The revision of ISO 9004, Quality management – Quality of an organization – Guidance to achieve sustained success, has reached Draft International Standard (DIS) stage.

ISO 9004 provides a framework based on a quality management approach, which can assist organizations achieve ongoing success through identifying strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for improvements or change. The standard also offers guidance for enhancing the overall quality of an organization by improving its maturity level—namely in terms of strategy, leadership, resources, and processes.

Not specifically designed for certification, ISO 9004 will help organizations move to the next level beyond ISO 9001 by addressing topics such as alignment and deployment of strategy, policy and objectives within the broader context of the organization’s vision, mission, values, and culture.

Nigel Croft, chair of ISO/TC 176/SC 2—the technical subcommittee responsible for revising the standard—said: “The new edition of ISO 9004 will build on and improve the guidance of the previous 2009 version and will help organizations improve their overall performance by releasing the full potential of their quality management system.

“While ISO 9001 focuses on providing confidence in the organization’s ability to produce consistent, conforming products and services, ISO 9004 aims to provide confidence in the organization itself and its long-term sustained success. It will help organizations identify and balance the needs and expectations of their customers with those of other interested parties in a complex, demanding and ever-changing business environment.”

Interested parties are encouraged to submit feedback on the DIS before the final publication of ISO 9004 in 2018.