Planning of Changes (Clause 6.3) in ISO 9001:2026: Three Questions to Ask

Clause 6.3, planning of changes, was already in ISO 9001:2015. In ISO 9001:2026 it has grown. ANSI's release on publication lists "greater attention to change management, helping organizations handle transitions deliberately rather than reactively" among the updates (ANSI, September 16, 2026). UKAS names planning of changes among the most significant changes (UKAS technical bulletin).

A note on sources. This is our own summary of reported changes, not ISO text. We have not checked clause wording against the standard itself, so check your own licensed copy.

What has been reported

Global ACI's transition requirements (Global ACI-TECH-3-TR 2029-09-30 (M), version 1.0, issued September 4, 2026) say clause 6.3 has been extended. As Global ACI reports it, the clause now covers how the effectiveness of a change will be monitored and evaluated, how the change is communicated, and how the results of the change will be reviewed (Global ACI, section 3.1). LRQA, a certification body, describes the same theme as "reinforced requirements for planning, communicating, monitoring and reviewing changes to the quality management system" (LRQA).

In plain words, as we read it: deciding to make a change is not enough. The reported wording points to three more things: how you will know it worked, who needs to be told, and whether you looked at the results afterward.

Three questions about your last significant change

Think of the last significant change in your organization: a new machine, system, supplier, process or site. Then ask:

1. Did we decide in advance how we would check it worked? For example, a measure you looked at before and after, or a date when someone would assess the result.

2. Did we tell the people affected, and give them the information they needed? For example, a briefing, an updated instruction or a note to a supplier.

3. Did we review the results afterward and write them down? A short note with a date, a name and a decision is a record.

These questions are our own paraphrase of the reported items, not a list from ISO or Global ACI.

If you did the work but did not write it down

You may find the answer to all three is "yes, we did that, but there is no record". In that case a one-page change record may be all you need. A simple layout:

• What is changing, and why

• Who owns the change

• Who is affected, and how they were told

• How you will check it worked, and by when

• Result of the review, and who signed it off

Keep it proportionate. A change of supplier for a minor item does not need the same record as a new production line. How much you need is your decision, and your certification body will form its own view when it looks at your evidence.

Examples of evidence

These are our own examples of what could show you handled a change:

• A communication plan or briefing records

• An updated instruction or form

• A post-change review

• Before-and-after measures

• A closure sign-off

Where changes show up elsewhere

Changes do not only happen in clause 6.3. Our checklist asks about controlled operational changes and outsourced processes in clause 8.1 (question 62), None of the sources we cite lists clause 8 among the changes, so that question is our own addition; check your copy of the standard. Management review is another place where change comes up: Global ACI reports a new input on changes in the needs and expectations of interested parties (clause 9.3.2). See our article on management review inputs in ISO 9001:2026.

If climate change is relevant to you, the APG guidance on auditing climate change in ISO 9001 notes that addressing relevant issues can include planning of changes to the QMS (ISO 9001 Auditing Practices Group, Auditing Climate Change issues in ISO 9001; the paper says it has not been through ISO's or IAF's endorsement process).

Other standards

Global ACI also lists a new clause 6.3, Planning of changes, among the changes in ISO 14001:2026 (Global ACI, ISO 14001:2026 transition requirements, and Global ACI-TECH-3-TR 2029-04-30 (M), version 1.0, section 3.1). DNV reports that the Draft International Standard (DIS) of the ISO 45001 revision adds a clause 6.3 to follow the Harmonized Structure, and says this is not a major change in content for ISO 45001 because management of change is already covered in clause 8.1.3 of the 2018 edition (DNV). ISO 45001:2018 remains the current edition.

Check where you stand

Questions 39 and 40 in our free Gap Analysis Checklist for ISO 9001:2026 cover communicating changes and monitoring and reviewing them. The checklist has 111 plain-English questions covering clauses 4 to 10, with 25 new or changed 2026 requirements flagged, in Excel and Word. The download page has a short sign-up form; occasional emails about Clearline Systems kits are a separate, optional tick box.

The checklist paraphrases requirements in our own words. It is not ISO text, you will still need your own copy of the standard, and using it does not promise a pass or certification. Only a certification body can certify your organization.

For the full list of reported changes, see ISO 9001:2026: what changed and what to update.

Clearline Systems is an independent publisher of documentation templates. Clearline Systems is not affiliated with or endorsed by ISO (the International Organization for Standardization), IAF, ANSI, Global ACI, UKAS, LRQA, DNV, any national standards body, accreditation body or certification body. We don't reproduce ISO text; you'll need your own copy of the standard.

Sources

1. Global ACI-TECH-3-TR 2029-09-30 (M), Transition Requirements for ISO 9001:2026, version 1.0, issued September 4, 2026: https://sys.global-aci.org/uploads/documents/TECH-3-TR_2029-09-30_(M)_ISO_9001_2026_Transition_v1_03.pdf

2. Global ACI, news page on ISO 14001:2026 transition requirements, September 14, 2026: https://global-aci.org/en/news/global-aci-publishes-transition-requirements-for-iso-140012026/

3. ANSI, "First Full Revision of ISO 9001 in a Decade Now Available from ANSI," September 16, 2026: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/first-full-revision-of-iso-9001-in-a-decade-now-available-from-ansi-302880800.html

4. UKAS, Technical Bulletin, QMS ISO 9001:2026 transition, September 16, 2026: https://www.ukas.com/resources/technical-bulletins/qms-iso-9001-2026-transition/

5. LRQA, "ISO 9001:2026 is live: the transition period has begun," September 16, 2026: https://www.lrqa.com/en/latest-news/iso-9001-2026-live/

6. ISO 9001 Auditing Practices Group, Guidance on Auditing Climate Change issues in ISO 9001, Edition 1, March 19, 2024 (the paper says it is not endorsed by ISO, ISO/TC 176 or IAF): https://committee.iso.org/files/live/sites/tc176/files/PDF%20APG%20New%20Disclaimer%2012-2023/APG%20Auditing%20Climate%20Change%20issues%20FINAL%203-19-2024%20Rev%201.pdf

7. DNV, Revision ISO 45001 (page checked October 1, 2026; DNV is one certification body's view): https://www.dnv.com/assurance/Management-Systems/new-iso/transition/revision-iso-45001/

All sources checked October 1, 2026.