ISO 9001:2026 Standard — Standard Alignment

ISO 9001:2026 Standard — Standard Alignment

**********

A key change in ISO 9001:2026 is alignment of its content with Annex SL and TMB Resolution 16/2025. The basic framework remains that of ISO 9001:2015 — ten clauses, the process approach, PDCA and risk-based thinking. New requirements have been added within this framework. 

TMB Resolution 16/2025 is a policy clarification of the ISO Technical Management Board. It determines how tightly Management System Standards (MSS) must follow Annex SL / Harmonized Structure (HS). It was adopted at the 92nd meeting of the TMB in Salvador, Brazil, on 19–20 March 2025. Title: Management of deviations on Management Systems Standards (MSS) – Policy clarification.

Simply put, Annex SL is a common framework for all management system standards — uniform clause numbers, clause titles, core text and core definitions — so that ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001 and similar standards can be implemented together more easily. TMB Resolution 16/2025 states -

- Clause and subclause titles cannot be changed; nor can their order.

- Core HS terms and definitions must be used unchanged.

- Exception: the entry for “risk” may be modified in accordance with TMB Resolution 33/2024.

- Discipline-specific points may be added through additional notes, subordinate definitions or subordinate clauses (Annex SL, Appendix 3).

- Deviations beyond titles and core definitions may occur; they must be recorded in a deviation report. ISO/CS may advise but cannot reject them; the final decision rests with the relevant committee.

- The HS version current at project registration applies to that revision or amendment. When a new edition is produced, the HS then current applies in full.

ISO/JTCG guide for standards writers: Understanding Annex SL and applying TMB resolution 16/2025 

“Alignment with Annex SL and TMB Resolution 16/2025” in the Global ACI document means that ISO 9001:2026 does not depart from HS clause titles and core definitions. Quality culture, ethical behaviour, and the separate treatment of risks and opportunities have been added within this framework.

This TMB resolution does not create new requirements for certified organizations. ISO 9001:2026 does contain new requirements, such as a quality culture, but they are added to the same ten-clause framework. The practical message for organizations is that the underlying framework of ISO 9001:2026 remains that of ISO 9001:2015, so an integrated management system is not broken.

Regards,

Keshav Ram Singhal

Glossary

TMB = Technical Management Board

MSS = Management System Standard

HS = Harmonized Structure

JTCG = Joint Technical Coordination Group on MSS

ISO/CS = ISO Central Secretariat