Thursday, November 20, 2008

Comparison of ISO 9001:2008 and ISO 9001:2000

This document aims to compare ISO 9001:2008 and ISO 9001:2000 to highlight changes.

The ISO 9001:2008 has been published and the standard is available through The American Society for Quality website at http://www.asq.org/. ISO 9001:2008 does not introduce any additional requirements beyond the current ISO 9001:2000. Although certification is not compulsory, it is estimated that over one million ISO 9001 certificates have been issued to organizations in private and public sectors, in manufacturing and services, and in 170 countries.


The new edition, however, will not require any specific reassessment for certification. ISO 9001:2008 will be the fourth edition of the standard which was first published in 1987. The third edition, published in 2000, represented a thorough revision, including new requirements and a sharpened customer focus, reflecting developments in quality management and experience gained since the publication of the initial version. Compared to the current 2000 edition, ISO 9001:2008 represents fine-tuning.


It introduces clarifications to the requirements in ISO 9001:2000, based on user experience over the last eight years, and changes that are intended to improve further compatibility with the ISO 14001:2004 environmental standard.


To accompany the publication of this new edition, ISO is working on implementation guidance for ISO 9001:2008, a reference table comparing and contrasting ISO 9001:2000 and ISO 9001:2008, and answers to Frequently Asked Questions.

Quality Guru Asks : What do you think of the value of this revision and will it improve your organizational effectiveness?