Several major ISO management system standards are changing in 2026, and organizations should start assessing the impact now rather than wait for certification transition timelines.
EN 18286 has the potential to become an AI counterpart to ISO 13485, predicts Seetal Erramilli, a medtech professional at the British Standards Institution (BSI).
The ISO 900x series is widely viewed as a way to improve how organizations operate, yet it can instead encourage what critics call “audit theater”, where passing an audit becomes more important than actual capability.
Organizations that need to meet NATO’s Allied Quality Assurance Publications (AQAP) requirements for defense contracts already have a solid head start if they are certified to ISO 9001.
Quality professionals looking for their next role may need to adjust their job search as more employers combine quality, safety and environmental responsibilities into a single position.
Companies can pursue ISO certification as an unwanted expense, only to realize later that the management system they built has made the business work better.
Requirements should come from the standard itself, not from what is 'between the lines', argues Yasushi Tsukano, IATF Lead Auditor / IRCA Principal Auditor.
The idea that engaged employees produce better quality and business results may seem like common sense, but Michael Mills asks whether it stands up to evidence.
After years of working with ISO 9001, Ruslan Shman realized that many of its principles had become so familiar he no longer stopped to ask why they exist.
As management system auditing enters the digital era, Sheronda Jeffries explains how ISO 19011:2026 helps auditors adapt to new technologies while reinforcing the importance of human judgment.
Many quality functions succeed at keeping the business under control, but far fewer are designed to help it achieve business excellence / continual improvement.
A shortage of qualified aerospace lead auditors is becoming a growing challenge for AS9100 certification, Christopher Paris argues in an opinion article.
Finding the right Quality Manager has become one of manufacturing's toughest hiring challenges because the role requires a combination of strengths that are rarely found in one person.
Auditor judgment does not end with identifying a nonconformity. It also shapes how auditors determine which standard requirement best reflects the evidence.