ISO 9001:2008
The International publication of ISO9001:2008 has arrived with the new standard dated 15 November 2008, a slight delay from the 31 October target date. It is presently available through ISO on their website or from ASQ at www.asq.org/iso9001/.
NQA strives to provide our clients with as much accurate and timely information as possible about the ISO 9001:2008 standard. NQA will be reviewing and publishing final guidance and transition documentation before December 1. A special edition of the NQA Update E-Newsletter will be mailed out at that time with further information along with links to several NQA transition tools. If you are not a current NQA Update subscriber, please email us to be added.
In the meantime, if you haven't already reviewed the various E-Newsletter articles or FDIS Change Checklist tool, you may find them archived in the Articles section. We have also posted additional resources on our Standards Revision page.
Why Change the Standard?
All ISO standards are subject to a full review as part of an on-going maintenance cycle to determine whether they are still relevant, or need to be updated to reflect changes or concerns raised by users. Unlike the last revision which resulted in a major change to the requirements, this revision will be less significant with minor changes to provide clarity and emphasis in certain areas.
NQA Roll-out of ISO 9001:2008
Following some analysis of the final publication, NQA will be web-posting further client guidance including the following transition tools:
- ISO 9001:2008 Change Checklist: This will be a final version of the existing FDIS checklist highlighting changes and NQA interpretations.
- ISO 9001:2008 Transition Tracker: This will be the same document used by NQA auditors to facilitate the transition audits
- ISO 9001:2008 on-demand Webinar: This will provide further insight into the changes and guidance on how to transition your certification
NQA plans to begin auditing to the ISO 9001:2008 standard as of January 2009, however some clients may wish to transition during their late-2008 audits. Ultimately a two-year window is available to transition, but we foresee a large majority of clients will be transitioned by early 2010.
Please feel free to contact your CSR at NQA with any specific questions about these upcoming changes or to discuss your transition needs.
