The international quality systems standard ISO 9000 is changing. Whilst much maligned, the standard has still done much to ensure basic quality requirements in world industry, commerce and the public sector. In November ISO 9001 is changing – dramatically – and ISO 9002 will no longer exist. This is probably the most substantial change in its history. In one major leap the international standard will come up to date with modern development in quality thinking. Quality assurance will never be quite the same again!The new version of ISO 9001 places emphasis on process management and resource management and has commonality of architecture with ISO 9004, so that quality assurance requirements and quality management aspirations can be aligned holistically. The standard will be reduced from a 20‐clause standard to a four‐clause standard. Further, it will be more holistic, more customer orientated and have more in common with other quality and excellence models. It is a good development, but it will mean changes, and the sooner organisations start to understand the new requirements, the readier they will be for avoiding the pitfalls!What, though, are the implications for organisational excellence? This paper discusses how the changes may assist the development of a holistic approach to excellence, but also the remaining areas of difficulty.
