What is ISO 9001-2015?

ISO 9001:2015 is an international standard for Quality Management Systems (QMS). It provides a framework for improving quality and a vocabulary of understanding for any organization looking to provide products and services that consistently meet customers’ requirements and other relevant interested parties. The QMS is the aggregate of all the processes, resources, assets, and cultural values that support the goal of customer satisfaction and organizational efficiency. This standard was first published in 1987, the latest iteration (ISO 9001:2015) replaces ISO 9001:2008.

ISO 9001:2015 does not dictate how anyone should run their business, or what an organization’s objectives or policy should be, or how to achieve them. It is a flexible standard that allows each organization to define for itself its objectives, policy, and processes. ISO 9001:2015 defines the guiding principles that can be used to create efficiencies by aligning and streamlining processes throughout the organization, to cut costs, create new opportunities, meet regulatory requirements, and help organizations expand into new markets in which clients demand ISO 9001 certification.