The ISO standards revision process is a process that ensures that ISO standards are up to date and relevant to the needs of the users and stakeholders. ISO standards are reviewed every five years to determine if they need to be revised, confirmed, withdrawn, or stabilized. The revision process involves the following steps:
- Proposal stage: A proposal for a new or revised standard is submitted by a national member body, a liaison organization, or the technical committee (TC) responsible for the subject area. The proposal is then circulated to the TC members for voting and comments.
- Preparatory stage: If the proposal is approved, a working group (WG) is established to prepare a working draft (WD) of the standard. The WG consists of experts from different countries and organizations who have an interest in the topic.
- Committee stage: The WD is submitted to the TC for review and comment. The TC may approve the WD as a committee draft (CD) or request further revisions. The CD is then circulated to all ISO member bodies for voting and comments.
- Enquiry stage: If the CD is approved, it becomes a draft international standard (DIS). The DIS is then circulated to all ISO member bodies and liaison organizations for voting and comments. This stage is mandatory for new standards but may be skipped for revisions or amendments if there are no significant changes in the scope or technical content.
- Approval stage: If the DIS is approved, it becomes a final draft international standard (FDIS). The FDIS is then circulated to all ISO member bodies for a final vote. If the FDIS is approved, it becomes an international standard (IS).
- Publication stage: The IS is published by the ISO Central Secretariat and made available to the public. The IS may be adopted by national standards bodies as national standards or used as a reference for regulations or contracts.
See this publication from ISO that provides a great amount of detail in this review process.
So when is the next revision of ISO 9001 coming? While the ISO has cancelled the planned ISO 9001:2023 in favor of publishing again in 2030, it difficult to say for certain whether or not ISO will need to accelerate their standards revision timeline due to advances in AI technology. When the 9001 standard was last confirmed in 2021, Artificial Intelligence was not mainstream. With AI comes RISK and that is what a QMS should adequately address.
The pace of AI research and development is exceptionally rapid. Capabilities are advancing faster than many organizations can keep up. This could pressure ISO to react more quickly. Overall the 2030 timeline fits ISO’s gradual approach, but AI could potentially accelerate select updates/addendums if clear needs arise.
