sense to prepare before publication?

Because publication will mark the start of the transition, not the start of learning. Organisations that wait for the final edition will have to interpret the standard, compare editions, prepare people, review processes and update audits at the same time.

Waiting until September does not remove work. It concentrates it. After publication, organisations will need to carry out several tasks in parallel:

• interpret the final wording and distinguish changes from clarifications;
• compare the new edition with the existing QMS;
• assess the impact on processes, documentation, indicators and evidence;
• prepare process owners, implementers and auditors;
• align the transition timetable with the certification body.

Preparing now does not mean changing the system on the basis of assumptions.
It means consolidating the edition currently in force, understanding the direction of the revision and developing the internal capability required to act quickly once the final text is available.

The advantage does not lie in knowing every word of the standard in advance.
It lies in reducing the time between publication and the organisation’s actual ability to make decisions, update the system and produce evidence.

How does Behaviour already incorporate the drafts into ISO 9001 training?

Behaviour does not wait for publication before preparing professionals. Its ISO 9001 courses already incorporate relevant information from the evolution of the drafts, identifying the source and status of each item and reserving final confirmation for the published edition.

This approach works at three complementary levels:

1. The currently applicable foundation.
   Participants consolidate ISO 9001:2015 and the principles that continue to support current management systems, audits and certifications.
2. The evolution of the revision.
   The courses address the changes already announced by ISO and relevant information from the drafts, distinguishing what is stable from what still depends on publication.
3. Future application.
   Participants prepare questions, criteria and decisions to carry out the gap analysis, update the QMS, review risk management or adapt the audit approach.

This does not mean teaching a draft as though it were the final standard.
It means preparing professionals to recognise what remains, understand the direction of the revision and confirm the impact quickly once the official edition is published.

For professionals who already work with ISO 9001:2015, the ISO 9001 Transition (2015 → 2026) is the dedicated course for updating competence to the new edition.

The course provides a structured framework for analysing the differences between editions and will be aligned with the official text as soon as the standard is published.

Which ISO 9001 course should you choose for the transition?

The choice should reflect the participant’s starting point and the responsibility they will hold when the new edition is published. Updating competence, understanding requirements, integrating risk, implementing the QMS and auditing the adaptation are related but different needs.

For those who already work with the 2015 edition, ISO 9001 Transition is the most direct course.
Foundation is better suited to those who still need a structured basis; Employee Readiness and Essentials create a common language across teams; and Risk Management in ISO 9001 develops one of the areas the new edition is intended to clarify.

For roles with implementation responsibility, Lead Implementer develops the method for translating requirements into processes, documentation and evidence. For assurance roles, Lead Auditor develops competence in planning, evidence collection, professional judgement, formulation of findings and reporting.

What should the organisation prepare now?

Useful preparation does not mean rewriting procedures before the final standard is known. It means creating the conditions for impact analysis, decision-making and execution to be fast, controlled and supported by evidence.

1. Define responsibility.
   Identify who will monitor the revision, validate sources and report decisions to management.
2. Map competence.
   Distinguish who needs to understand, update, implement, manage risk or audit.
3. Address current weaknesses.
   Treat gaps in indicators, internal audits, corrective actions and management review.
4. Prepare an impact inventory.
   Identify processes, documents, metrics, risks and audit plans that may require revision.
5. Plan the training.
   Reserve course dates and application time so that learning becomes internal capability.
6. Prepare the gap analysis.
   Define how the organisation will compare the published edition with the QMS and prioritise changes.

Quick check: is your organisation ready?

If several answers are negative,
publication of the standard will not resolve the gap. It will only make the need to develop missing competence more urgent.

September marks the start of the transition, not the start of learning

ISO 9001:2026 is already under publication. The main directions of the revision point to greater clarity, quality culture and ethical behaviour, a more distinct treatment of risks and opportunities, more structured planning of changes to the QMS and a substantially expanded Annex A.

When the final edition is released, organisations will need to confirm the impact and act. Those that develop competence beforehand will be able to focus on decisions, system adaptation and evidence rather than starting by learning the language of the revision.

Behaviour already incorporates relevant information from the drafts into its ISO 9001 courses.
For professionals who already work with, or hold certification based on, the 2015 edition, ISO 9001 Transition (2015 → 2026) is the specific updating course. The remaining courses address awareness, foundations, risk, implementation and auditing.

Frequently asked questions about ISO 9001:2026

Date: 3 August 2026
Author: Behaviour Group
Copying or reproduction of this article is not authorised.