🌩️ The Coming Storm: ISO 9001:2026 Is More Than a Revision—It’s a Reinvention

Read Time 7 mins | Written by: CJ Page

Introduction: Why This Update Matters More Than Most

Every decade or so, ISO 9001 undergoes a revision—but this time, it’s different. The upcoming ISO 9001:2026 revision won’t just tweak wording or shuffle sections. It’s expected to realign quality management with a dramatically changed world—one where AI, remote audits, stakeholder trust, and ESG transparency are reshaping the very definition of quality.

With the first Committee Draft (CD1) officially released on April 26, 2024, and CD2 circulated in January 2025, the update process is well underway. Organizations that wait until 2026 to adapt may find themselves scrambling.

🔗 CD1 Announcement – ISO TC176
🔗 Ongoing Updates – ISO/TC 176 Homepage

What’s Likely to Change—and Why It Matters

Here’s a breakdown of anticipated changes, followed by likelihood assessments and expert opinions.

🔄 Q: Will risk and opportunity management become more explicit?

Answer: Yes—and it’s very likely this will be mandatory.

✅ Likelihood of Adoption: 90%
📌 Rationale: CD feedback showed confusion between “risk-based thinking” and true risk management. ISO wants to clarify this distinction and elevate the role of opportunity management in driving quality performance.

🧠 Actionable Insight: Expect to document risk registers, response strategies, and continuous opportunity review.

🤖 Q: Will ISO 9001:2026 address AI, automation, and digital tools?

Answer: Yes—modernization is overdue.

✅ Likelihood of Adoption: 85%
📌 Rationale: Industry feedback cited gaps in the current standard's treatment of automated quality control, AI in decision-making, and cloud-based QMS platforms. ISO is pushing for tech-neutral guidance that still enables traceability and control.

🧠 Actionable Insight: Prepare to justify AI/ML decision systems in audits and maintain validation documentation for digital tools.

🌱 Q: Will sustainability and ESG be embedded?

Answer: Likely—but as supporting guidance, not prescriptive requirement.

⚖️ Likelihood of Adoption: 60%
📌 Rationale: ISO is aligning its revisions with the UN SDGs, but 9001 remains a quality standard—not an ESG framework. Inclusion will likely focus on ensuring organizations consider ESG factors in their context and stakeholder analysis.

🧠 Actionable Insight: Integrate sustainability into management review and risk frameworks—even if it's optional.

🧑‍💼 Q: Will leadership accountability expand?

Answer: Yes—and auditors will expect more.

✅ Likelihood of Adoption: 95%
📌 Rationale: Failures like the Boeing 737 Max incident have heightened demand for leadership accountability. ISO 9001:2026 will emphasize direct leadership involvement in strategic quality decisions, not just high-level sponsorship.

🧠 Actionable Insight: Leaders will need to document their input in quality objectives, risk prioritization, and stakeholder reviews.

🧩 Q: Will clause structure and numbering change?

Answer: No.

✅ Likelihood of Adoption: 100%
📌 Rationale: ISO continues to unify all standards under Annex SL, ensuring consistency across ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 27001, and others.

🧠 Actionable Insight: You won’t need to renumber your documents, but you may need to enrich content within existing clauses.

📅 Timeline & Milestones

Milestone	Status
Committee Draft 1 (CD1)	✅ Released April 26, 2024 (source)
Committee Draft 2 (CD2)	✅ Circulated January 17, 2025
Working Group Review	March 31–April 4, 2025
Draft International Standard (DIS)	Expected mid-to-late 2025
Final Standard Publication	📌 September 2026 (planned)

Note: Full draft documents (CD1, CD2) are not publicly available, but ISO regularly publishes status updates here.

What Organizations Should Do Now

🔍 Conduct a forward-looking gap analysis based on anticipated changes.
📚 Train your leadership to take a more active, documented role in QMS processes.
📈 Modernize your QMS platform to support digital workflows, traceability, and integration.
📋 Engage early adopters internally to test out revised risk, opportunity, and ESG frameworks.

Expert Opinion: This Revision Will Reshape Quality Culture

ISO 9001:2026 won’t just change how we document quality—it will shift how we define it.

🔄 From static compliance → to dynamic resilience
🤖 From manual control → to digitally integrated processes
🌍 From internal audit → to stakeholder trust & ethics

This is not just a technical refresh. It’s a cultural modernization of what quality means in a rapidly evolving global market.

🗣️ “The biggest mistake would be waiting until 2026. If you’re not building adaptive systems now, you’ll be forced to retrofit them later—at higher cost and higher risk.”
— CJ Page, CEO, QlutchQMS