Transition Deadline for ISO 9001:2015

Back in March I published a LinkedIn post about the Transition programme for ISO 9001 (and ISO 14001) reaching the half way point.  It is now 2 years in to the 3 year transition period with the deadline looming large. I thought today would be a good day to talk about the countdown with just one year to go.

The predicted bow wave in front of the certification tanker is becoming very evident. Any requests for new assessment dates are being returned with even longer lead times and process bottlenecks such as certification decision are causing delay as organisations go through the transition process.

The call for qualified auditors is starting to resemble a 3 line whip for a close House of Commons vote with contractors being engaged from every available source to supplement employed staff. As the countdown continues we can expect certification bodys to become more desperate to handle increases in workload and there is a danger that quality of service slips.

What can you do to be prepared?

As a certified organisation to the 2008 edition of 9001 or the 2004 edition of ISO 14001, the guidance from March remains valid:

• make any changes needed to your systems to demonstrate compliance with the new requirements
• engage with your current certification body and start to work on a programme of visits to cover transition
• book assessment dates in the diary as early as you can.

There are many organisations who will need additional support and Bywater can help by providing consultancy or training;

• ISO 9001 transition training course – IRCA and CQI certified
• Masterclass and workshop format for ISO 9001:2015
• ISO 14001 transition training course.

The team are here to help so please do contact us on 0333 123 9001 to discuss your requirements.

Paul Simpson
Bywater Associate
Providing consultancy and training on quality strategy and implementation.