The ISO Technical Committee 176 (ISO/TC 176) on Quality Management, the committee responsible for the ISO 9000 family of Quality Management System (QMS) standards, also publishes many supporting documents (Guidance Documents) to support the implementation and improvement of effective quality management systems.
Some of these Guidance Documents have been revised in the past three years; check that you have the latest version (see the list below).
Lead Auditors and others working for Certification Bodies will find them invaluable, as will those maintaining management systems. And they do not apply to ISO 9001 requirements alone - they can also be applied to ISO 13485, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, and other Management System Standards.
ISO/TC 176 has published ISO/TS 9002:2016 Quality Management Systems - Guidelines for applying ISO 9001:2015. This document provides valuable guidance on applying ISO 9001:2015 to service organizations and SMEs in general. There is also a companion for smaller organizations, namely, ISO 9001:2015 for Small Enterprises – What to do?, published in 2016 by the ISO/TC 176.
Seventeen additional ISO 9001 guidance documents have been published on various topics related to ISO 9001 principles and practices. This is an ongoing series, with the latest guide having been published in 2022:
As the titles indicate, these are for "guidance," not "certification," as with ISO 9004. Yes, that’s the twentieth and final guidance document we’ve identified:
As shown by the publication dates, some of these documents have been available for a long time, but all are currently listed on the ISO website. They continue to be developed and can be very useful in difficult situations or when Quality Managers and Consultants need a reference document to support their recommendations.
NOTE: Table B.1 of Annex B to ISO 9001:2015 indicates the clause in the Standard where each guideline document would typically be applied.
So, if you're implementing ISO 9001, you could find some opportunities and/or an elegant solution to a QMS problem among them.
We have chosen ISO 21001 certification because, unlike IRCA and Exemplar badges (which, in our opinion, are commercially compromised), it is based on independent third-party assessment. It is a ‘university grade’ standard globally used by schools, colleges, and universities to demonstrate competence.
We offer courses for ISO 9001, ISO 13485, ISO 14001, ISO 17025, ISO 27001, ISO 45001, Data Protection, and Risk Management, among others.