Free resource
Checklist for organisations certified to ISO 9001:2015: the changes ISO has described for the 2026 edition, scored against your QMS, plus the transition dates (published 16 September 2026; transition ends 30 September 2029).
The actual structure of the file, straight from the template we use on live engagements.
Sheet: Start here
Checklist. Read this tab first. This is a working tool for your own team - it does not replace the standard or scheme text you are certified against, and it is not a certificate or an audit.
| Topic | Detail |
|---|---|
| What this is | A transition self-check for organisations certified to ISO 9001:2015. It follows the changes ISO itself has described for the 2026 edition and the transition dates set for accredited certification. |
| Before you start | Buy the 2026 text, ideally with the redline against 2015. Summaries - including this one - are leads to check, not requirements. Read the new informative Annex A first: it explains intent, which is what auditors test. |
| How to score | Yes = in place and you can show the evidence today. Partly = it exists but is incomplete, informal or unevidenced. No = not in place. Only a clear Yes counts when it is audited. |
| The #1 mistake | Treating the transition as a document exercise. The leadership, culture and awareness changes are about behaviour, and they need months of evidence, not a revised policy the week before the audit. |
Sheet: Transition checklist
Clause numbers follow the 2026 edition's Harmonized Structure (unchanged main clauses). Score each item; anything not a clear Yes goes on your transition plan with an owner and date.
| Area | Check item | What good looks like | Most common failure (the red flag) | Status (Yes / Partly / No) | Owner | Evidence / action |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Planning | You hold the published ISO 9001:2026 text and have compared it with your current QMS | A gap list written against the published text (or redline), dated, with owners | A transition plan built from a third-party list of 'new shall statements' nobody checked | - | - | - |
| Planning | Your certification body has confirmed how and when your transition audit will run | Written confirmation of the audit date, duration and whether it combines with surveillance or recertification | Assuming the next surveillance visit will 'just include it' | - | - | - |
| Leadership (5.1) | Top management can show how it promotes quality culture and ethical behaviour | Examples: decisions where quality outweighed delivery pressure, how concerns are raised and handled, leaders' own communications | A new culture statement on the intranet and nothing else | - | - | - |
| Quality policy (5.2) | The quality policy is explicitly connected to context and strategic direction | Policy wording that reflects current strategy, markets and priorities, reviewed by top management | A policy unchanged since 2016 that mentions none of today's priorities | - | - | - |
Sheet: Key dates
Accredited certification transition (Global ACI, which replaced IAF and ILAC on 1 January 2026). Confirm your own certification body's deadlines.
| Date | What happens | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| 16 September 2026 | ISO 9001:2026 published; ISO 9001:2015 and Amd 1:2024 withdrawn by ISO | Buy the standard and start the gap check |
| 31 March 2028 | From this date new certifications are issued only to ISO 9001:2026 | Initial certifications after this date must be to 2026 |
| 30 September 2029 | End of the transition period; certificates to ISO 9001:2015 cease to be valid | Complete your transition audit well before this date |
| Your CB's deadline | Certification bodies often set earlier booking deadlines | Ask for it in writing and plan backwards from it |
Preview only. The download is a fully editable .xlsx file.
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