One Size Fits All ISO Standard
A new draft structure for ISO standards has been produced. This is the document that ISO teams/technical Comittees will now use when revising all management system standards.
It has already been decided that ISO 14001 will adopt the new structure so over the next few years it is probable that ISO 9001, and other standards including ISO 13485, will follow suit.
How can one standard structure fit all systems?
The new guidance document can be downloaded here. The structure is organised as follows:
- Determination of the needs of interested parties
- Leadership
- Planning
- Support/Resources
- Operation
- Performance Evaluation
- Improvement
So although this is very generic, it represents a natural progression from the Plan-Do-Check-Act structure that has been written into standards over the last 10 years.
The roll out of the new structure will take a number of years to complete but if you are planning to integrate a set of management systems or planning a major revision to your system manual, it may be worth adopting the new structure to get a head start on any future revisions.