2026 Addendum 4 — Transition plan, gap workbook and assessment
COLABMO LEARNING · UPDATED 6 OCTOBER 2026
Transition plan, gap workbook and assessment
Verified timetable — checked 6 October 2026
| Date | Who / milestone |
|---|---|
| 31 March 2027 | Accreditation bodies ready to assess and support the revision. |
| 30 June 2027 | Accredited certification bodies submit transition declarations and supporting information. |
| 30 September 2027 | Accreditation-body transition decisions for certification bodies completed. |
| 31 March 2028 | New and initial accredited certifications issued only to ISO 9001:2026. |
| 30 September 2029 | Existing ISO 9001:2015 certified organizations complete transition. |
These milestones come from Global ACI’s transition announcement. They apply through its MRA accreditation signatories and accredited certification bodies in the relevant scope. Agree the schedule for your own organization with your certification body; its audit booking and correction deadlines can be earlier.
The formal transition document allows a transition audit alongside surveillance or recertification, or as a separate audit. The certification body determines whether additional audit time is needed. Completion includes the certification decision and certificate issuance within the applicable deadline, not simply attendance at an audit. Existing certificate status, expiry and normal certification obligations still matter. Global ACI transition requirements, sections 4–6.
A practical sequence
- Establish the basis. Obtain authorized final standards, confirm the certification scope and applicable transition arrangements, and identify responsible leaders.
- Compare and decide. Review requirements against actual processes and evidence; involve the people doing the work.
- Implement. Approve targeted changes, provide resources, communicate and evaluate competence where needed.
- Demonstrate effectiveness. Operate the changed processes long enough to produce meaningful evidence. Audit the affected system and review results with management.
- Complete external transition. Allow time for findings, corrections, certification review and certificate issuance; verify the final scope and edition.
Suggested first 90 days — a planning example, not an ISO deadline
| Period | Work and tangible output |
|---|---|
| Days 1–15 | Name a sponsor and coordinator. Confirm the source editions and certification-body arrangements. Build the comparison plan. |
| Days 16–30 | Review affected processes, record evidence and gaps, prioritize actions by consequence and dependency. |
| Days 31–60 | Pilot priority changes, brief staff, evaluate understanding and collect actual operating evidence. |
| Days 61–90 | Audit selected changes, evaluate effectiveness in management review, close or replan actions, and confirm the external transition schedule. |
A complex or regulated operation may need more time. This example is not a promise of certification within 90 days. Maintain required existing controls while changes are introduced.
Gap workbook — copy these fields into your controlled working record
| Field | What to record |
|---|---|
| Requirement reference | Edition, clause and a concise requirement interpretation checked against the final source. |
| Process and owner | Affected workflow, accountable person, interfaces and scope. |
| Current evidence | Specific record identifier, revision/date, sample and location; avoid “we comply” without evidence. |
| Gap and impact | What is missing or ineffective, affected output and consequence. Distinguish “not assessed” from “no gap.” |
| Action and resources | The change, responsible person, resources, dependencies and due date. |
| Effectiveness check | Acceptance criteria, sample/method, reviewer and planned check date. |
| Closure | Actual result, evidence link, reviewer decision and date. Reopen if the intended result was not achieved. |
Worked row: For a supplier-data pilot, the purchasing owner finds that two sampled receipts used summaries with no source-document link. Action: preserve source links and route ambiguous fields for review. Verification: sample the next agreed group of receipts, test retrieval and inspect exception handling. Close only when the approved criteria are met. This example is not a pre-written audit finding; the actual requirement and evidence must be established for the organization.
Readiness review prompts
- Can leadership explain the important changes and its own decisions?
- Can process owners show how opportunities, change results and relevant stakeholder changes are evaluated?
- Can staff demonstrate the correct response to incomplete or conflicting evidence?
- Do internal audits and management review address effectiveness, not just revised document titles?
- Are open gaps, resources and external certification milestones understood?
- Are public claims limited to the organization’s actual current certification status? Completing this course does not certify an organization or qualify a lead auditor.
Scenario assessment — answer before reading the guidance
| Question | Answer guidance |
|---|---|
| 1. A manager wants the old certificate marked “2026” after staff finish this course. What should happen? | Do not alter the certificate or claim transition. Follow the certification body’s assessment and decision process; course completion is training evidence only. |
| 2. A preliminary standard conflicts with the final edition. Which controls the gap review? | Use the authorized final edition and applicable transition arrangements. Retain the draft as historical background with its status identified. |
| 3. A technician is told to backdate a test to meet a shipping target. What demonstrates quality culture? | Preserve truthful evidence, stop or escalate release through the proper authority, resolve acceptance status and address the pressure that caused the request. |
| 4. A risk register lists only failures. What additional discussion is useful? | Identify and evaluate beneficial opportunities, including the expected result, decision basis, resources and effectiveness check. A second software tool is not inherently necessary. |
| 5. A warehouse checks “climate irrelevant” without considering storage conditions. What is missing? | An evidence-based assessment of relevance to its products, location, operations and interested parties. Do not substitute a generic statement for that consideration. |
| 6. A CERP change is installed and staff are emailed. Can the project be closed? | Check the intended outcome and unintended effects against defined acceptance criteria. Installation and communication alone are insufficient evidence of effectiveness. |
| 7. An AI summary says a supplier lot passed, but the original is ambiguous. What is the appropriate response? | Hold reliance on that conclusion and obtain competent review of authentic evidence. Do not invent certainty or allow the summary to authorize release. |
| 8. A transition audit is booked for the last day of September 2029. Is that a robust plan? | No. Leave sufficient time for findings, review, the certification decision and issuance before the transition deadline. Confirm the agreed schedule with the certification body. |
Your course deliverable
Prepare a transition brief with the applicable source editions, one accountable sponsor, three prioritized gap records, an evidence-based change plan and the agreed external milestones. Ask a colleague to challenge one assumption and document your response. Keep confidential business information in your organization’s controlled records; use anonymized examples in public course discussion.
Sources and maintenance
Public guidance was checked on 6 October 2026. Refer to ISO, DNV and Global ACI for the stated revision and transition facts. These source summaries do not replace the licensed standards. Recheck the addendum when the final licensed copy becomes available or official transition arrangements change.
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