Overview

The reference document for quality management concepts, principles and terminology. ISO 9000:2026 is the fifth edition and replaces ISO 9000:2015; it supplies the definitions that ISO 9001 and the rest of the ISO/TC 176 portfolio rely on.

ISO 9000:2026, Quality management — Fundamentals and vocabulary, is the foundation document of the ISO 9000 family. Published in 2026 as the fifth edition, it cancels and replaces ISO 9000:2015. The title was shortened from Quality management systems — Fundamentals and vocabulary to Quality management — Fundamentals and vocabulary, reflecting that its concepts and vocabulary apply across quality management generally and not only to documents about management systems. It is maintained by ISO/TC 176/SC 1, the subcommittee responsible for quality management terminology.

The document has two substantive parts. The first describes the fundamental concepts and quality management principles that underpin every ISO quality management standard. The second is the vocabulary: a structured set of terms and definitions, grouped by concept area and supported by concept diagrams that show how terms relate to one another. Because ISO 9001 normatively references ISO 9000, the definitions given here are the definitions that apply when ISO 9001 is audited or interpreted.

The seven quality management principles set out in ISO 9000 are customer focus, leadership, engagement of people, process approach, improvement, evidence-based decision making and relationship management. For each principle the standard explains the statement of the principle, why it matters, the benefits an organization can expect, and typical actions that put it into practice. These principles are the rationale behind the structure and requirements of ISO 9001.

The 2026 edition updates concepts, definitions and terminology to align with the parallel revision of ISO 9001 and to reflect changes in how organizations work — including current expectations around interested parties, digital ways of working and organizational context. Because it is a reference and vocabulary document rather than a requirements document, adopting the new edition does not require a change project: it changes the language and concept base that newer editions of the requirements standards are written in.

ISO 9000 is not a certifiable standard. There are no requirements in it to audit against and no certificate to obtain. It is used as a reference: read alongside ISO 9001 when interpreting requirements, alongside ISO 9004 when working on longer-term organizational performance, and alongside ISO 19011 when planning and conducting management system audits.

Practical use is straightforward. Quality managers and auditors use ISO 9000 to settle interpretation disputes about what a term such as nonconformity, correction, corrective action, documented information, process or risk actually means in an ISO context. Training providers use it as the syllabus for foundation-level quality courses. Organizations writing their own procedures use its definitions so that internal terminology matches the terminology their certification body will use.

Purpose

To give organizations, auditors, trainers and standards writers a single agreed set of fundamental concepts, quality management principles and defined terms for quality management, so that ISO 9001 and related documents are interpreted consistently.

Key Benefits

• Provides the authoritative definitions used by ISO 9001 and the wider ISO/TC 176 portfolio
• Explains the seven quality management principles and the reasoning behind ISO 9001's structure
• Removes ambiguity when interpreting requirements during internal and external audits
• Gives a shared vocabulary across sites, suppliers, customers and certification bodies
• Supports consistent translation and use of quality terminology across languages and countries
• Serves as the foundation syllabus for quality management training and auditor competence
• Helps organizations align internal procedure language with the language auditors use
• Concept diagrams make the relationships between related terms explicit

Key Requirements

• Understanding the fundamental concepts of quality management described in the standard
• Understanding the customer focus principle and its practical implications
• Understanding the leadership principle and unity of purpose and direction
• Understanding the engagement of people principle
• Understanding the process approach and how processes interact within a system
• Understanding the improvement principle
• Understanding evidence-based decision making
• Understanding relationship management with interested parties
• Using the defined terms and definitions consistently in policies, procedures and records
• Recognising that ISO 9000 provides no auditable requirements — it is a reference document

Who Needs This Standard?

Anyone implementing, maintaining, auditing or teaching ISO 9001 and related quality management standards: quality managers and coordinators, internal auditors, certification body auditors, consultants, trainers, technical authors writing quality procedures, and standards committee members. It is also useful to procurement and supplier quality staff who need to interpret quality clauses in contracts consistently.

Related Standards