Exciting Time For Assurance, Certification And The Future Of Management Systems Standards

ISO SURVEY

The Results of the Management System Standards ISO Survey are in for 2024.

As reported, the ISO Survey has been a global benchmark since 1993, tracking the number of valid certificates to ISO management system standards each year. From 2025 onwards, the Survey is compiled directly from anonymised, aggregated data within IAF CertSearch the official global database of accredited management system certifications.

Of the 5 standards reviewed in the summary, there are nearly 3M accredited certificates issued which is over 100% increase in certified entities, across nearly 5M sites. Of course the growth in the ISO Survey numbers must be considered in light of the shift from the voluntary  ISO Survey to the mandatory obligation for Certification Bodies to upload data to IAF CertSearch.

The full ISO Survey can be accessed at https://www.iafcertsearch.org/services/iso-survey

ISO9001:2026 – The consultation /comment on the Draft continues

Being the most prevalent Management System Standard in the world with nearly 1.5M certificates recorded as issued in 2024 in the ‘ISO Survey’, the 2026 revision of ISO9001 is widely anticipated. Much discussion has been observed on public platforms and received in more considered environments since the Draft was opened for Public Comment on 27.08.2025, with comments requested in the UK by the national committee QS/1/2 – Quality Management System Standards to help inform the UK’s position and national vote, before the end date, 20.10.25.

The draft and its changes support and reflect the current quality assurance environment and cement changes such as climate change consideration in context, hybrid working, and enhanced consideration of the management of change across requirements.

Other changes now require consideration and management of Quality Culture and Ethical Behaviour, and the strengthening of the requirements for demonstrable Improvement is also a very welcome development.  Whilst not normative requirements, the informative detail in Annex A has also been expanded to clarify structure and application as well as the intent of the clauses and sub-clauses.

For those applying the intent of their existing QMS to achieve improvement in an efficient and effective way, there shouldn’t be any major challenges during the transition process.

If you wish to review and comment on the draft, visit: https://standardsdevelopment.bsigroup.com/projects/2023-02879

SMART STANDARDS

This Smart Standards initiative is another exciting development in the world of assurance. It is a joint programme by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and ISO to drive the digital evolution of international standards to address the needs of citizens, societies and economies.

SMART refers to the formats, processes, and tools necessary for a user (human and technology-based) to interact with standards. With global supply chains, complex logistics and cross border trade requirements, machine readable content in Smart Standards can be interpreted through machine learning, ensuring processes and procedures can be progressively updated to meet the changing needs of both internal and external stakeholders.

The next generation of IEC and ISO standards will provide tailored and up-to-date content at the right time to the relevant users – whether they are humans, computers, complex machines, or small intelligent devices. IEC and ISO standards will be embedded into product development supply chains and become much more integrated into everyone’s daily life.

Find out more at https://www.iso.org/smart

THE FUTURE OF ASSURANCE

In the ever changing world of commerce and trade and the acceleration of developments in Artificial Intelligence (AI) it is no surprise that purveyors of Standards, Evaluation Processes and Audit practices are now turning their attention to how traditional approaches need to be reinvented to meet the current and future needs of those that rely on the outcomes to deliver both confidence and value within and for end users and consumers alike.

Evidence of developments in the standards of AI was clear when ISO published ISO/IEC 42001:2023 Information technology, Artificial intelligence Management system. This is designed for entities providing or utilizing AI-based products or services, ensuring responsible development and use of AI systems. Seven Certification Bodies in the UK are working on a pilot scheme with UKAS to identify the optimal approach for assessing certification bodies and no doubt some innovative organisations will emerge from the programme as the first certified entities under the new AI Management System standard.

The Association of British Certification Bodies (ABCB), in conjunction with or in parallel with other interested professional and commercial parties, have published a White Paper ‘Strategic Digital Transformation in Accredited Third-Party Certification’ which aims to provoke innovation and a sea-change in thinking to address the technological advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), digital platforms, and advanced analytics that will and is transforming the way we work, enhancing risk management, culture development and value creation, above and beyond the traditional outcomes of conformance and/or compliance.

ICT and Technology integrations, developing competencies and continuing innovation will be on the agenda for the ‘paradigm shift’ as it is coined in the paper, responding to industry developments and changing needs.

If you want to find out more you can see the White Paper hot of the press from Chris Auger’s LinkedIn Page. Chris is the CEO of ABCB.