Editor’s note: Denise Robitaille is a member of the U.S. TAG to ISO/TC 176, the committee responsible for updating the ISO 9000 family of standards. She will be reporting on the revision progress to ISO 9001, which will be completed in 2015. Read other articles in the series here.

By now most people are aware that ISO 9001 is in the process of being revised, with a planned release date of some time in 2015. Reactions from users range from mild curiosity to excitement to extreme trepidation.

ISO 9001 hasn’t had a significant makeover since 2000, and a lot has changed in our world since then. Supply chains now routinely span the globe. Vast quantities of information can be transmitted virtually instantaneously. Environmental concerns are now incorporated into most organizations’ strategic plans. The evolution of ideas and technology has exploded—and our ability to manage it all has become increasingly critical. It is in this tumultuous environment that the most popular standard ever published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is being revised.

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